H. B. Warner
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H. B. Warner (26 October 1875 - 21 December 1958) was a British actor.
He was born Harry Byron Warner in St John's Wood, London in 1875. His father was an actor, and, although young Harry had initially thought to study medicine, he eventually followed in his father's footsteps and performed on the stage.
Warner began his film career in silent films in 1914, when he debuted in The Lost Paradise. He played lead roles, culminating in the role of Jesus Christ in Cecil B. DeMille's silent film epic, The King of Kings in 1927. Following that film, he was only cast in dignified roles, in such movies as the 1930 version of Liliom (as the Heavenly Magistrate), the 1935 version of A Tale of Two Cities (as Charles Darnay's servant), Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (as the judge), the original 1937 version of Lost Horizon (as Chang, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor), You Can't Take It with You, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Rains Came, The Corsican Brothers, It's a Wonderful Life (as the drunken druggist), Sunset Boulevard (in which he played himself) and The Ten Commandments. Occasionally though, Warner was seen in a sinister role, as in the 1941 film version of The Devil and Daniel Webster, in which he played the ghost of John Hathorne.
Warner was married twice:
- 1) Rita Stanwood 1919
- 2) F.R.Hamlin
Warner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6600 Hollywood Blvd. He died in Woodland Hills, California in 1958 aged 83.
