Richard Barthelmess

Richard Barthelmess

Publicity photo of Barthelmess for A Modern Hero (1934)
Born May 9, 1895
New York City, New York, U.S.
Died August 17, 1963 (aged 68)
Southampton, New York, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1916–1942
Spouse(s) Mary Hay (1920–1927) 1 daughter
Jessica Stewart Sargent (1928–1963)

Richard Semler "Dick" Barthelmess (May 9, 1895 – August 17, 1963) was an American film actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor in 1928.

Early life

Barthelmess was born in New York City in 1895 as the son of Caroline Harris, a stage actress,[1] and Alfred W. Barthelmess.[2] His father died when the boy was a year old.[3] Through his mother, he grew up in the theatre, doing "walk-ons" from an early age. In contrast to that, he was educated at Hudson River Military Academy at Nyack and Trinity College at Hartford, Connecticut. He did some acting in college and other amateur productions. By 1919 he had five years in stock company experience.[4]

Career

Russian actress Alla Nazimova, a friend of the family, was taught English by Caroline Barthelmess.[5] Nazimova convinced Richard Barthelmess to try acting professionally, and he made his debut screen appearance in 1916 in the serial Gloria's Romance as an uncredited extra. He also appeared as a supporting player in several films starring Marguerite Clark. His next role, in War Brides opposite Nazimova, attracted the attention of director D.W. Griffith, who offered him several important roles, finally casting him opposite Lillian Gish in Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920).

with Lillian Gish in Way Down East (1920)

Barthelmess soon became one of Hollywood's highest paid performers, starring in such classics as The Patent Leather Kid (1927) and The Noose (1928); he was nominated for Best Actor at the first Academy Awards for his performance in both these films. In addition, he won a Special Citation for producing The Patent Leather Kid. He founded his own production company, Inspiration Film Company, together with Charles Duell and Henry King. One of their films, Tol'able David (1921), in which Barthelmess starred as a teenage mailman who finds courage, was a major success.

With the advent of the sound era, Barthelmess' fortunes changed. He made several talkie films, most notably Son of the Gods (1930), The Dawn Patrol (1930), The Last Flight (1931), and The Cabin in the Cotton (1932), Central Airport (1933), and a supporting role as Rita Hayworth's character's husband in Only Angels Have Wings (1939).

Post-acting career

Barthelmess failed to maintain the stardom of his silent film days and gradually left entertainment. He enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve during World War II, and served as a lieutenant commander. He never returned to film, preferring instead to live off his investments.

Death

Barthelmess died of cancer in 1963, aged 68, and was interred at the Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York.

Marriage and family

He married Mary Hay, a stage and screen star. They had one daughter Mary Barthelmess before divorcing.[6]

In 1927, Barthelmess became engaged to Katherine Young Wilson, a Broadway actress.[7][8] However, the engagement was called off, possibly due to his affair about this time with the journalist Adela Rogers St. Johns.[9]

In 1928 Barthelmess married Jessica Stewart Sargent (1900-1965). He would later adopt her son Stewart from a previous marriage.

Legacy

Filmography

Features
Short subjects

References

Notes
  1. ↑ IBDb profile of Caroline Harris; Deaths Last Night, Ironwood Daily Globe (Ironwood, Michigan) April 24, 1937, p. 11, c. 2.
  2. ↑ Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1103; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0470; FHL microfilm: 1241103
  3. ↑ "Tea With Mrs. Barthelmess – An Intimate Chat With the Mother of Dick", The Home Movie Journal, June 1926
  4. ↑ The Motion Picture Studio Directory, 1919; Page: 48. The 1900 US Census reported his mother ran a boardinghouse as housekeeper with a maid and butler. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA); Washington D.C.; Passport Applications, January 2, 1906 - March 31, 1925; Collection Number: ARC Identifier 583830 / MLR Number A1 534; NARA Series: M1490; Roll #: 1009.
  5. ↑ A Pictorial History of the Silent Screen by Daniel Blum, ca. 1953, p. 111.
  6. ↑ Profile at IBDb
  7. ↑ Katherine Wilson's profile at IBDb
  8. ↑ Barthelmess and Wilson's wedding announcement in The Reading Eagle, August 24, 1927 (accessed 5 December 2011)
  9. ↑ Scott Eyman, The Speed of Sound,1999, p. 305.
  10. ↑ "History of the Academy: Original 36 founders of the Academy Actors". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences website. 2008. Retrieved 20 July 2013.
  11. ↑ Published sheet music on-line at Maine Music Box.
  12. ↑ (1922) The Music Trades, 64 (21 October), 40.
Bibliography

External links

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