fbpx
Wikipedia

Richard Barthelmess

May 21, 2023

Richard Semler Barthelmess (May 9, 1895 – August 17, 1963) was an American film actor, principally of the Hollywood silent era. He starred opposite Lillian Gish in D. W. Griffith's Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920) and was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927. The following year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for two films: The Patent Leather Kid and The Noose.[1]

Richard Barthelmess
Barthelmess in 1934
Born(1895-05-09)May 9, 1895
New York City, U.S.
DiedAugust 17, 1963(1963-08-17) (aged 68)
Southampton, New York, U.S.
Resting placeFerncliff Cemetery
Alma materTrinity College
OccupationActor
Years active1916–1942
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1920; div. 1927)​
Jessica Stewart Sargent
​
​
(m. 1928)​
Children2

Early life

Barthelmess was born in New York City, the son of Caroline W. Harris, a stage actress,[2][3] and Alfred W. Barthelmess.[4] His father died when he was a year old.[5] 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, New York and Trinity College at Hartford, Connecticut.[6] He did some acting in college and other amateur productions. By 1919 he had five years in stock company experience.[7]

Career

Russian actress Alla Nazimova, a friend of the family, was taught English by Caroline Barthelmess.[8] 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.

 
With Lillian Gish in the 1920 release Way Down East

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). 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. In 1922, Photoplay described him as the "idol of every girl in America."[9]

 
Silverscreen magazine, 1922

Barthelmess had a large female following during the 1920s. An admirer wrote to the editor of Picture-Play Magazine in 1921:

Different fans have different opinions, and although Wallace Reid, Thomas Meighan, and Niles Welch are mighty fine chaps, I think that Richard Barthelmess beats them all. Dick is getting more and more popular every day, and why? Because his wonderful black hair and soulful eyes are enough to make any young girl adore him. The first play I saw Dick in was Boots—Dorothy Gish playing the lead. This play impressed me so that I went to see every play in which he appeared—Three Men and a Girl, Scarlet Days, The Love Flower, and Broken Blossoms, in which I decided that Dick was my favorite. I am looking forward to Way Down East as being a great success, because I know Dick will play a good part.[10]

Barthelmess soon became one of Hollywood's higher paid performers, starring in such classics as The Patent Leather Kid in 1927 and The Noose in 1928; he was nominated for Best Actor at the first Academy Awards for his performance in both films. In addition, he won a special citation for producing The Patent Leather Kid.

With the advent of the sound era, Barthelmess remained a star for a number of years. He played numerous leads in talkie films, most notably Son of the Gods (1930), The Dawn Patrol (1930), The Last Flight (1931), The Cabin in the Cotton (1932) and Heroes for Sale (1933). He was able to choose his own material and often played in controversial or socially conscious films.[11] However, his popularity began to wane in the 1930s[12] as he was getting too old for the boyish leads he usually played, and in his later films between 1939 and his retirement in 1942, he turned towards character roles – most notably in his supporting role as the disgraced pilot and husband of Rita Hayworth's character 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 to live off his real estate investments.[13]

Personal life

On June 18, 1920, Barthelmess married Mary Hay, a stage and screen star, in New York.[2] They had one daughter, Mary Barthelmess, before divorcing on January 15, 1927.[14]

In August 1927, Barthelmess became engaged to Katherine Young Wilson, a Broadway actress.[15][16] However, the engagement was called off due to Wilson's stated desire to continue acting,[17] or possibly his affair around this time with the journalist Adela Rogers St. Johns.[18]

On April 21, 1928, Barthelmess married Jessica Stewart Sargent.[2] He later adopted her son, Stewart, from a previous marriage. They remained married until Barthelmess' death in 1963.

Death

Barthelmess died of throat cancer on August 17, 1963, aged 68, in Southampton, New York.[2] He was interred at the Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale, New York.[19]

Legacy

  • Barthelmess was a founder of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[20]
  • In 1960, Barthelmess received a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6755 Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the film industry.[21]
  • Barthelmess was among the second group of recipients of the George Eastman Award in 1957, given by the George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.[22]
  • Composer Katherine Allan Lively dedicated her piano composition Within the Walls of China: A Chinese Episode to Barthelmess in the sheet music published in 1923 by G. Schirmer, Inc.[23] An article in The Music Trades reported that Mrs. Lively was inspired by a viewing of the film Broken Blossoms, and performed the piece for Barthelmess and his friends in New York in the summer of 1922.[24]

Filmography

 
Collage of various characters portrayed by Barthelmess, 1920
 
Another collage of stills from various films, 1930
Features
Short subjects
  • Camille (1926) as Gaston (home movie by cariacaturist Ralph Barton)
  • The Stolen Jools (1931) as Himself
  • How I Play Golf, by Bobby Jones No. 1: The Putter (1931) as Himself (uncredited)
  • Starlit Days at the Lido (1935) as Himself (uncredited)
  • Meet the Stars #5: Hollywood Meets the Navy (1941) as Himself (uncredited)

See also

References

Notes
  1. ^ Thise, Mark (January 1, 2008). Hollywood Winners & Losers A to Z. Hal Leonard Corporation. ISBN 978-0-87910-351-4.
  2. ^ a b c d Donnelley, Paul (2003). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries. Music Sales Group. pp. 70–71. ISBN 9780711995123. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  3. ^ IBDb profile of Caroline Harris; Deaths Last Night, Ironwood Daily Globe (Ironwood, Michigan) April 24, 1937, p. 11, c. 2.
  4. ^ Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1103; Page: 4A; Enumeration District: 0470; FHL microfilm: 1241103
  5. ^ "Tea With Mrs. Barthelmess – An Intimate Chat With the Mother of Dick", The Home Movie Journal, June 1926
  6. ^ Pawlak, Debra Ann (2012). Bringing Up Oscar: The Story of the Men and Women Who Founded the Academy. Pegasus Books. ISBN 9781605982168. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ A Pictorial History of the Silent Screen by Daniel Blum, ca. 1953, p. 111.
  9. ^ "The Shadow Stage". Photoplay. New York: Photoplay Publishing Company. February 1922. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
  10. ^ G. C. (1921). "What the Fans Think" Picture-Play Magazine
  11. ^ Berumen, Frank Javier Garcia (November 20, 2019). American Indian Image Makers of Hollywood. McFarland. ISBN 978-1-4766-7813-9.
  12. ^ "Richard Barthelmess | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos".
  13. ^ Menefee, David W. (October 20, 2007). The First Male Stars: Men of the Silent Era. BearManor Media.
  14. ^ Pawlak, Debra Ann (January 12, 2012). Bringing Up Oscar: The Story of the Men and Women Who Founded the Academy. Pegasus Books. ISBN 978-1-60598-216-8.
  15. ^ "Katherine Wilson's profile at IBDb".
  16. ^ "Barthelmess and Wilson's wedding announcement in The Reading Eagle, August 24, 1927 (accessed 5 December 2011)".
  17. ^ Pawlak, Debra Ann (January 12, 2012). Bringing Up Oscar: The Story of the Men and Women Who Founded the Academy. Pegasus Books. ISBN 978-1-60598-216-8.
  18. ^ Scott Eyman, The Speed of Sound,1999, p. 305.
  19. ^ Wilson, Scott (August 22, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4.
  20. ^ . Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences website. 2008. Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved July 20, 2013.
  21. ^ Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved January 19, 2017
  22. ^ . eastmanhouse.org. George Eastman House. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  23. ^ . Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  24. ^ "(1922) The Music Trades, 64 (21 October), 40". 1922.
Bibliography

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richard Barthelmess.

May 21, 2023
richard, barthelmess, richard, semler, barthelmess, 1895, august, 1963, american, film, actor, principally, hollywood, silent, starred, opposite, lillian, gish, griffith, broken, blossoms, 1919, down, east, 1920, among, founders, academy, motion, picture, arts. Richard Semler Barthelmess May 9 1895 August 17 1963 was an American film actor principally of the Hollywood silent era He starred opposite Lillian Gish in D W Griffith s Broken Blossoms 1919 and Way Down East 1920 and was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 1927 The following year he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for two films The Patent Leather Kid and The Noose 1 Richard BarthelmessBarthelmess in 1934Born 1895 05 09 May 9 1895New York City U S DiedAugust 17 1963 1963 08 17 aged 68 Southampton New York U S Resting placeFerncliff CemeteryAlma materTrinity CollegeOccupationActorYears active1916 1942SpousesMary Hay m 1920 div 1927 wbr Jessica Stewart Sargent m 1928 wbr Children2 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 Post acting career 3 Personal life 4 Death 5 Legacy 6 Filmography 7 See also 8 References 9 External linksEarly life EditBarthelmess was born in New York City the son of Caroline W Harris a stage actress 2 3 and Alfred W Barthelmess 4 His father died when he was a year old 5 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 New York and Trinity College at Hartford Connecticut 6 He did some acting in college and other amateur productions By 1919 he had five years in stock company experience 7 Career EditRussian actress Alla Nazimova a friend of the family was taught English by Caroline Barthelmess 8 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 With Lillian Gish in the 1920 release Way Down East 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 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 In 1922 Photoplay described him as the idol of every girl in America 9 Silverscreen magazine 1922Barthelmess had a large female following during the 1920s An admirer wrote to the editor of Picture Play Magazine in 1921 Different fans have different opinions and although Wallace Reid Thomas Meighan and Niles Welch are mighty fine chaps I think that Richard Barthelmess beats them all Dick is getting more and more popular every day and why Because his wonderful black hair and soulful eyes are enough to make any young girl adore him The first play I saw Dick in was Boots Dorothy Gish playing the lead This play impressed me so that I went to see every play in which he appeared Three Men and a Girl Scarlet Days The Love Flower and Broken Blossoms in which I decided that Dick was my favorite I am looking forward to Way Down East as being a great success because I know Dick will play a good part 10 Barthelmess soon became one of Hollywood s higher paid performers starring in such classics as The Patent Leather Kid in 1927 and The Noose in 1928 he was nominated for Best Actor at the first Academy Awards for his performance in both films In addition he won a special citation for producing The Patent Leather Kid With the advent of the sound era Barthelmess remained a star for a number of years He played numerous leads in talkie films most notably Son of the Gods 1930 The Dawn Patrol 1930 The Last Flight 1931 The Cabin in the Cotton 1932 and Heroes for Sale 1933 He was able to choose his own material and often played in controversial or socially conscious films 11 However his popularity began to wane in the 1930s 12 as he was getting too old for the boyish leads he usually played and in his later films between 1939 and his retirement in 1942 he turned towards character roles most notably in his supporting role as the disgraced pilot and husband of Rita Hayworth s character in Only Angels Have Wings 1939 Post acting career Edit 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 to live off his real estate investments 13 Personal life EditOn June 18 1920 Barthelmess married Mary Hay a stage and screen star in New York 2 They had one daughter Mary Barthelmess before divorcing on January 15 1927 14 In August 1927 Barthelmess became engaged to Katherine Young Wilson a Broadway actress 15 16 However the engagement was called off due to Wilson s stated desire to continue acting 17 or possibly his affair around this time with the journalist Adela Rogers St Johns 18 On April 21 1928 Barthelmess married Jessica Stewart Sargent 2 He later adopted her son Stewart from a previous marriage They remained married until Barthelmess death in 1963 Death EditBarthelmess died of throat cancer on August 17 1963 aged 68 in Southampton New York 2 He was interred at the Ferncliff Cemetery and Mausoleum in Hartsdale New York 19 Legacy EditBarthelmess was a founder of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences 20 In 1960 Barthelmess received a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6755 Hollywood Boulevard for his contributions to the film industry 21 Barthelmess was among the second group of recipients of the George Eastman Award in 1957 given by the George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film 22 Composer Katherine Allan Lively dedicated her piano composition Within the Walls of China A Chinese Episode to Barthelmess in the sheet music published in 1923 by G Schirmer Inc 23 An article in The Music Trades reported that Mrs Lively was inspired by a viewing of the film Broken Blossoms and performed the piece for Barthelmess and his friends in New York in the summer of 1922 24 Filmography Edit Collage of various characters portrayed by Barthelmess 1920 Another collage of stills from various films 1930 FeaturesGloria s Romance 1916 uncredited War Brides 1916 as Arno Snow White 1916 as Pie Man uncredited Just a Song at Twilight 1916 as George Turner The Moral Code 1917 as Gary Miller The Eternal Sin 1917 as Gennaro The Valentine Girl 1917 as Robert Wentworth The Soul of a Magdalen 1917 as Louis Broulette The Streets of Illusion 1917 as Donald Morton Camille 1917 Bab s Diary 1917 as Tommy Gray Bab s Burglar 1917 as Tommy Gray Nearly Married 1917 as Dick Griffon For Valour 1917 as Henry Nobbs The Seven Swans 1917 as Prince Charming Sunshine Nan 1918 as MacPherson Clark Rich Man Poor Man 1918 as Bayard Varick Hit The Trail Holliday 1918 as Bobby Jason Wild Primrose 1918 as Jack Wilton The Hope Chest 1918 as Tom Ballantyne Boots 1919 as Everett White The Girl Who Stayed at Home 1919 as Ralph Grey Three Men and a Girl 1919 as Christopher Kent Peppy Polly 1919 as Dr James Merritt Broken Blossoms 1919 as Cheng Huan The Yellow Man I ll Get Him Yet 1919 as Scoop McCready Scarlet Days 1919 as Don Maria Alvarez The Idol Dancer 1920 as Dan McGuire The Love Flower 1920 as Bruce Sanders Way Down East 1920 as David Bartlett Experience 1921 as Youth Tol able David 1921 as David Kinemon The Seventh Day 1922 as John Alden Jr Sonny 1922 as Sonny Crosby Joe The Bond Boy 1922 as Peter Newbolt father John Newbolt Fury 1923 as Boy Leyton The Bright Shawl 1923 as Charles Abbott The Fighting Blade 1923 as Karl Van Kerstenbroock Twenty One 1923 as Julian McCullough The Enchanted Cottage 1924 as Oliver Bashforth Classmates 1924 as Duncan Irving Jr New Toys 1925 as Will Webb Soul Fire 1925 as Eric Fane Shore Leave 1925 as D X Bilge Smith The Beautiful City 1925 as Tony Gillardi Just Suppose 1926 as Prince Rupert of Koronia Ranson s Folly 1926 as Lt Ranson The Amateur Gentleman 1926 as Barnabas Barty The White Black Sheep 1926 as Robert Kincarin The Patent Leather Kid 1927 as Patent Leather Kid The Drop Kick 1927 as Jack Hamill The Noose 1928 as Nickie Elkins The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come 1928 as Chad Buford Wheel of Chance 1928 as Nicolai Turkeltaub Jacob Taline Out of the Ruins 1928 as Lt Pierre Dumont Scarlet Seas 1928 as Steven Dunkin Weary River 1929 as Jerry Larrabee Drag 1929 as David Carroll Young Nowheres 1929 as Albert Binky Whalen The Show of Shows 1929 as Meet My Sister Presenter Son of the Gods 1930 as Sam Lee The Dawn Patrol 1930 as Dick Courtney The Lash 1930 as Francisco Delfino Pancho The Finger Points 1931 as Breckenridge Breck Lee The Last Flight 1931 as Cary Lockwood Alias the Doctor 1932 as Karl Brenner The Cabin in the Cotton 1932 as Marvin Blake Central Airport 1933 as James Jim Blaine Heroes for Sale 1933 as Tom Holmes Massacre 1934 as Chief Joe Thunderhorse A Modern Hero 1934 as Pierre Radier aka Paul Rader Midnight Alibi 1934 as Lance McGowan Robert Anders Four Hours to Kill 1935 as Tony Mako Spy of Napoleon 1936 as Gerard de Lanoy Only Angels Have Wings 1939 as Bat MacPherson The Man Who Talked Too Much 1940 as J B Roscoe The Spoilers 1942 as Bronco Kid Farrow The Mayor of 44th Street 1942 as Ed Kirby final film role Short subjectsCamille 1926 as Gaston home movie by cariacaturist Ralph Barton The Stolen Jools 1931 as Himself How I Play Golf by Bobby Jones No 1 The Putter 1931 as Himself uncredited Starlit Days at the Lido 1935 as Himself uncredited Meet the Stars 5 Hollywood Meets the Navy 1941 as Himself uncredited See also EditList of actors with Academy Award nominationsReferences EditNotes Thise Mark January 1 2008 Hollywood Winners amp Losers A to Z Hal Leonard Corporation ISBN 978 0 87910 351 4 a b c d Donnelley Paul 2003 Fade to Black A Book of Movie Obituaries Music Sales Group pp 70 71 ISBN 9780711995123 Retrieved February 11 2017 IBDb profile of Caroline Harris Deaths Last Night Ironwood Daily Globe Ironwood Michigan April 24 1937 p 11 c 2 Census Place Manhattan New York New York Roll 1103 Page 4A Enumeration District 0470 FHL microfilm 1241103 Tea With Mrs Barthelmess An Intimate Chat With the Mother of Dick The Home Movie Journal June 1926 Pawlak Debra Ann 2012 Bringing Up Oscar The Story of the Men and Women Who Founded the Academy Pegasus Books ISBN 9781605982168 Retrieved February 11 2017 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 A Pictorial History of the Silent Screen by Daniel Blum ca 1953 p 111 The Shadow Stage Photoplay New York Photoplay Publishing Company February 1922 Retrieved September 3 2015 G C 1921 What the Fans Think Picture Play Magazine Berumen Frank Javier Garcia November 20 2019 American Indian Image Makers of Hollywood McFarland ISBN 978 1 4766 7813 9 Richard Barthelmess Biography Movie Highlights and Photos Menefee David W October 20 2007 The First Male Stars Men of the Silent Era BearManor Media Pawlak Debra Ann January 12 2012 Bringing Up Oscar The Story of the Men and Women Who Founded the Academy Pegasus Books ISBN 978 1 60598 216 8 Katherine Wilson s profile at IBDb Barthelmess and Wilson s wedding announcement in The Reading Eagle August 24 1927 accessed 5 December 2011 Pawlak Debra Ann January 12 2012 Bringing Up Oscar The Story of the Men and Women Who Founded the Academy Pegasus Books ISBN 978 1 60598 216 8 Scott Eyman The Speed of Sound 1999 p 305 Wilson Scott August 22 2016 Resting Places The Burial Sites of More Than 14 000 Famous Persons 3d ed McFarland ISBN 978 0 7864 7992 4 History of the Academy Original 36 founders of the Academy Actors Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences website 2008 Archived from the original on June 16 2017 Retrieved July 20 2013 Hollywood Walk of Fame Retrieved January 19 2017 George Eastman Award archive eastmanhouse org George Eastman House Retrieved November 14 2017 Published sheet music on line at Maine Music Box Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved May 22 2012 1922 The Music Trades 64 21 October 40 1922 BibliographyHammond Michael War Relic and Forgotten Man Richard Barthelmess as Celluloid Veteran in Hollywood 1922 1933 Journal of War amp Culture Studies 6 4 2013 p 282 301 http www maneyonline com doi abs 10 1179 1752628013Y 0000000005External links Edit Biography portal Wikimedia Commons has media related to Richard Barthelmess Richard Barthelmess at IMDb Richard Barthelmess at AllMovie Richard Barthelmess at the Internet Broadway Database Photographs of Richard Barthelmess Richard Barthelmess at Find a Grave Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Richard Barthelmess amp oldid 1155648574, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.