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Born: March 16, 1878 – Died: June 17, 1936
Henry B. Walthall, best known for his role in "The Birth of a Nation," was a prominent actor who left a lasting mark on the entertainment industry. Born in Alabama in 1878, he initially pursued a career in law but abandoned it in 1898 to serve in the US Army during the Spanish-American War. However, his destiny took a different turn when he decided to venture into acting after returning from the war. Walthall made his Broadway debut in 1901 and caught the attention of renowned director D.W. Griffith, with whom he would collaborate on numerous films. Griffith cast him as "the little colonel" in his epic film. Walthall's career saw its ups and downs, but he found success in the sound era with notable roles in films like "Dante's Inferno" and "Viva Villa!" Unfortunately, his life was cut short by influenza in 1936, but his contributions to the world of cinema remain unforgettable.
Early Life and Career
Henry B. Walthall began his acting career by making his Broadway debut in 1901, marking his first step into the world of entertainment. While his early years in the film industry were modest, his collaboration with D.W. Griffith, starting with "The Birth of a Nation," marked a turning point in his career.
Walthall's role as "the little colonel" in Griffith's epic film brought him recognition and acclaim, establishing him as a notable actor in the silent film era. Although he faced challenges in the 1920s, he experienced a resurgence in the sound era with roles in films like "Dante's Inferno" and "Viva Villa!"
Henry B. Walthall left a lasting impact on Hollywood and the entertainment industry through his significant contributions to both silent and sound films. Although he may not be considered an icon or legend on the same level as some other Hollywood stars, his work and collaboration with D.W. Griffith remain a notable part of cinema history.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1936 | China Clipper | Dad Brunn |
| 1936 | The Devil-Doll | Marcel |
| 1936 | The Last Outlaw | Cal Yates |
| 1936 | Hearts in Bondage | Capt. Buchanan |
| 1936 | The Mine with the Iron Door | David Burton |
| 1936 | The Garden Murder Case | Dr. Garden |
| 1935 | A Tale of Two Cities | Dr. Manette |
| 1935 | Dante's Inferno | Pop McWade |
| 1934 | Bachelor of Arts | Professor Barth |
| 1934 | Helldorado | Abner Meadows |
| 1934 | Love Time | Duke Johann von Hatzfeld |
| 1934 | A Girl of the Limberlost | Dr. Amon |
| 1934 | The Lemon Drop Kid | Jonas Deering |
| 1934 | The Scarlet Letter | Roger Chillingworth |
| 1934 | Judge Priest | Rev. Ashby Brand |
| 1934 | The Murder in the Museum | Bernard Latham Wayne, alias Prof. Mysto (as Henry B. Walthal) |
| 1934 | City Park | Colonel Henry Randolph Ransome |
| 1934 | Viva Villa! | Francisco Madero |
| 1934 | Men in White | Dr. McCabe |
| 1934 | Beggars in Ermine | Marchant the Blind Man (as Henry B. Walthal) |
| 1934 | Dark Hazard | Schultz (uncredited) |
| 1933 | The Sin of Nora Moran | Father Ryan |
| 1933 | The Wolf Dog | Jim Courtney |
| 1933 | Her Forgotten Past | Mr. Maynard |
| 1933 | Headline Shooter | Judge Beacon (uncredited) |
| 1933 | Laughing at Life | President Valenzuela |
| 1933 | Hold Your Man | Clergyman in Alternate Version (uncredited) |
| 1933 | Somewhere in Sonora | Bob Leadly |
| 1933 | The Whispering Shadow | J.D. Bradley - Company President |
| 1933 | 42nd Street | Concerned Actor (uncredited) |
| 1932 | The Flaming Signal | Rev. Mr. James |
| 1932 | Self Defense | Doctor Borden |
| 1932 | Central Park | Eby |
| 1932 | Me and My Gal | Sgt. John Collins aka Sarge |
| 1932 | The Cabin in the Cotton | Eph Clinton |
| 1932 | Klondike | Mark Armstrong |
| 1932 | Ride Him, Cowboy | John Gaunt |
| 1932 | Chandu the Magician | Robert Regent |
| 1932 | Strange Interlude | Professor Leeds |
| 1932 | Alias Mary Smith | Attwell |
| 1932 | Hotel Continental | Winthrop |
| 1932 | Police Court | Nat Barry |
| 1931 | Anybody's Blonde | Mr. Evans |
| 1931 | Is There Justice? | District Attorney John Raymond |
| 1930 | Tol'able David | Amos Hatburn |
| 1930 | The Love Trader | Capt. Adams |
| 1930 | Abraham Lincoln | Col. Marshall |
| 1930 | Temple Tower | Blackton |
| 1929 | Blaze o' Glory | Burke |
| 1929 | The Trespasser | Fuller |
| 1929 | The Phantom in the House | Boyd Milburn (as Henry Walthall) |
| 1929 | In Old California | Don Pedro De León |
| 1929 | Street Corner (Short) | Unknown |
| 1929 | Black Magic | Dr. Bradbroke |
| 1929 | The River of Romance | General Jeff Rumford |
| 1929 | From Headquarters | Buffalo Bill Ryan |
| 1929 | The Bridge of San Luis Rey | Father Juniper |
| 1929 | Speakeasy | Piano Player |
| 1929 | Stark Mad | Capt. Rhodes - Yacht Commander |
| 1929 | The Jazz Age | Mr. Maxwell (as H.B. Walthall) |
| 1928 | Freedom of the Press | John Ballard |
| 1928 | Retribution (Short) | Henry | Tommy Mooney |
| 1927 | London After Midnight | Sir.James Hamlin |
| 1927 | A Light in the Window | Johann Graff |
| 1927 | The Rose of Kildare | Bob Avery |
| 1927 | Wings | David's Father |
| 1927 | The Enchanted Island | Tim Sanborn |
| 1927 | Love Me and the World Is Mine | Van Denbosch |
| 1927 | Fighting Love | Filipo Navarro |
| 1926 | Everybody's Acting | Thorpe |
| 1926 | The Scarlet Letter | Roger Prynne |
| 1926 | The Road to Mandalay | Father James |
| 1926 | The Unknown Soldier | John Phillips |
| 1926 | The Barrier | Gale Gaylord |
| 1926 | Three Faces East | George Bennett |
| 1925 | The Plastic Age | Henry Carver |
| 1925 | Simon the Jester | Brandt |
| 1925 | Dollar Down | Alec Craig |
| 1925 | Kentucky Pride | Mr. Beaumont |
| 1925 | Kit Carson Over the Great Divide | Dr. Samuel Webb |
| 1925 | The Girl Who Wouldn't Work | William Hale |
| 1925 | On the Threshold | Andrew Masters |
| 1925 | The Golden Bed | Col. Peake (as Henry Walthall) |
| 1924 | The Bowery Bishop | Norman Strong |
| 1924 | Single Wives | Franklin Dexter |
| 1924 | The Woman on the Jury | Prosecuting Attorney |
| 1923 | Boy of Mine | William Latimer |
| 1923 | The Unknown Purple | Peter Marchmont | Victor Cromport |
| 1923 | Gimme | John McGimsey |
| 1923 | The Face on the Bar-Room Floor | Robert Stevens |
| 1922 | The Marriage Chance | Dr. Paul Graydon |
| 1922 | The Long Chance | Harley P. Hennage |
| 1922 | The Kickback | Aaron Price |
| 1922 | One Clear Call | Henry Garnett |
| 1922 | The Able-Minded Lady | Breezy Bright |
| 1921 | The Flower of the North | Philip Whittemore |
| 1920 | A Splendid Hazard | Karl Breitman |
| 1920 | Parted Curtains | Joe Jenkins (as Henry Walthall) |
| 1920 | The Confession | Father Bartlett |
| 1919 | The Long Arm of Mannister | George Mannister |
| 1919 | The Boomerang | George Gray |
| 1919 | Modern Husbands | Stephen Duane |
| 1919 | The False Faces | Michael Lanyard |
| 1919 | The Long Lane's Turning | Harry Sevier |
| 1918 | And a Still Small Voice | Clay Randolph |
| 1918 | The Great Love | Sir Roger Brighton |
| 1918 | With Hoops of Steel | Emerson Mead |
| 1918 | Humdrum Brown | Hector 'Humdrum' Brown |
| 1918 | His Robe of Honor | Julian Randolph |
| 1917 | The Saint's Adventure | Reverend Paul Manson |
| 1917 | Burning the Candle | James Maxwell |
| 1917 | The Little Shoes | David Noel |
| 1916 | The Yellow Hound (Short) | Unknown |
| 1916 | The Truant Soul | Dr. John Lancaster | Dr. Lawson |
| 1916 | Pillars of Society | Karsten Bernick |
| 1916 | The Sting of Victory | David Whiting | Walker Whiting |
| 1916 | The Little Heroine (Short) | Unknown |
| 1916 | The Birth of a Man | (as Henry Walthall) |
| 1916 | The Strange Case of Mary Page | Phil Langdon, Attorney |
| 1916 | The Misleading Lady | Jack Craiger |
| 1915 | Blind Justice (Short) | Jack Langdon |
| 1915 | The Raven | Edgar Allan Poe |
| 1915 | The Outer Edge (Short) | Dr. Rownlee |
| 1915 | The Circular Path (Short) | Reverend Darwin Kirby |
| 1915 | The Woman Hater (Short) | Jack Warder |
| 1915 | Temper (Short) | Frank Bradbury |
| 1915 | Ghosts | Captain Arling | Oswald (as Henry Walthall) |
| 1915 | Beulah | Dr. Guy Hartwell |
| 1915 | Ashes of Dreams (Short) | Unknown |
| 1915 | The Birth of a Nation | Col. Ben Cameron aka The Little Colonel (as Henry Walthall) |
| 1915 | Rod of Wrath (Short) | Erickson's Son |
| 1914 | The Odalisque (Short) | Joe - In Love With May |
| 1914 | The Avenging Conscience: or 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' | The Nephew |
| 1914 | Lord Chumley (Short) | Lord Chumley |
| 1914 | The Soul of Honor (Short) | Dick Potter - the Son |
| 1914 | The Mountain Rat (Short) | Douglas Williams |
| 1914 | Home, Sweet Home | John Howard Payne |
| 1914 | Ashes of the Past (Short) | Unknown |
| 1914 | The Floor Above (Short) | Stephen Pryde |
| 1914 | The Old Man (Short) | The Old Man |
| 1914 | The Mysterious Shot (Short) | The Gopher |
| 1914 | Strongheart (Short) | Soangataha | Strongheart |
| 1914 | Judith of Bethulia | Holofernes |
| 1914 | The Gangsters of New York (Short) | Porky Dugan |
| 1914 | The Green-Eyed Devil (Short) | Unknown |
| 1914 | Classmates (Short) | Duncan Irving |
| 1914 | The Awakening of Donna Isolla (Short) | The President of the Republic |
| 1913 | The Battle of Elderbush Gulch (Short) | The Indian Chief's Son |
| 1913 | The Wedding Gown (Short) | Unknown |
| 1913 | Her Wedding Bell (Short) | Pedro |
| 1913 | The Fly Leaf of Fate (Short) | Ralph Cummings |
| 1913 | Beyond All Law (Short) | Unknown |
| 1913 | Diversion (Short) | Mr. Wilson |
| 1913 | Influence of the Unknown (Short) | First Revenue Officer |
| 1913 | A Woman in the Ultimate (Short) | Member of the Badger Gang |
| 1913 | Two Men of the Desert (Short) | First Partner |
| 1913 | The Vengeance of Galora (Short) | (unconfirmed) |
| 1913 | The Mirror (Short) | The Station Agent |
| 1913 | During the Round-Up (Short) | The Stranger |
| 1913 | A Gambler's Honor (Short) | Beth's Brother |
| 1913 | The Mistake (Short) | Warren Smyth - the Friend - a Prospector |
| 1913 | Her Mother's Oath (Short) | The Actor |
| 1913 | The Mothering Heart (Short) | Club Patron (uncredited) |
| 1913 | The Switch Tower (Short) | The Switchman |
| 1913 | Death's Marathon (Short) | The Husband |
| 1913 | Red Hicks Defies the World (Short) | In Crowd (uncredited) |
| 1913 | The Stolen Loaf (Short) | The Poor Man |
| 1913 | The Tenderfoot's Money (Short) | The Prospector |
| 1913 | The Wanderer (Short) | The Wanderer |
| 1913 | If We Only Knew (Short) | The Father |
| 1913 | The Lady and the Mouse (Short) | The 1st Rival |
| 1913 | A Horse on Bill (Short) | In Audience |
| 1913 | The Little Tease (Short) | The Valley Man |
| 1913 | The Perfidy of Mary (Short) | The Poet |
| 1913 | The Sheriff's Baby (Short) | First Bandit |
| 1913 | The Unwelcome Guest (Short) | At Auction (unconfirmed, uncredited) |
| 1913 | Broken Ways (Short) | The Road Agent |
| 1913 | Love in an Apartment Hotel (Short) | The Young Woman's Fiance |
| 1913 | Oil and Water (Short) | The Idealist |
| 1913 | Three Friends (Short) | Ned Billings - the Husband |
| 1912 | The God Within (Short) | The Woodsman |
| 1912 | The Burglar's Dilemma (Short) | The Author's Weakling Brother |
| 1912 | My Hero (Short) | Indian Charlie |
| 1912 | Brutality (Short) | Actor In Oliver Twist |
| 1912 | The Informer (Short) | The False Brother |
| 1912 | My Baby (Short) | The Husband |
| 1912 | The Painted Lady (Short) | At Ice Cream Festival (uncredited) |
| 1912 | The One She Loved (Short) | The Husband |
| 1912 | In the Aisles of the Wild (Short) | Jim Watson |
| 1912 | A Feud in the Kentucky Hills (Short) | The Psalm Singer |
| 1912 | So Near, Yet So Far (Short) | Unknown |
| 1912 | Friends (Short) | Dandy Jack |
| 1912 | Two Daughters of Eve (Short) | The Father |
| 1912 | A Change of Spirit (Short) | First Gentleman Thief |
| 1912 | The Forbidden Way (Short) | Graham - A Surveyor |
| 1912 | The District Attorney's Conscience (Short) | James Douglas - The District Attorney |
| 1912 | Mixed Identities (Short) | Bob Gordon - The Burglar |
| 1912 | The Miser's Daughter (Short) | The Miser's Daughter's Sweetheart |
| 1912 | The Recoil (Short) | Giovanni - the Labor Agitator |
| 1912 | The Return of John Gray (Short) | John Gray |
| 1912 | The Burglar's Reformation (Short) | The Reformed Burglar |
| 1912 | Love Is Blind (Short) | Foster - The Artist |
| 1912 | An Opportune Burglar (Short) | The Elderly Husband's Nephew |
| 1912 | When the Heart Calls (Short) | The Hermit |
| 1912 | Mother (Short) | The Son |
| 1912 | The Birthday Present (Short) | Unknown |
| 1912 | Fur Smugglers (Short) | Walter Leggett - Customs Officer |
| 1912 | A Tragic Experiment (Short) | Findlay - Jane's Beau (unconfirmed) |
| 1912 | Jealousy (Short) | The Husband (as William Walthall) |
| 1912 | Hide and Seek (Short) | Unknown |
| 1912 | Iola's Promise (Short) | Undetermined Secondary Role (uncredited) |
| 1912 | The Ruling Passion (Short) | Van Wert |
| 1912 | The Better Man (Short) | Walter Earl - Dot's Suitor |
| 1912 | The Yeggman (Short) | The Yeggman (as William Walthall) |
| 1912 | The Duel (Short) | Jackson - A Mountain Moonshiner |
| 1912 | The Gambler's Daughter (Short) | Weston - the Minister's Son (unconfirmed) |
| 1912 | The Stolen Letter (Short) | John Carroll (unconfirmed) |
| 1912 | The Man Under the Bed (Short) | The Escaped Convict |
| 1912 | Solomon's Son (Short) | Morris - Solomon's Son |
| 1912 | The Deception (Short) | Walter |
| 1912 | The Appointed Hour (Short) | Mrs. Neville's Paramour |
| 1912 | The Quarrel (Short) | The Husband |
| 1912 | The Gangfighter (Short) | The Gang Leader (unconfirmed) |
| 1911 | The Birth-Mark (Short) | Unknown |
| 1911 | Locked in the Vaults (Short) | Robert Tyler (as William Walthall) |
| 1911 | The Turnstile (Short) | Mr. Gail |
| 1911 | The Turn of the Wheel (Short) | James Harrison |
| 1911 | The Poison Cup (Short) | John Adams - the First Husband (as William Walthall) |
| 1911 | A Daughter of Italy (Short) | The Kidnapper (as William Walthall) |
| 1911 | The Injustice of Man (Short) | Jim Brown (as William Walthall) |
| 1911 | The Moonshiners (Short) | Barrett - the Wounded Moonshiner (as William Walthall) |
| 1911 | The Track Walker (Short) | Willis - the Track Walker |
| 1911 | The Greater Love (Short) | Harris |
| 1911 | Divorce (Short) | Jack Evans |
| 1911 | A Narrow Escape (Short) | Jim Smith - The Workman (as William Walthall) |
| 1911 | The Anonymous Letter (Short) | Paul Carter |
| 1911 | For His Sake (Short) | Unknown |
| 1911 | The Cobbler (Short) | George Hines - the Cobbler |
| 1911 | His Dream (Short) | Unknown |
| 1911 | Clouds and Sunshine (Short) | John Ryan |
| 1911 | The Godfather (Short) | Unknown |
| 1911 | A Little Child (Short) | The Burglar |
| 1911 | Grandfather (Short) | George Blake |
| 1911 | The Pitfall (Short) | Ted (as Henry Walthall) |
| 1911 | His Son (Short) | The Son |
| 1911 | The Broken Vows (Short) | The Rejected Suitor |
| 1911 | Dad's Boy (Short) | John Chester |
| 1911 | Waiting (Short) | Unknown |
| 1911 | The Stepsisters (Short) | The Lover |
| 1911 | The Society Girl and the Gypsy (Short) | Antonio |
| 1911 | A Trick of Fortune (Short) | Harry Wilson (as Henry Walthall) |
| 1911 | Souls Courageous (Short) | Unknown |
| 1911 | Three Men (Short) | (unconfirmed) |
| 1911 | The Command from Galilee (Short) | The Lover |
| 1911 | The Hour of Fate (Short) | Unknown |
| 1911 | As the Master Orders (Short) | Brownell |
| 1910 | Where Sea and Shore Doth Meet (Short) | Unknown |
| 1910 | The Armorer's Daughter (Short) | Unknown |
| 1910 | The Gray of the Dawn (Short) | Unknown |
| 1910 | The Banker's Daughters (Short) | Second Criminal |
| 1910 | The Iconoclast (Short) | The Worker |
| 1910 | Rose o' Salem Town (Short) | The Trapper |
| 1910 | The Oath and the Man (Short) | Henri Prevost |
| 1910 | In Life's Cycle (Short) | Vincent Mullen - as an Adult |
| 1910 | A Summer Idyll (Short) | Albert Woodson |
| 1910 | Wilful Peggy (Short) | The Lord |
| 1910 | The Sorrows of the Unfaithful (Short) | Bill |
| 1910 | The Usurer (Short) | One of the Second Debtors |
| 1910 | The House with Closed Shutters (Short) | Charles Randolph - The Confederate Soldier |
| 1910 | The Call to Arms (Short) | The Lord |
| 1910 | The Face at the Window (Short) | Ralph Bradford |
| 1910 | In the Border States (Short) | Confederate Corporal (uncredited) |
| 1910 | A Child of the Ghetto (Short) | The Farmer |
| 1910 | The Impalement (Short) | At First Party | At Second Party |
| 1910 | Ramona (Short) | Alessandro |
| 1910 | Love Among the Roses (Short) | The Lord |
| 1910 | The Gold Seekers (Short) | The Prospector |
| 1910 | The Way of the World (Short) | The Young Priest |
| 1910 | The Tenderfoot's Triumph (Short) | A Horse Thief |
| 1910 | Thou Shalt Not (Short) | Edgar Thurston |
| 1910 | Western Justice (Short) | (unconfirmed) |
| 1910 | The Kid (Short) | Walter Holden |
| 1910 | The Two Brothers (Short) | Pedro |
| 1910 | His Last Dollar (Short) | Unknown |
| 1910 | Gold Is Not All (Short) | Man At Party |
| 1910 | The Converts (Short) | The False Evangelist |
| 1910 | In Old California (Short) | Perdita's Son |
| 1910 | The Thread of Destiny (Short) | Estrada |
| 1910 | The Newlyweds (Short) | A Friend | At Station Reception |
| 1910 | His Last Burglary (Short) | William Standish |
| 1910 | One Night, and Then -- (Short) | Henry Revol |
| 1910 | The Cloister's Touch (Short) | The Father |
| 1910 | The Honor of His Family (Short) | George Pickett Jr. |
| 1910 | The Call (Short) | Billy Harvey |
| 1910 | On the Reef (Short) | Mr. Wilson |
| 1909 | The Heart of an Outlaw (Short) | The Mexican Lover |
| 1909 | The Day After (Short) | Party Guest |
| 1909 | Choosing a Husband (Short) | Harry - the Real Sweetheart |
| 1909 | In Little Italy (Short) | Victor Ratazzi |
| 1909 | A Trap for Santa Claus (Short) | Arthur Rogers |
| 1909 | The Test (Short) | At the Hotel |
| 1909 | In a Hempen Bag (Short) | Couple on Road |
| 1909 | A Corner in Wheat (Short) | The Wheat King's Assistant |
| 1909 | The Expiation (Short) | Unknown |
| 1909 | Fools of Fate (Short) | Unknown |
| 1909 | Pippa Passes; or, the Song of Conscience (Short) | Unknown |
| 1909 | Wanted, a Child (Short) | Unknown |
| 1909 | Leather Stocking (Short) | Unknown |
| 1909 | A Fair Exchange (Short) | The Peasant |
| 1909 | In Old Kentucky (Short) | Robert - the Confederate Son |
| 1909 | The Broken Locket (Short) | Mexican Man |
| 1909 | Getting Even (Short) | Miner |
| 1909 | The Children's Friend (Short) | Unknown |
| 1909 | The Hessian Renegades (Short) | Unknown |
| 1909 | The Sealed Room (Short) | The Minstrel |
| 1909 | The Little Darling (Short) | In Boarding House |
| 1909 | Pranks (Short) | Sunbather |
| 1909 | The Mills of the Gods (Short) | At Party |
| 1909 | With Her Card (Short) | At Larkin's |
| 1909 | The Better Way (Short) | Oliver Sylvester |
| 1909 | They Would Elope (Short) | In Group |
| 1909 | The Mended Lute (Short) | Indian |
| 1909 | A Strange Meeting (Short) | Mary's Father |
| 1909 | The Slave (Short) | Alachus' Friend |
| 1909 | A Convict's Sacrifice (Short) | The Convict's Friend |
| 1908 | Rescued from an Eagle's Nest (Short) | Woodsman (as H. B. Walthall) |