Richard Barthelmess

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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.

Early life

Barthelmess was born in New York City, the son of Caroline W. Harris, a stage actress, and Alfred W. Barthelmess. His father died when he was a year old. 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. He did some acting in college and other amateur productions. By 1919 he had five years in stock company experience.

Personal life

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

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

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

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Career

Alla Nazimova, a friend of the family, was taught English by Caroline Barthelmess. Richard Barthelmess decided to try acting professionally, and he made his debut screen appearance in 1916's Gloria's Romance as an uncredited extra. He has appeared in many films starring Marguerite Clark.

His next film, directed by D.W. Griffith, attracted the interest of director D.W. Griffith, who gave him several prominent roles, before casting him opposite Lillian Gish in Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920). Together with Charles Duell and Henry King, he formed Inspiration Film Company, a production company. Tol'able David (1921), one of Barthelmess' films in which he played a teenage mailman who finds courage, was a huge success. Photoplay described him as the "idol of every girl in America" in 1922.

During the 1920s, Barthelmess had a large female following. In 1921, an admirer wrote to the editor of Picture-Play Magazine, citing an admirer's birthday.

Barthelmess was soon to be known as one of Hollywood's highest-paid actors, appearing in films including The Patent Leather Kid in 1927 and The Noose in 1928; he was nominated for Best Actor at the first Academy Awards for his role in both films. In addition, he received a special award for his invention of The Patent Leather Kid.

Barthelmess was a well-known actor for a number of years during the heydays of the sound era. He appeared in numerous television series, including Son of the Gods (1930), The Dawn Patrol (1931), and Heroes for Sale (1933). He was able to choose his own content and often appeared in controversial or socially conscious films. However, his fame in the 1930s faded as he got older for the boyish roles he adored, and in his later films (1939-1942), he went back to character roles, most notably in his supporting role as Rita Hayworth's disgraced pilot and husband. (1939).

Barthelmess struggled to relive the glory of his silent film days and eventually gave up on entertainment. He enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve during WWII and served as a lieutenant commander. He never returned to film, preferring rather to live off his real estate investments.

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