H.B. Warner
1875-10-25 ( 149 years old ) in London, England, UK

Henry Byron Warner (often credited as H.B. Warner; 25 October 1875 – 21 December 1958) was an English actor. He was the definitive cinematic Jesus Christ in Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings (1927). He was born into a prominent theatrical family on October 26, 1875 in London. His father was Charles Warner, and his grandfather was James Warner, both prominent English actors. He replaced J.B. Warner as Jesus in The King of Kings (1927) when J.B. died of tuberculosis at age 29. (J.B. was not Henry's brother. J.B. had taken the professional last name "Warner" because Henry's family took him in.) Henry Warner's family wanted him to become a doctor, and he graduated from London University but eventually gave up his medical studies. The theater was in his blood, and he studied acting in Paris and Italy before joining his father's stock company, making his debut in the English production of "Drink." It was from his father that he honed his craft. Warner made it to America in the early 1900s, after touring the British Empire. Billed as Harry Warner, he made his Broadway debut in the American colonial drama "Audrey" at Hoyt's Theatre on November 24, 1902, starring James O'Neill, the father of playwright Eugene O'Neill. He was billed as H.B. Warner in his next appearance on Broadway, in the 1906 comedy "Nurse Marjorie." He appeared in 13 more Broadway productions in his career, from the twin-bill of "Susan in Search of a Husband" & "A Tenement Tragedy" (also 1906) to "Silence" in 1925. He moved into motion pictures, making his debut in the Mutual short Harp of Tara (1914). Also in 1914, he appeared in a film written by Cecil B. DeMille for Famous Players Lasky, The Ghost Breaker (1914), in which he had played on Broadway the year before. Warner became a leading man and a star in silent pictures, reaching the zenith of his career playing Jesus in DeMille's The King of Kings (1927). His excellent performance was actually enhanced by the silent screen, allowing the audience to imagine how Jesus would sound. Warner could be extremely moving in silent pictures, notably in the melodrama Sorrell and Son (1927) as a war veteran father who sacrifices all for his son. When talkies arrived, he became a busy supporting player. A favorite of Frank Capra , appeared in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Cast again by Capra, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Lost Horizon (1937). He also appeared in You Can't Take It with You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Other major talkies included The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) and Topper Returns (1941). Other than Jesus, the role he is best remembered role for today is in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), in which he played Mr. Gower, the druggist who is saved from committing a lethal medication error by the young George Bailey (the James Stewart character as a child). H.B. Warner appeared in Sunset Blvd. (1950) as himself. His last credited role was as Amminadab in DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956), a remake of the earlier silent The Ten Commandments (1923). He last role was an uncredited bit part in Darby's Rangers (1958).

Movies

Lux Æterna: The Art of Filmmaking 2019-05-18
James Stewart: A Wonderful Life 1988-11-22
The Ten Commandments 1956-10-05
Journey Into Light 1951-09-28
Here Comes the Groom 1951-09-20
Savage Drums 1951-06-22
The First Legion 1951-05-04
Sunset Boulevard 1950-08-10
Hellfire 1949-05-29
El Paso 1949-03-22
The Prince Of Thieves 1948-01-16
High Wall 1947-12-17
The Judge Steps Out 1947-12-15
Driftwood 1947-09-15
It's a Wonderful Life 1946-12-20
Gentleman Joe Palooka 1946-10-05
Strange Impersonation 1946-03-16
Prospecting for Petroleum 1946-01-01
Captain Tugboat Annie 1945-11-17
Rogues' Gallery 1944-12-06
Faces in the Fog 1944-11-30
Enemy of Women 1944-11-10
Action in Arabia 1944-02-18
Women in Bondage 1943-12-16
Hitler's Children 1943-01-06
The Boss of Big Town 1942-12-07
A Yank in Libya 1942-07-24
Crossroads 1942-07-23
The Corsican Brothers 1941-11-28
All That Money Can Buy 1941-10-17
South of Tahiti 1941-10-17
Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime 1941-08-14
City of Missing Girls 1941-03-27
Topper Returns 1941-03-21
New Moon 1940-06-28
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington 1939-10-19
The Rains Came 1939-09-15
Nurse Edith Cavell 1939-08-31
Bulldog Drummond's Bride 1939-07-12
The Gracie Allen Murder Case 1939-06-02
Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police 1939-03-29
Let Freedom Ring 1939-02-24
Arrest Bulldog Drummond 1938-11-25
You Can't Take It with You 1938-09-01
Army Girl 1938-08-11
Bulldog Drummond in Africa 1938-08-05
The Toy Wife 1938-06-10
Kidnapped 1938-05-27
The Adventures of Marco Polo 1938-04-07
The Girl of the Golden West 1938-03-18
Our Fighting Navy 1937-09-25
Victoria the Great 1937-09-01
Lost Horizon 1937-03-03
Along Came Love 1936-11-05
Blackmailer 1936-07-23
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town 1936-04-09
Moonlight Murder 1936-03-27
The Garden Murder Case 1936-02-21
Rose of the Rancho 1936-01-09
A Tale of Two Cities 1935-12-25
Born to Gamble 1935-07-09
Night Alarm 1934-12-10
Behold My Wife! 1934-12-06
In Old Santa Fe 1934-11-15
Grand Canary 1934-07-20
Viva Villa! 1934-04-27
Sorrell and Son 1934-03-05
Christopher Bean 1933-11-17
Jennie Gerhardt 1933-06-08
Supernatural 1933-04-21
The Son-Daughter 1932-12-23
The Phantom of Crestwood 1932-10-14
The Crusader 1932-10-04
Tom Brown of Culver 1932-06-30
Unholy Love 1932-06-08
Cross-Examination 1932-02-13
A Woman Commands 1932-02-12
The Menace 1932-01-29
Charlie Chan's Chance 1932-01-24
Expensive Women 1931-10-24
Five Star Final 1931-09-26
The Reckless Hour 1931-08-15
A Woman of Experience 1931-07-08
The Princess and the Plumber 1930-12-21
Liliom 1930-09-27
On Your Back 1930-09-14
Wild Company 1930-07-05
The Second Floor Mystery 1930-04-26
The Furies 1930-03-16
The Green Goddess 1930-02-13
Wedding Rings 1929-12-29
Tiger Rose 1929-12-21
Show of Shows 1929-11-21
The Argyle Case 1929-08-17
The Gamblers 1929-06-29
The Trial of Mary Dugan 1929-06-08
Stark Mad 1929-02-02
The Doctor's Secret 1929-01-26
The Divine Lady 1928-12-26
Conquest 1928-12-22
Romance of a Rogue 1928-10-01
Man-Made Women 1928-09-09
French Dressing 1927-12-10
Sorrell and Son 1927-12-02
The King of Kings 1927-04-19
Silence 1926-04-25
Whispering Smith 1926-03-28
Is Love Everything? 1924-11-30
The Man from Broadway 1924-10-01
Zaza 1923-10-21
When We Were Twenty-One 1921-01-01
Felix O'Day 1920-09-12
One Hour Before Dawn 1920-07-11
The Pagan God 1919-08-04
Danger Trail 1917-04-30
God's Man 1917-04-01
The Seventh Sin 1917-03-17
Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath 1917-03-05
The Vagabond Prince 1916-10-22
Shell 43 1916-08-13
The Market of Vain Desire 1916-05-28
The Beggar of Cawnpore 1916-04-29
The Raiders 1916-02-27
The Ghost Breaker 1914-12-07
The Lost Paradise 1914-09-01
English Nell 1900-09-06

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