Robert C. Hadley (April 12, 1882 – December 30, 1968) was an American stage and early silent film actor who appeared in over sixty motion pictures between 1912 and 1927. Hadley quit acting as he approached middle age to later become a successful Hollywood

makeup artist A make-up artist, also called a makeup artist, and often shortened to MUA, is an artist whose medium is the human body, applying makeup and prosthetics on others for theatre, television, film, fashion, magazines and other similar productions incl ...

Biography

Robert C. Hadley was born on April 12, 1882, in Walla Walla, Washington; the first child of William and Amanda Hadley. His father, who was born of English parents, hailed from Michigan and supported his family as a farmer and

day laborer Day labor (or day labour in Commonwealth spelling) is work done where the worker is hired and paid one day at a time, with no promise that more work will be available in the future. It is a form of contingent work. Types Day laborers (also ...

. He married native Kansan Amanda Goble in or around 1880 and the two went on to raise seven children.Robert C. Hadley, 1968 - California Death Index – Ancestry.com In the late 1890s Hadley's family moved temporally to Lewiston, Idaho where he first took to the stage. He later spent two seasons playing villains with the Dell Lawrence Stock Company that led to a season with the Curtis Comedy Company and engagements on the legitimate stage in theaters from Seattle to El Paso.Who's Who in the Film World - edited by Fred C. Justice & Tom R. Smith – Film World Publishing - 1914 - pg. 172 Hadley began his film career in 1912 with the Kay-Bee Broncho Company where he was remembered for playing the road agent in ''A Forlorn Hope'' and the spy in ''A Wartime Mother's Sacrifice'', both released in 1913. With the

Kalem Company The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907 in film, 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem ...

he was given the convict role in the 1914 film ''A Convict's Story'' and appeared in a number of

Carlyle Blackwell Carlyle Blackwell (January 20, 1884 – June 17, 1955) was an American silent film actor, director and producer. Early years Blackwell was born in Troy, Pennsylvania. He studied at Cornell University before J. Stewart Blackton discovered him an ...

films. Other films of note that Hadley played in may include ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1917), ''The Beggar Prince'' (1920), ''Three Gold Coins'' (1920), '' Down Home'' (1920), and ''Partners of the Tide'' (1921). Though he would continue to appear in films for a number of years, Hadley began to transition his career away from acting as he approached his forties. He worked for a time as a

film cutter A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

, but eventually chose instead to be a studio

. By the late 1930s Hadley had become head of the makeup department at

Paramount Studios Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...

and president of the union local that represented his craft. Bert Hadley died in Los Angeles on December 30, 1968, nearly ten months after the death of Zena, his wife of nearly 64 years. The couple had two daughters, Fatima and Bert (or Burt); the latter also had a career in Hollywood as an actress and makeup artist.Zena Hadley, 1968 - California Death Index – Ancestry.com

Partial filmography

*'' Little Pal'' (1915) *''

Casey at the Bat Casey at the Bat is a poem written in 1888 by Ernest Thayer. Casey at the Bat may also refer to: * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1916 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'' (1927 film), a film based on the poem * ''Casey at the Bat'', a ...

'' (1916) *''

Madam Who? ''Madam Who?'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Reginald Barker and starring Bessie Barriscale. It was produced by Paralta Plays and distributed through W. W. Hodkinson Corporation and the General Film Company. Survives in the Lib ...

'' (1918) *''

The Beggar Prince ''The Beggar Prince'' is a lost 1920 film directed by William Worthington and produced by Sessue Hayakawa's Haworth Pictures Corporation. Plot An island is ruled by a prince (Sessue Hayakawa) who mistakenly believes he can control the moon a ...

'' (1920) *'' 3 Gold Coins'' (1920) *'' Down Home'' (1920) * ''

Trailin' ''Trailin is a 1921 American silent Western mystery film directed by Lynn Reynolds and starring Tom Mix, Eva Novak and Bert Sprotte.Solomon, p. 275. Cast * Tom Mix as Anthony Woodbury * Eva Novak as Sally Fortune * Bert Sprotte as John Woodbu ...

'' (1921) * '' Partners of the Tide'' (1921) *'' The Lightning Rider'' (1924) *''

The Flying U Ranch ''The Flying U Ranch'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Robert De Lacey and starring Tom Tyler, Nora Lane and Bert Hadley. Cast * Tom Tyler as Señor Miguel García * Nora Lane as Sally Denson * Bert Hadley as Chip Benn ...

'' (1927)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hadley, Bert 1882 births 1968 deaths American male silent film actors American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors Artists from Walla Walla, Washington