Henry King (January 24, 1886June 29, 1982) was an American actor and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

. Widely considered one of the finest and most successful filmmakers of his era, King was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director, and directed seven films nominated for the

Academy Award for Best Picture The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the Academy Awards presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) since the awards debuted in 1929. This award goes to the producers of the film and is the only category ...

Biography

Before coming to film, King worked as an actor in various repertoire theatres and first started to take small film roles in 1912. Between 1913 and 1925, he appeared as an actor in approximately sixty films. He directed for the first time in 1915 and grew to become one of the most commercially successful Hollywood directors of the 1920s and '30s. He was twice nominated for the

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...

. In 1944, he was awarded the first

Golden Globe Award The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of t ...

for Best Director for his film '' The Song of Bernadette''. He worked most often with

Tyrone Power Tyrone Edmund Power III (May 5, 1914 – November 15, 1958) was an American actor. From the 1930s to the 1950s, Power appeared in dozens of films, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads. His better-known films include ''Jesse James'', ' ...

and Gregory Peck and for

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

. Henry King was one of the 36 founders of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motio ...

, which awards excellence of cinematic achievements every year, and was the last surviving founder. He directed more than 100 films in his career. In 1955, King was awarded The George Eastman Award, given by the

George Eastman House The George Eastman Museum, also referred to as ''George Eastman House, International Museum of Photography and Film'', the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in ...

for distinguished contribution to the art of film. During World War II, King served as the deputy commander of the Civil Air Patrol coastal patrol base in Brownsville, Texas, holding the grade of captain. In his final years, he was the oldest licensed private pilot in the United States, having obtained his license in 1918. Henry King died of a heart attack while asleep at his home. He was 96 years old. King was interred with his second wife Ida Davis in the Davis King family plot at Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Tampa, Florida.

Partial filmography

Director

* ''

Should a Wife Forgive? ''Should a Wife Forgive?'' is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring Lillian Lorraine, Mabel Van Buren, and Lew Cody.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 84 Cast * Lillian Lorraine as La Belle Rose ...

'' (1915) * ''

Little Mary Sunshine ''Little Mary Sunshine'' is a musical that parodies old-fashioned operettas and musicals. The book, music, and lyrics are by Rick Besoyan. The original Off-Broadway production premiered November 18, 1959 at the Orpheum Theatre in New York Cit ...

'' (1916) * ''

Pay Dirt ''Pay Dirt'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring himself, Marguerite Nichols, Gordon Sackville, Mollie McConnell, Daniel Gilfether, and Charles Dudley. The film was released by General Film Company on June 1 ...

'' (1916) * ''

Shadows and Sunshine ''Shadows and Sunshine'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring Marie Osborne, Leon Pardue, and Lucy Payton.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 165 Cast * Marie Osborne as Little Mary * Le ...

'' (1916) * ''

The Mate of the Sally Ann ''The Mate of the Sally Ann'' (also known as ''Peggy Rebels'') is a 1917 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter. As with many of Minter's features, it is thought to be a lost film. Plot As desc ...

'' (1917) * ''

Twin Kiddies ''Twin Kiddies'' is a 1917 American silent comedy drama film Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to hav ...

'' (1917) * ''

Beauty and the Rogue ''Beauty and the Rogue'' is a 1918 American silent comedy crime drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter. It was filmed under the working title of "Mademoiselle Tiptoe," based on a story by Arthur Berthelet and adapted f ...

'' (1917) * ''

Sunshine and Gold ''Sunshine and Gold'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring Marie Osborne, Henry King, and Daniel Gilfether.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166 Cast * Marie Osborne as Little Mary * H ...

'' (1917) * ''

A Game of Wits ''A Game of Wits'' is a 1917 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Gail Kane, George Periolat, and Spottiswoode Aitken.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166 Cast * Gail Kane as Jeannette Bro ...

'' (1917) * ''

Told at Twilight ''Told at Twilight'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring Marie Osborne, Daniel Gilfether, and Beatrice Van.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166 Cast * Marie Osborne as Little Mary Suns ...

'' (1917) * ''

The Bride's Silence ''The Bride's Silence'' is a 1917 American silent mystery film directed by Henry King and starring Gail Kane, Lew Cody, and Henry A. Barrows.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166 Cast * Gail Kane as Syllvia Standish * Lew Co ...

'' (1917) * '' Southern Pride'' (1917) * '' Powers That Prey'' (1918) * ''

Up Romance Road ''Up Romance Road'' is a 1918 American silent comedy film directed by Henry King and starring William Russell, Charlotte Burton, and John Burton.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166 Cast * William Russell as Gregory Thorne ...

'' (1918) * '' Hobbs in a Hurry'' (1918) * '' Hearts or Diamonds?'' (1918) * ''

Social Briars ''Social Briars'' is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry King and starring Mary Miles Minter. The story was by Jeanne Judson, and it was filmed under the working title of "The Greater Call." As with many of Minter's feat ...

'' (1918) * '' The Locked Heart'' (1918) * '' All the World to Nothing'' (1918) * '' Where the West Begins'' (1919) * '' Brass Buttons'' (1919) * '' This Hero Stuff'' (1919) * '' A Fugitive from Matrimony'' (1919) * '' Six Feet Four'' (1919) * ''

Some Liar ''Some Liar'' is a 1919 American silent Western comedy film directed by Henry King and starring William Russell, Eileen Percy, and Heywood Mack.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166. Cast * William Russell as Robert Winc ...

'' (1919) * '' A Sporting Chance'' (1919 * ''

Haunting Shadows ''Haunting Shadows'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Henry King and starring H.B. Warner, Edward Peil Sr., and Charles Hill Mailes.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166 It was based on 1906 novel which had ...

'' (1919)Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 222.. * '' One Hour Before Dawn'' (1920) * ''

Dice of Destiny ''Dice of Destiny'' is a 1920 American silent crime drama film directed by Henry King and starring H. B. Warner, Lillian Rich, and Howard Davies.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166 Cast * H. B. Warner as Jimmy Doyle * ...

'' (1920) * '' The White Dove'' (1920) * ''

Uncharted Channels ''Uncharted Channels'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring H. B. Warner, Kathryn Adams and Sam De Grasse Samuel Alfred De Grasse (June 12, 1875 – November 29, 1953) was a Canadian actor. He was the un ...

'' (1920) * ''

Help Wanted - Male Help is a word meaning to give aid or signal distress. Help may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Help'' (2010 film), a Bollywood horror film * ''Help'' (2021 theatrical film), a British psychological thriller film * '' ...

'' (1920) * ''

When We Were 21 ''When We Were 21'' is a 1921 American silent comedy drama film directed by Henry King and starring H.B. Warner, Claire Anderson, and James Morrison.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166 Cast * H.B. Warner as Richard Car ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Sting of the Lash ''The Sting of the Lash'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring Pauline Frederick, Clyde Fillmore, and Lawson Butt.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 166 Cast * Pauline Frederick as Dorothy ...

'' (1921) * '' Salvage'' (1921) * ''

Tol'able David ''Tol'able David'' is a 1921 American silent film based on the 1917 Joseph Hergesheimer short story of the same name. It was adapted to the screen by Edmund Goulding and directed by Henry King for Inspiration Pictures. A rustic tale of violenc ...

'' (1921) * '' Sonny'' (1922) * ''

The Seventh Day The seventh day may refer to: * Saturday in some calendars * Sunday in other calendars * Friday in the Bahá'í calendar * Shabbat in Judaism * Sabbath in seventh-day churches * Qixi Festival, a Chinese festival that falls on the seventh day ...

'' (1922) * '' Fury'' (1923) * ''

The Bond Boy ''The Bond Boy'' is a lost 1922 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring Richard Barthelmess. It was produced by Barthelmess and Charles Duell and released through Associated First National Pictures. Cast *Richard Barth ...

'' (1923) * ''

The White Sister ''The White Sister'' is a play in four acts by Francis Marion Crawford and Walter C. Hackett. The play was originally written by Crawford in 1907 and he later adapted the play into a serialized novel which was first published over a six month p ...

'' (1923) * ''

Romola ''Romola'' (1862–63) is a historical novel written by Mary Ann Evans under the pen name of George Eliot set in the fifteenth century. It is "a deep study of life in the city of Florence from an intellectual, artistic, religious, and social poi ...

'' (1924) * '' Stella Dallas'' (1925) * ''

The Winning of Barbara Worth ''The Winning of Barbara Worth'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Henry King, and starring Ronald Colman, Vilma Bánky and Gary Cooper (who replaced Monte Blue). Based on Harold Bell Wright's novel ''The Winning of Barbara W ...

'' (1926) * '' Partners Again'' (1926) * ''

The Magic Flame ''The Magic Flame'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Henry King, produced by Samuel Goldwyn, and based on the 1900 play ''Konig Harlekin'' by Rudolph Lothar. George Barnes was nominated at the 1st Academy Awards for Best Cinem ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Woman Disputed ''The Woman Disputed'' is a 1928 American silent film. Norma Talmadge stars as a good-hearted Austrian prostitute drawn into a romantic triangle on the eve of World War I. Based on a Denison Clift play, the nationalities of the characters had t ...

'' (1928) * ''

She Goes to War ''She Goes to War'' is a 1929 silent film directed by Henry King and starring Eleanor Boardman. The film was released a year after Boardman had starred in '' The Crowd''. Cast * Eleanor Boardman * John Holland * Margaret Seddon * Eulalie J ...

'' (1929) * '' Hell Harbor'' (1930) * '' The Eyes of the World'' (1930) * '' Lightnin''' (1930) * '' Merely Mary Ann'' (1931) * '' Over the Hill'' (1931) * ''

The Woman in Room 13 ''The Woman in Room 13'' is a lost 1920 American silent mystery drama film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Pauline Frederick. It was produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures and is based on a Broadway play of the same name, ''The Woman ...

'' (1932) * ''

State Fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in th ...

'' (1933) * ''

I Loved You Wednesday ''I Loved You Wednesday'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy drama film directed by Henry King and William Cameron Menzies and written by Philip Klein and Horace Jackson, adapted from the 1932 play of the same title by Molly Ricardel and Wil ...

'' (1933) * ''

Marie Galante Marie-Galante ( gcf, label=Antillean Creole, Mawigalant) is one of the islands that form Guadeloupe, an overseas department of France. Marie-Galante has a land area of . It had 11,528 inhabitants at the start of 2013, but by the start of 2018 th ...

'' (1934) * ''

One More Spring ''One More Spring'' is a 1935 American comedy drama film about three people, played by Janet Gaynor, Warner Baxter, and Walter Woolf King, living together in a tool room at Central Park as an alternative to being homeless. The film was written by ...

'' (1935) * ''

Way Down East ''Way Down East'' is a 1920 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is one of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play ''Way Down East'' by Lottie Blair Parker. There w ...

'' (1935) * '' The Country Doctor'' (1936) * ''

Ramona ''Ramona'' is a 1884 American novel written by Helen Hunt Jackson. Set in Southern California after the Mexican–American War, it portrays the life of a mixed-race Scottish– Native American orphan girl, who suffers racial discrimination and ...

'' (1936) * ''

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gov ...

'' (1936) * '' Seventh Heaven'' (1937) * ''

In Old Chicago ''In Old Chicago'' is a 1938 American disaster musical drama film directed by Henry King. The screenplay by Sonya Levien and Lamar Trotti was based on the Niven Busch story, "We the O'Learys". The film is a fictionalized account about the G ...

'' (1937) * ''

Alexander's Ragtime Band "Alexander's Ragtime Band" is a Tin Pan Alley song by American composer Irving Berlin released in 1911 and is often inaccurately cited as his first global hit. Despite its title, the song is a march as opposed to a rag and contains little sync ...

'' (1938) * '' Jesse James'' (1939) * '' Stanley and Livingstone'' (1939) * '' Little Old New York'' (1940) * ''

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

'' (1940) * ''

Chad Hanna ''Chad Hanna'' is a 1940 American drama romance film directed by Henry King, and was adapted from a bestseller of sorts that was published that same year. The novel was written by Walter Dumaux Edmonds (after it had first been published in seri ...

'' 1940) * '' A Yank in the RAF'' (1941) * '' Remember the Day'' (1941) * '' The Black Swan'' (1942) * '' The Song of Bernadette'' (1943) * '' Wilson'' (1944) * ''

A Bell for Adano ''A Bell for Adano'' (1945) is a film directed by Henry King and starring John Hodiak and Gene Tierney. It was adapted from the 1944 novel of the same title by John Hersey, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1945. In his review of t ...

'' (1945) * ''

Margie Margie is a feminine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Margaret, Marjorie or Margarita. Margie may refer to: People * Margie Ackles (born 1939), American retired figure skater * Marjorie Margie Alexander (1948–2013), American ...

'' (1946) * ''

Captain from Castile ''Captain from Castile'' is a historical adventure film released by 20th Century-Fox in 1947. Directed by Henry King, the Technicolor film stars Tyrone Power, Jean Peters, and Cesar Romero. Shot on location in Michoacán, Mexico, the film include ...

'' (1947) * '' Deep Waters'' (1948) * ''

Prince of Foxes ''Prince of Foxes'' is a 1947 historical novel by Samuel Shellabarger, following the adventures of the fictional Andrea Orsini, a captain in the service of Cesare Borgia during his conquest of the Romagna. Plot introduction Andrea Zoppo, an Ita ...

'' (1949) * ''

Twelve O'Clock High ''Twelve O'Clock High'' is a 1949 American war film about aircrews in the United States Army's Eighth Air Force, who flew daylight bombing missions against Germany and Occupied France during the early days of American involvement in World War II ...

'' (1949) * ''

The Gunfighter ''The Gunfighter'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Henry King and starring Gregory Peck, Helen Westcott, Millard Mitchell and Karl Malden. It was written by screenwriters William Bowers and William Sellers, with an uncredited rewr ...

'' (1950) * ''

I'd Climb the Highest Mountain '' I'd Climb the Highest Mountain'' is a 1951 Technicolor religious drama film made by Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Henry King and produced by Lamar Trotti from a screenplay by King and Trotti. The story is based ...

'' (1951) * '' David and Bathsheba'' (1951) * ''

O. Henry's Full House ''O. Henry's Full House'' is a 1952 American anthology film made by 20th Century Fox, consisting of five films, each based on a story by O. Henry. The film was produced by André Hakim and directed by five directors from five screenplays with di ...

'' (1952) * '' The Snows of Kilimanjaro'' (1952) * '' Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie'' (1952) * '' King of the Khyber Rifles'' (1953) * '' Untamed'' (1955) * '' Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing'' (1955) * '' Carousel'' (1956) * ''

The Sun Also Rises ''The Sun Also Rises'' is a 1926 novel by American writer Ernest Hemingway, his first, that portrays American and British expatriates who travel from Paris to the Festival of San Fermín in Pamplona to watch the running of the bulls and the b ...

'' (1957) * ''

The Bravados ''The Bravados'' is a 1958 American Western film (color by DeLuxe) directed by Henry King, starring Gregory Peck and Joan Collins. The CinemaScope film was based on a novel of the same name, written by Frank O'Rourke. Plot Jim Douglass ...

'' (1958) * '' This Earth Is Mine'' (1959) * ''

Beloved Infidel ''Beloved Infidel'' is a 1959 DeLuxe Color biographical drama film made by 20th Century Fox in CinemaScope and based on the relationship of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sheilah Graham. The film was directed by Henry King and produced by Jerry Wald ...

'' (1959) * ''

Tender Is the Night ''Tender Is the Night'' is the fourth and final novel completed by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in French Riviera during the twilight of the Jazz Age, the 1934 novel chronicles the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young p ...

'' (1962)

Actor

* ''Who Pays?'' (1915) * ''

'' (1915) - Jack Holmes * ''

'' (1916) - Bob Daley * ''

'' (1916) - The Easterner * ''The Power of Evil'' (1916) - Stuart Merwin * ''

'' (1916) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Joy and the Dragon'' (1916) - Hal Lewis * ''

'' (1917) - Jasper Hunt * ''In the Hands of the Law'' (1917) * ''

The Devil's Bait ''The Devil's Bait'' is an extant 1917 dramatic silent feature film starring Ruth Roland, an actress usually associated with serials. It was directed by Harry Harvey and produced by the Balboa Amusement Producing Company. General Film Company han ...

'' (1917) * ''

'' (1917) - The Father * ''

'' (1917) - The Chauffeur * '' Hearts or Diamonds?'' (1918) * '' The Locked Heart'' (1918) - Harry Mason * ''

'' (1920) - Tubbs * '' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'' (1925) - Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited) (final film role)

Academy Awards

References

External links

* *
Forgotten By Fox: Henry King of the Khyber Rifles
{{DEFAULTSORT:King, Henry 1886 births 1982 deaths Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences founders People from Christiansburg, Virginia Film directors from Virginia Western (genre) film directors People from Toluca Lake, Los Angeles Film directors from Los Angeles American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Virginia Male actors from Los Angeles Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City