Henry Wadsworth (June 18, 1903 – December 5, 1974) was an American actor best known for appearing in ''

Applause Applause (Latin ''applaudere,'' to strike upon, clap) is primarily a form of ovation or praise expressed by the act of clapping, or striking the palms of the hands together, in order to create noise. Audiences usually applaud after a performanc ...

'' (1929), ''

The Thin Man ''The Thin Man'' (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of ''Redbook''. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main cha ...

'' (1934), and '' Mark of the Vampire'' (1935).

Early life

Joseph Henry Wadsworth was born on June 18, 1903 to John Gray Wadsworth and Ida Power Wadsworth, who were married in 1894. Henry Wadsworth's ancestors first arrived in Hartford, Connecticut from England in 1632. He was the grandson of William Henry Wadsworth, who was a well-known lawyer, orator, and congressman. Wadsworth attended the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

after graduating from Maysville High School in 1921. He enrolled in

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

's drama school before starting his acting career.

Career

Wadsworth made his first appearance in film in the title role of Howard Lindsay's ''

Tommy Tommy may refer to: People * Tommy (given name) * Tommy Atkins, or just Tommy, a slang term for a common soldier in the British Army Arts and entertainment Film and television * ''Tommy'' (1931 film), a Soviet drama film * ''Tommy'' (1975 fil ...

'' in late 1927, following which he went on to appear in films like ''

'', made under Paramount production. The film also marked

Helen Morgan Helen Morgan may refer to: *Helen Morgan (singer) Helen Morgan (née Riggins; August 2, 1900 – October 9, 1941) was an American singer and actress who worked in films and on the stage. A quintessential torch singer, she made a big splash in ...

's debut. He played minor roles in ''

Operator 13 ''Operator 13'' is a 1934 American pre-Code romance film directed by Richard Boleslawski and starring Marion Davies, Gary Cooper, and Jean Parker. Based on stories written by Robert W. Chambers, the film is about a Union spy who impersonates a ...

'' (alongside

Marion Davies Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras; January 3, 1897 – September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Educated in a religious convent, Davies fled the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl ...

) and in '' Fast and Loose'' before starring in

W.S. Van Dyke Woodbridge Strong Van Dyke II (Woody) (March 21, 1889 – February 5, 1943) was an American film director and writer who made several successful early sound films, including ''Tarzan the Ape Man'' in 1932, ''The Thin Man'' in 1934, ''San Franci ...

's ''

''. He also appeared in ''

The Voice of Bugle Ann ''The Voice of Bugle Ann'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Lionel Barrymore and Maureen O'Sullivan. It was based on a novel of the same name by MacKinlay Kantor. Plot synopsis The countrymen in the hil ...

'', ''

This Side of Heaven ''This Side of Heaven'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by William K. Howard, written by Zelda Sears, Eve Greene, Edgar Allan Woolf and Florence Ryerson, and starring Lionel Barrymore, Fay Bainter, Mae Clarke, Tom Brown and ...

'', '' All-Legit Cast'', '' Mark of the Vampire'', ''

Sitting on the Moon ''Sitting on the Moon'' is a 1936 American musical film directed by Ralph Staub and released by Republic Pictures. Plot Songwriter Danny West wakes up with an unknown woman in a taxi outside the film studio Regent Pictures Inc. where he wor ...

'', and '' Dr. Kildare Goes Home''. Wadsworth was cast in

The Big Broadcast ''The Big Broadcast'' is a 1932 American pre-Code musical comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Bing Crosby, Stuart Erwin, and Leila Hyams. Based on the play ''Wild Waves'' by William Ford Manley, the film is about a radio-sing ...

series' ''

The Big Broadcast of 1936 ''The Big Broadcast of 1936'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Norman Taurog, and is the second in the series of ''Big Broadcast'' movies. The musical comedy starred Jack Oakie, Bing Crosby, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Ethel Merman, T ...

''. He retired from acting in the late 1950s; his last appearance was in

Rodgers and Hammerstein Rodgers and Hammerstein was a theater-writing team of composer Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and lyricist-dramatist Oscar Hammerstein II (1895–1960), who together created a series of innovative and influential American musicals. Their popular ...

's ''

The Happy Time ''The Happy Time'' is a 1952 American comedy-drama film directed by the award-winning director Richard Fleischer, based on the 1945 novel of the same name by Robert Fontaine, which Samuel A. Taylor turned into a hit play. A boy, played by Bobb ...

'' alongside Leora Dana and

Eva Gabor Eva Gabor ( ; February 11, 1919 – July 4, 1995) was a Hungarian-American actress, businesswoman, singer, and socialite. She voiced Duchess and Miss Bianca in the animated Disney Classics, '' The Aristocats'' (1970), '' The Rescuers'' (1977), ...

. He joined the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during World War II and remained there for two and a half years.

Death

Wadsworth died on December 5, 1974 at St. Luke's Hospital,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, at the age of 71.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wadsworth, Henry 1903 births 1974 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors People from Maysville, Kentucky