Hobart Henley (born Hess Manassah Henle; November 23, 1887 – May 22, 1964) was an American

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

, director, screenwriter and producer. He was involved in over 60 films either as an actor or director or both in his twenty-year career, between 1914 and 1934 when he retired from filmmaking.

Early life

Henley was born Hess Manassah Henle in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, to Samuel Henle, a German immigrant and retailer, and his wife Clementine. His father moved the family to

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

, where Henley later attended and graduated from the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

Career

Henley began his career as a stage actor, then moved to acting in silent films. He began dual duties of directing and acting in such films as '' The Gay Old Dog'' for

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest film equipment ...

in 1919. He continued directing films, many of which were star's debuts like

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...

in the '' Bad Sister'' (1931) with

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

, as well as those of Reginald Denny,

Jimmy Durante James Francis Durante ( , ; February 10, 1893 – January 29, 1980) was an American comedian, actor, singer, vaudevillian, and pianist. His distinctive gravelly speech, Lower East Side accent, comic language-butchery, jazz-influenced son ...

, and

Will Rogers William Penn Adair Rogers (November 4, 1879 – August 15, 1935) was an American vaudeville performer, actor, and humorous social commentator. He was born as a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, in the Indian Territory (now part of Oklahom ...

. He started his own production company and later worked for

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

Warner Brothers Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

and

Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...

. He directed top stars, including Claudette Colbert,

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

Norma Shearer Edith Norma Shearer (August 11, 1902June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated ingénues. She appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O' ...

, and

Maurice Chevalier Maurice Auguste Chevalier (; 12 September 1888 – 1 January 1972) was a French singer, actor and entertainer. He is perhaps best known for his signature songs, including " Livin' In The Sunlight", " Valentine", " Louise", " Mimi", and " Thank H ...

. He retired in 1936.

Personal life

He was married twice, first in 1920 to

Corinne Barker Corinne Barker (née Riely; June 5, 1890 – August 6, 1928) was an American actress and costume designer who came to prominence during the silent era, specifically for her roles in several Vitagraph films. She also appeared in several Broadway ...

, and later he married Louisiana native Dorothy March. The latter marriage produced two sons, David, and Hobart Jr. (deceased age 14). Henley died in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...

, aged 76, and is interred at

Chapel of the Pines Crematory Chapel of the Pines Crematory is a crematory and columbarium located at 1605 South Catalina Street, Los Angeles, in the U.S. state of California, in the historic West Adams District a short distance southwest of Downtown. It is beside Angelus- ...

, Los Angeles.

Partial filmography

John Cumberland The Gay Old Dog 2 Film Daily 1919

* '' Graft'' (1915) * ''

The Double Room Mystery ''The Double Room Mystery'' is a 1917 American silent thriller film directed by Hobart Henley Hobart Henley (born Hess Manassah Henle; November 23, 1887 – May 22, 1964) was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He ...

'' (1917) * ''

All Woman "All Woman" is a song recorded by British singer, songwriter and actress Lisa Stansfield for her second album, '' Real Love'' (1991). It was written by Stansfield, Ian Devaney and Andy Morris, and produced by Devaney and Morris. It was released ...

'' (1918) * ''

Laughing Bill Hyde ''Laughing Bill Hyde'' is a lost 1918 American adventure film directed by Hobart Henley and written by Willard Mack. The film stars Will Rogers, Anna Lehr, Clarence Oliver, Joseph Herbert, Robert Conville, and Dan Mason. The film was released on ...

'' (1918) * ''

The Face in the Dark ''The Face in the Dark'' is a 1918 American silent mystery film directed by Hobart Henley and starring Mae Marsh, Niles Welch and Alec B. Francis.Wlaschin p.80 The film's sets were designed by the art director Hugo Ballin. Cast * Mae Marsh a ...

'' (1918) * '' The Glorious Adventure'' (1918) * ''

The Woman on the Index ''The Woman on the Index'' is a lost 1919 American silent drama film directed by Hobart Henley and starring Pauline Frederick and her then husband playwright Willard Mack. It was Frederick's first film at Goldwyn Pictures after coming over from ...

'' (1919) * ''

One Week of Life ''One Week of Life'' is a 1919 American silent drama film produced and distributed through Goldwyn Pictures. It was directed by Hobart Henley and starred Pauline Frederick. It is now considered to be a lost film. Plot As described in a film mag ...

'' (1919) *'' The Gay Old Dog'' (1919) * ''

The Peace of Roaring River ''The Peace of Roaring River'' is a lost 1919 American silent Western film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures and starring Pauline Frederick. Hobart Henley and Victor Schertzinger directed the production. Plot As described in a fi ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Sin That Was His ''The Sin That Was His'' is a lost 1920 silent film drama directed by Hobart Henley and starring William Faversham. It was produced by Selznick Pictures and released through Select Pictures. Cast *William Faversham - Raymond Chapelle * Lucy Co ...

'' (1920) * '' Society Snobs'' (1921) * ''

Cheated Hearts "Cheated Hearts" is a single by New York-based alternative rock band Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It is taken from their second album ''Show Your Bones''. The song was first released as a live performance from their DVD, Tell Me What Rockers to Swallow in 20 ...

'' (1921) * '' Her Night of Nights'' (1922) * '' The Scrapper'' (1922) * ''

The Flame of Life ''The Flame of Life'' (also known as ''That Lass o' Lowrie's'') is a 1923 American silent drama film starring Priscilla Dean, Robert Ellis, Kathryn McGuire, and Wallace Beery. The film was written by Elliott J. Clawson from the Frances Hodgso ...

'' (1923) * ''

The Flirt Flirting is a playful, romantic or sexual overture by one person to another. Flirt, Flirting or Flirtation may also refer to: Film * Flirt (1983 film), ''Flirt'' (1983 film), an Italian-French drama by Roberto Russo * Flirt (1995 film), ''Flirt' ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Thrill Chaser ''The Thrill Chaser'' is a 1923 American silent Western film directed by Edward Sedgwick and featuring Hoot Gibson. Plot As described in a film magazine, Omar K. Jenkins' (Gibson) only inheritance from an eccentric father is a copy of the ''Ru ...

'' (1923) * '' The Abysmal Brute'' (1923) * '' A Lady of Quality'' (1924) * '' Sinners in Silk'' (1924) * '' The Turmoil'' (1924) * ''

Married Flirts ''Married Flirts'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Robert Vignola and starring Pauline Frederick, Mae Busch, and Conrad Nagel. The screenplay, written by Julia Ivers, is based on Louis Joseph Vance's 1923 best seller ''Mrs. Par ...

'' (1924) * ''

So This Is Marriage? ''So This Is Marriage'' is a lost 1924 American silent drama film directed by Hobart Henley. The film was originally released with sequences filmed in the Technicolor 2-color process that depicted the story of David and Bathsheba from the B ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Denial ''The Denial'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Hobart Henley. The film stars Claire Windsor, Bert Roach, William Haines, Lucille Ricksen, and Robert Agnew. The film was written by Agnes Christine Johnston based on the play '' ...

'' (1925) * ''

A Slave of Fashion ''A Slave of Fashion '' is a 1925 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Hobart Henley. The film stars Norma Shearer and Lew Cody, with William Haines. A young Joan Crawford had an early uncredited role as a mannequin A mannequi ...

'' (1925) * '' Exchange of Wives'' (1925) * '' His Secretary'' (1925) * '' The Auction Block'' (1926) * '' Tillie the Toiler'' (1927) * ''

Wickedness Preferred ''Wickedness Preferred'' is a lost 1928 American silent comedy film, directed by Hobart Henley, and written by Colin Clements, Robert E. Hopkins and Florence Ryerson. The film stars Lew Cody, Aileen Pringle, Mary McAllister, Bert Roach, and ...

'' (1928) * '' A Certain Young Man'' (1928) * '' His Tiger Lady'' (1928) * '' The Lady Lies'' (1929) * ''

Roadhouse Nights ''Roadhouse Nights'' is a 1930 American Pre-Code gangster film. A number of sources including Sally Cline in her book ''Dashiell Hammett Man of Mystery'' claim it is based on the classic novel ''Red Harvest'' written by Dashiell Hammett (author ...

'' (1930) * '' The Big Pond'' (1930) * ''

Mothers Cry ''Mothers Cry'' is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film released by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., and directed by Hobart Henley. The movie stars Dorothy Peterson, Helen Chandler, David Manners, Evalyn Knapp and Sidney Bla ...

'' (1930) * ''

Free Love Free love is a social movement that accepts all forms of love. The movement's initial goal was to separate the state from sexual and romantic matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery. It stated that such issues were the concern ...

'' (1930) * ''

Captain Applejack ''Captain Applejack'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code comedy film, produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. The film was directed by Hobart Henley and stars John Halliday, Mary Brian, and Arthur Edmund Carewe.''Pictorial History of the Talkies ...

'' (1931) * '' Bad Sister'' (1931) * ''

Expensive Women ''Expensive Women'' is a 1931 American pre-Code film drama. It was produced by First National Pictures and distributed through their parent company Warner Bros. The film was directed by silent film veteran Hobart Henley and stars Dolores Cost ...

'' (1931) * '' Night World'' (1932) *''

Unknown Blonde ''Unknown Blonde'' is a 1934 American pre-Code crime drama film directed by Hobart Henley and starring Edward Arnold, Barbara Barondess and Dorothy Revier. It was released by the independent Majestic Pictures.Pitts, p. 234 It was based on the ...

'' (1934)

References

External links

The New York Times Movies
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henley, Hobart 1887 births 1964 deaths American people of German descent American male film actors Film directors from Kentucky American male screenwriters American male silent film actors Male actors from Louisville, Kentucky 20th-century American male actors Burials at Chapel of the Pines Crematory Screenwriters from Kentucky 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters