Leo Willis (5 January 1890 – 10 April 1952) was an American

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 ...

who began his career in the

silent era 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, when ...

. He played mainly tough guys and comic villains, notably opposite

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many silent comedy films.Obituary '' Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influential film c ...

, Charley Chase, and

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in t ...

at the

Hal Roach Studios Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and business partners Dan Linthicum and I.H. Nance as the Rolin Film Company on Ju ...

Selected filmography

* '' The Italian'' ( 1915) * ''

Hell's Hinges ''Hell's Hinges'' is a 1916 American silent Western film starring William S. Hart and Clara Williams. Directed by Charles Swickard, William S. Hart and Clifford Smith, and produced by Thomas H. Ince, the screenplay was written by C. Gardner ...

'' (1915) * ''

The Return of Draw Egan ''The Return of Draw Egan'' is a 1916 American silent Western film starring William S. Hart, Louise Glaum, Margery Wilson, Robert McKim, and J.P. Lockney. Directed by William S. Hart and produced by Thomas H. Ince for Kay-Bee Pictures and th ...

'' ( 1916) * '' One Shot Ross'' (1917) * '' Bull's Eye'' ( 1917) * '' A Regular Fellow'' (1919) * ''

The Toll Gate ''The Toll Gate'' is a 1920 American silent Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer, written by Lambert Hillyer and William S. Hart, and starring William S. Hart, Anna Q. Nilsson, Joseph Singleton, Jack Richardson, and Richard Headrick. It w ...

'' (1920) * '' The Rent Collector'' (

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in Brazil. ** The Spanish liner ''Santa Isabel'' bre ...

) * '' Three Word Brand'' (1921) * '' The Timber Queen'' (

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

) * '' Broken Chains'' (1922) * '' Wild Bill Hickok'' (1923) * ''

Near Dublin ''Near Dublin'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Ralph Ceder and starring Stan Laurel. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Stan is a postman in the Irish village and is in love with the belle of the town. His rival ...

'' (

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20– 30 – Kuomintang in China hold ...

) * '' Jubilo, Jr.'' (1924) * ''

Short Kilts ''Short Kilts'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film starring Stan Laurel. Cast * Stan Laurel - McPherson's son * James Finlayson - McGregor's son * Mickey Daniels - McPherson kid * Ena Gregory - McGregor's daughter * George Rowe - Blac ...

'' (1924) * ''

The White Sheep ''The White Sheep'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Hal Roach and starring Glenn Tryon Glenn Tryon (born Glenn Monroe Kunkel; August 2, 1898 – April 18, 1970) was an American film actor, screenwriter, director and pr ...

'' (1924) * '' Isn't Life Terrible?'' ( 1925) * '' A Hero of the Big Snows'' ( 1926) * '' The Tough Guy'' (1926) * '' The Kid Brother'' (

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith becomes the first Director-General. * January 7 ...

) * ''

Call of the Cuckoo ''Call of the Cuckoo'' (1927) is a Hal Roach two reel silent film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The film's principal star is comedian Max Davidson, though the film is just as well known for cameos from other Roach stars at the time. These ...

'' (1927) * '' Flying Elephants'' (

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhano ...

) * '' Their Purple Moment'' (1928) * ''

The Hoose-Gow ''The Hoose-Gow'' is a 1929 short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by James Parrott and produced by Hal Roach. Synopsis Stan and Ollie arrive as new inmate A prisoner (also known as an inmate or detainee) is a person who is depr ...

'' ( 1929) * '' Below Zero'' (

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will b ...

) * '' Pardon Us'' ( 1931) * '' The Kid from Spain'' (1932) * ''

The Live Ghost ''The Live Ghost'' is a 1934 American comedy short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by Charles Rogers and produced by Hal Roach. A copy of this film is held by the Library of Congress. Plot A gruff sea captain ( Walter Long) enlists fis ...

'' ( 1934) * ''

The Gold Ghost ''The Gold Ghost'' is a 1934 short American pre-code comedy film starring Buster Keaton. Plot Two wealthy fathers Jim and George try to arrange their children Gloria and Wally to marry in order to strengthen their families. Gloria refuses to ...

'' (1934) * ''

The Bohemian Girl ''The Bohemian Girl'' is an Irish Romantic opera composed by Michael William Balfe with a libretto by Alfred Bunn. The plot is loosely based on a Miguel de Cervantes' tale, ''La Gitanilla''. The best-known aria from the piece is "I Dreamt I D ...

'' ( 1936)

External links

* 1890 births 1952 deaths Hal Roach Studios actors American male film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Oklahoma {{US-film-actor-1890s-stub