William Jonathan Humphrey (January 2, 1875 – October 4, 1942) 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 (), li ...

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 ...

. Born in

Chicopee Falls, Massachusetts Chicopee ( ) is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-lar ...

, William Humphrey was a well-known member of the early stock company of

Vitagraph Studios Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

. Without the romantic looks to become a real star, he nevertheless played leads in

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

and other important studio productions of the day. He also directed or co-directed eighty films between 1911 and 1927, including comedian

Mabel Normand Amabel Ethelreid Normand (November 9, 1893 – February 23, 1930), better known as Mabel Normand, was an American silent film actress, screenwriter, director, and producer. She was a popular star and collaborator of Mack Sennett in their K ...

in the 1918

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

drama entitled '' Joan of Plattsburg''. In the late silent era, Humphrey, with other original Vitagraph actors such as

Florence Turner Florence Turner (January 6, 1885 – August 28, 1946) was an American actress who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films. Biography Born in New York City, Turner was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by he ...

Maurice Costello Maurice George Costello (February 22, 1877 – October 29, 1950) was a prominent American vaudeville actor of the late 1890s and early 1900s who later played a principal role in early American films as leading man, supporting player, and director ...

, and

Flora Finch Flora Finch (17 June 1867 – 4 January 1940) was an English-born vaudevillian, stage and film actress who starred in over 300 silent films, including over 200 for the Vitagraph Studios film company. The vast majority of her films from the sile ...

, was kept on the

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 ...

payroll for expert playing of

character roles A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to ...

. For MGM, he had roles in '' One Night in Rome'' (1924) starring

Laurette Taylor Laurette Taylor (born Loretta Helen Cooney; April 1, 1883Source Citation: Year: 1900; Census Place: Manhattan, New York, New York; Roll: 1119; Page: 3A; Enumeration District: 859; FHL microfilm: 1241119. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1900 Un ...

and ''

The Actress ''The Actress'' is a 1953 American comedy-drama film based on Ruth Gordon's autobiographical play ''Years Ago''. Gordon herself wrote the screenplay. The film was directed by George Cukor and stars Jean Simmons, Spencer Tracy, and Teresa Wrigh ...

'' (1928) starring

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'N ...

. He acted in 138 films altogether and continued until 1937. On October 4, 1942, Humphrey died of a coronary thrombosis in Hollywood, California.

Selected filmography

*''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' (1910)*short *''

The Military Air-Scout ''The Military Air-Scout'' (1911) is considered by some aviation film historians as one of the first aviation films recorded worldwide. William J. Humphrey directed the two-reeler in 1911, with the cooperation of the U.S. Army authorities who a ...

'' (1911)*short *''

Hearts of the First Empire ''Hearts of the First Empire'' is an American two-reel silent film set during the Peninsular War of the First French Empire. It is thought to be lost. Release ''Hearts of the First Empire'' was released in the United States on April 28, 1913, in T ...

'' (1913)*short * ''

The Man That Might Have Been ''The Man That Might Have Been'' is a 1914 American short drama silent black and white film directed by William J. Humphrey. It is produced by Vitagraph Company of America. Cast * William J. Humphrey as William Rudd * Leah Baird as Mrs. Wi ...

'' (1914) as William Rudd *''

The Unchastened Woman ''The Unchastened Woman'' is a 1925 American silent drama film starring vamp Theda Bara, directed by James Young, the former husband of Clara Kimball Young, and released by start-up studio Chadwick Pictures. The film is based on a 1915 Broadway ...

'' (1918) *''

The Way of a Woman ''The Way of a Woman'' is a 1919 silent film drama directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Norma Talmadge. Talmadge produced and the film was distributed by Select Pictures. Cast *Norma Talmadge - Nancy Lee *Conway Tearle - Anthony Weir *Gert ...

'' (1919) * '' Atonement'' (1919) * '' The Black Spider'' (1920) * ''

The Strangers' Banquet ''The Strangers' Banquet'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Marshall Neilan and starring Hobart Bosworth, Claire Windsor, and Rockliffe Fellowes.Connelly p. 272 It is based on the 1919 novel of the same title by Brian Oswald Donn- ...

'' (1922) *'' The Social Code'' (1923) *''

The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln ''The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln'' is a 1924 American feature film directed by Phil Rosen and written by Frances Marion. By the date of release, the film's title was shortened to ''Abraham Lincoln'', since the previous title was regarded ...

'' (1924) as

Stephen A. Douglas Stephen Arnold Douglas (April 23, 1813 – June 3, 1861) was an American politician and lawyer from Illinois. A senator, he was one of two nominees of the badly split Democratic Party for president in the 1860 presidential election, which wa ...

*''

Arizona Express ''Arizona Express'' is a 1924 American silent crime drama film directed by Tom Buckingham and starring Pauline Starke and Evelyn Brent. Plot As described in a film magazine review, David Keith, although engaged to a young woman of the town, ...

'' (1924) *''

Beau Brummel George Bryan "Beau" Brummell (7 June 1778 – 30 March 1840) was an important figure in Regency England and, for many years, the arbiter of men's fashion. At one time, he was a close friend of the Prince Regent, the future King George IV, but ...

'' (1924) *'' The Unholy Three'' (1925) *'' Drusilla with a Million'' (1925) * '' Life's Crossroads'' (1928) *'' Devil-May-Care'' (1929) *'' Murder at Midnight'' (1931) *''

Find the Witness ''Find the Witness'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by David Selman and starring Charles Quigley, Henry Mollison and Rosalind Keith.Langman & Finn p.86 Cast * Charles Quigley as Larry McGill * Henry Mollison as Rudolph Mordini * Rosa ...

'' (1937)

References

External links

* * 1875 births 1942 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors People from Chicopee, Massachusetts Male actors from Massachusetts 20th-century American male actors Articles containing video clips Film directors from Massachusetts American male stage actors {{US-film-director-1870s-stub