William Norwood Wadsworth (7 June 1874–6 June 1950) was an American actor of 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, wh ...

best known for his roles in early

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

, playing the villain in ''

What Happened to Mary? ''What Happened to Mary'' (sometimes erroneously referred to as ''What Happened to Mary?'') is the first serial film made in the United States. Produced by Edison Studios, with screenplays by Horace G. Plympton, and directed by Charles Brabin, t ...

'' (1912), the first

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film serial and for playing

Samuel Pickwick Samuel Pickwick is a fictional character and the main protagonist in ''The Pickwick Papers'' (1836), the first novel by author Charles Dickens. One of the author's most famous and loved creations, Pickwick is a retired successful businessman an ...

in ''Mr Pickwick's Predicament'' (1912), an early screen adaptation of ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with ''Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to s ...

''. Wadsworth was born in Pigeon Cove in

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

in 1874, the son of William Wadsworth (born 1842) and Adelia K Leonard (born 1846). Originally a

theatrical producer A theatrical producer is a person who oversees all aspects of mounting a theatre Stagecraft, production. The producer is responsible for the overall financial and managerial functions of a production or venue, raises or provides financial backin ...

, the chubby and prematurely bald Wadsworth became an actor of the

in 1909 in ''Why Girls Leave Home''. Among the more than 60 films he made for the

Edison Manufacturing Company The Edison Manufacturing Company, originally registered as the United Edison Manufacturing Company and often known as simply the Edison Company, was organized by inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison and incorporated in New York City in May 188 ...

and others are ''The Daisy Cowboys'' (1911), ''How the Boys Fought the Indians'' (1912), '' A Christmas Accident'' (1912), ''Madame de Mode'' (1912),

in ''Mr. Pickwick's Predicament'' (1912), Billy Pearl in ''

'' (1912), ''Wood B. Weed'' (comedy series, 1913–14), The Prime Minister in ''How They Got the Vote'' (1913), ''Lo, the Poor Indians'' (1914), Waddy Wise in ''Her Country Cousin'' (1915), Joseph Sedley in '' Vanity Fair'' (1915), Jim, a burglar in ''Suspicious Characters'' (1915), Grimm in ''The Tailor's Bill'' (1915), Waddy Rooney in ''Rooney the Bride'' (1915), Mr Orlinsky, Darya's father in ''The Cossack Whip'' (1916), Pa Lane in ''The Matchmakers'' (1916), Angus Ban Keillor in ''

Kidnapped Kidnapped may refer to: * subject to the crime of kidnapping Literature * ''Kidnapped'' (novel), an 1886 novel by Robert Louis Stevenson * ''Kidnapped'' (comics), a 2007 graphic novel adaptation of R. L. Stevenson's novel by Alan Grant and Ca ...

'' (1917), Sheriff Len Moody in ''Light in the Darkness'' (1917), Dominick in ''The Little Chevalier'' (1917), Snowshoe in ''Salt of the Earth'' (1917), Muggins, the King in ''

The Royal Pauper ''The Royal Pauper'' is a 1917 silent film starring Francine Larrimore and Richard Tucker. It was directed by Ben Turbett. Preserved in the collections of the Library of Congress and UCLA Film & Television Archives. Cast * Francine Larrimore as ...

'' (also known as ''The Princess from the Poorhouse'') (1917), Gunner Kregier in ''Barnaby Lee'' (c1917) and ''

White Mice "White Mice" is a special edition sketch of the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', first broadcast on 24 December 1985 on BBC Breakfast Time. Synopsis A parody, spoof investigation of Del Boy is conducted by the BBC Breakfast show, ''Breakfa ...

'' (1926). In his later years Wadsworth was a stage actor in New York where his wife Mabel (born 1883) worked as a Fitter in a dress shop.1940 United States Federal Census entry for William Wadsworth
-

Ancestry.com Ancestry.com LLC is an American genealogy company based in Lehi, Utah. The largest for-profit genealogy company in the world, it operates a network of genealogical, historical records, and related genetic genealogy websites. In November 2018, ...

William Wadsworth died aged 77 in June 1950 in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

in New York.

Selected filmography

* '' Cohen's Luck'' (1915) * ''

The Cossack Whip ''The Cossack Whip'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by John H. Collins and starring Viola Dana, Richard Tucker and Robert Walker.Spehr & Lundquist p.257 Cast * Viola Dana as Darya Orlinsky * Grace Williams as Katerina Orlinsky ...

'' (1916) * '' Chris and His Wonderful Lamp'' (1917) * '' The Little Chevalier'' (1917) * ''

Cy Whittaker's Ward ''Cy Whittaker's Ward'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Ben Turbett and starring William Wadsworth, Shirley Mason and W.H. Burton.Dahlquist & Frykholm p.198 Cast * William Wadsworth as Captain Cy Whittaker * Shirley Mason a ...

'' (1917) * '' The Apple Tree Girl'' (1917) * '' Billy and the Big Stick'' (1917) * '' Barnaby Lee'' (1917) * ''

The Last Sentence ''The Last Sentence'' ( sv, Dom över död man; Judgement on the dead) is a 2012 Swedish film, directed by Jan Troell and starring Jesper Christensen, Pernilla August, Björn Granath and Ulla Skoog. It is set between 1933 and 1945, and focuses ...

'' (1917)

References

External links

William Wadsworth
on the

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wadsworth, William 1874 births 1950 deaths People from Rockport, Massachusetts American male silent film actors American male stage actors 20th-century American male actors