Hobart Henley

Hobart Henley
Motion Picture Magazine, 1915
Born
Hess Manassah Henle

November 23, 1887
Louisville, Kentucky
DiedMay 22, 1964 (aged 76)
Beverly Hills, California
Height6’2”
SpouseDorothy Bertha March

Hobart Henley (born Hess Manassah Henle; November 23, 1887[1] – May 22, 1964) was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer. He was involved in over 60 films either as an actor or director or both from 1914 to 1934.

Early life

Henley was born Hess Manassah Henle in Louisville, Kentucky[2] to Samuel Henle, a German immigrant and retailer, and his wife Clementine. His family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Henley graduated from the University of Cincinnati.[1]

Career

Henley on screen in Temptation and the Man (1916)

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 in 1919.[3][4] He continued directing films, many of which were star's debuts like Bette Davis in the Bad Sister (1931) with Humphrey Bogart,[5] as well as those of Reginald Denny, Jimmy Durante, and Will Rogers.

He started his own production company[6] and later worked for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Warner Brothers, Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures.[7] He directed top stars, including Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, and Maurice Chevalier.[8] He retired in 1936.[9]

Personal life

He was married twice, first in 1920 to Corinne Barker,[10] and later he married Louisiana native Dorothy March. He and March had two sons, David, and Hobart Jr. (deceased age 14). Henley died in Beverly Hills, California,[11] aged 76, and he is interred at Chapel of the Pines Crematory, Los Angeles.

Partial filmography

Advertisement for The Gay Old Dog (1919)

References

  1. ^ a b Photoplay: The Aristocrat of Motion Picture Magazines. Photoplay Magazine Publishing Company. 1915.
  2. ^ Lowrey, Carolyn (1920). The First One Hundred Noted Men and Women of the Screen. Moffat, Yard.
  3. ^ Ward, Richard Lewis (2016). When the Cock Crows: A History of the Pathé Exchange. SIU Press. ISBN 978-0-8093-3496-4.
  4. ^ Motion Picture News. Motion Picture News. 1919.
  5. ^ "Hobart Henley Biography".
  6. ^ Slide, Anthony (2014-02-25). The New Historical Dictionary of the American Film Industry. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-92554-3.
  7. ^ "1931, 9 Oct Hobart Henley". Modesto News-Herald. 1931-10-09. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  8. ^ Blum, Daniel (1966). Daniel Blum's Screen World 1965. Biblo & Tannen Publishers. ISBN 978-0-8196-0306-7.
  9. ^ Aaker, Everett (2013-04-19). George Raft: The Films. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-6646-7.
  10. ^ "1920, 27 Jul Corinne Riely Barker". The Oregon Daily Journal. 1920-07-27. p. 12. Retrieved 2020-05-21.
  11. ^ "Hobart Henley, 68, Early Moviemaker". The New York Times. 1964-05-23. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-05-20.
  12. ^ a b "Hobart Henley". Archived from the original on October 6, 2019.
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