H.B. Warner

Acting · 0.9 popularity

Age

149

Movies

134

Born: October 25, 1876 – December 21, 1958
From: London, England, UK

Biography

Henry Byron Warner (often credited as H.B. Warner) was an English actor. He was the definitive cinematic Jesus Christ in Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings (1927). He was born into a prominent theatrical family on October 26, 1875 in London. His father was Charles Warner, and his grandfather was James Warner, both prominent English actors. He replaced J.B. Warner as Jesus in The King of Kings (1927) when J.B. died of tuberculosis at age 29. (J.B. was not Henry's brother. J.B. had taken the professional last name "Warner" because Henry's family took him in.) Henry Warner's family wanted him to become a doctor, and he graduated from London University but eventually gave up his medical studies. The theater was in his blood, and he studied acting in Paris and Italy before joining his father's stock company, making his debut in the English production of "Drink." It was from his father that he honed his craft. Warner made it to America in the early 1900s, after touring the British Empire. Billed as Harry Warner, he made his Broadway debut in the American colonial drama "Audrey" at Hoyt's Theatre on November 24, 1902, starring James O'Neill, the father of playwright Eugene O'Neill. He was billed as H.B. Warner in his next appearance on Broadway, in the 1906 comedy "Nurse Marjorie." He appeared in 13 more Broadway productions in his career, from the twin-bill of "Susan in Search of a Husband" & "A Tenement Tragedy" (also 1906) to "Silence" in 1925. He moved into motion pictures, making his debut in the Mutual short Harp of Tara (1914). Also in 1914, he appeared in a film written by Cecil B. DeMille for Famous Players Lasky, The Ghost Breaker (1914), in which he had played on Broadway the year before. Warner became a leading man and a star in silent pictures, reaching the zenith of his career playing Jesus in DeMille's The King of Kings (1927). His excellent performance was actually enhanced by the silent screen, allowing the audience to imagine how Jesus would sound. Warner could be extremely moving in silent pictures, notably in the melodrama Sorrell and Son (1927) as a war veteran father who sacrifices all for his son. When talkies arrived, he became a busy supporting player. A favorite of Frank Capra , appeared in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Cast again by Capra, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Lost Horizon (1937). He also appeared in You Can't Take It with You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Other major talkies included The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) and Topper Returns (1941). Other than Jesus, the role he is best remembered role for today is in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), in which he played Mr. Gower, the druggist who is saved from committing a lethal medication error by the young George Bailey (the James Stewart character as a child). H.B. Warner appeared in Sunset Blvd. (1950) as himself. His last credited role was as Amminadab in DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956), a remake of the earlier silent The Ten Commandments (1923). He last role was an uncredited bit part in Darby's Rangers (1958).

Works

134 films

It's a Wonderful Life

19468.3

The Ten Commandments

19567.8

Sunset Boulevard

19508.3

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

19397.8

Lost Horizon

19376.9

You Can't Take It with You

19387.5

Mr. Deeds Goes to Town

19367.5

The Resurrection of Christ

2026

The Adventures of Marco Polo

19386.2

Felix O'Day

192010.0

The Show of Shows

19296.6

James Stewart: A Wonderful Life

19876.5

Rose of the Rancho

19367.0

Driftwood

19476.8

A Tale of Two Cities

19356.8

Nurse Edith Cavell

19396.6

The King of Kings

19276.4

Haunting Shadows

1919

The Gamblers

19299.0

The Toy Wife

19385.0

Five Star Final

19316.6

Army Girl

19386.8

Topper Returns

19416.5

All That Money Can Buy

19417.0

The Rains Came

19396.1

French Dressing

19273.7

Crossroads

19425.9

High Wall

19476.4

The Corsican Brothers

19417.0

New Moon

19406.9

Strange Impersonation

19466.1

El Paso

19496.0

The Judge Steps Out

19476.8

Captain Tugboat Annie

19458.0

The Girl of the Golden West

19385.3

Let Freedom Ring

19396.8

The Son-Daughter

19326.5

Here Comes the Groom

19515.4

Action in Arabia

19446.0

Behold My Wife!

19348.0

Zaza

19236.3

Wedding Rings

19298.0

Victoria the Great

19375.6

Sorrell and Son

19345.0

Viva Villa!

19346.2

Romance of a Rogue

192810.0

One Hour Before Dawn

192010.0

Bulldog Drummond's Bride

19396.3

Journey Into Light

19516.5

Faces in the Fog

19444.3

Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime

19415.8

The Gray Wolf's Ghost

191910.0

The Garden Murder Case

19365.7

Our Fighting Navy

19373.5

The Reckless Hour

19316.8

Sorrell and Son

19276.0

The Phantom of Crestwood

19325.9

Bulldog Drummond in Africa

19385.8

Gentleman Joe Palooka

1946

Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police

19396.2

Hellfire

19496.4

South of Tahiti

19416.5

A Woman of Experience

19316.2

Kidnapped

19386.0

Dice of Destiny

19207.0

For a Woman's Honor

191910.0

The Gracie Allen Murder Case

19396.3

The Prince of Thieves

19486.4

The Divine Lady

19285.3

The Lost Paradise

1914

In Old Santa Fe

19345.8

Arrest Bulldog Drummond

19386.8

Liliom

19306.8

The Menace

19325.6

The Man Who Turned White

19197.0

Lux Æterna: The Art of Filmmaking

20197.4

The First Legion

19517.4

Supernatural

19336.2

Justice Takes a Holiday

19338.0

Moonlight Murder

19364.8

Stark Mad

19295.5

Cross-Examination

19325.1

Silence

19268.0

The Second Floor Mystery

19308.0

Born to Gamble

19355.2

Christopher Bean

19338.0

The Pagan God

19199.0

The Crusader

19327.3

The Vagabond Prince

1916

Tom Brown of Culver

19326.8

The Boss of Big Town

19426.2

Tiger Rose

19297.0

Along Came Love

19366.3

The Princess and the Plumber

193010.0

The Doctor's Secret

19297.0

The Ghost Breaker

1914

Wild Company

19307.0

Jennie Gerhardt

19335.7

Charlie Chan's Chance

19327.3

Blackmailer

19366.5

Night Alarm

19345.4

City of Missing Girls

19414.7

Unholy Love

19324.0

A Yank in Libya

19424.7

Hitler's Children

19436.0

Rogues' Gallery

19445.9

Grand Canary

19344.8

Expensive Women

19315.7

Savage Drums

19517.0

On Your Back

19308.0

The Furies

19307.0

Prospecting for Petroleum

1946

A Woman Commands

19329.0

Man-Made Women

19289.0

Women in Bondage

19436.8

The Beggar of Cawnpore

1916

The Trial of Mary Dugan

19296.4

The Market of Vain Desire

1916

The Man from Broadway

1924

When We Were Twenty-One

19217.0

God's Man

1917

The Green Goddess

19304.9

The Argyle Case

192910.0

A Fugitive from Matrimony

19199.0

Whispering Smith

19269.0

Enemy of Women

19445.1

The Raiders

1916

Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath

1917

English Nell

1900

Danger Trail

1917

Conquest

19288.0

The Seventh Sin

19177.0

Shell 43

1916

Is Love Everything?

19249.0