H.B. Warner: Popular Actor From the Silent Movies to the Talkies

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H.B. Warner. 1876-1958.

Warner's star of the Hollywood Walk Of Fame.

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Blog Created: 1-15-2025

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Henry Byron Warner (born Henry Byron Lickfold; 26 October 1876 – 21 December 1958) was an English film and theatre actor. He was popular during the silent era and played Jesus Christ in The King of Kings. In later years, he successfully moved into supporting roles and appeared in numerous films directed by Frank Capra. Warner's most recognizable role to modern audiences is Mr. Gower in It's a Wonderful Life, directed by Capra. He appeared in the original 1937 version of Lost Horizon as Chang, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Early life ~

Henry Warner was born in St John's Wood, London, England in 1876, and educated at Bedford School. His father, Charles Warner, was an actor, and although Henry initially thought about studying medicine, he eventually performed on the stage. He had an older sister, Grace Warner (1873–1925), who was a stage actress and manager.

Grace Warner (Mrs. Franklin McLeay) and her father, Charles Warner (photograph published in June 1896).

Stage ~

Warner's stage debut came in It's Never Too Late to Mend when he was 21. He acted in several plays before coming to the United States for the 1905–1906 season. His Broadway credits include Silence (1924), You and I (1922), Danger (1921), Sleeping Partners (1918), Out There (1917), and Blackbirds (1912).

Film ~

Warner began his film career in silent films in 1914 when he debuted in The Lost Paradise. He played lead roles in the silent era and also appeared in numerous Broadway plays. His greatest success was the role of Jesus in Cecil B. DeMille's silent epic The King of Kings in 1927. He received good reviews for this role, but with the advent of sound era, he turned toward supporting roles, mostly because of his age. He usually was cast in dignified roles in numerous films of the 1930s and 1940s. He played in the 1930 version of Liliom (as the Heavenly Magistrate), in Five Star Final (1931, as Michael Townsend), in Grand Canary (1934, as Dr. Ismay), and the 1935 version of A Tale of Two Cities as Gabelle. He portrayed the strict judge in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). He appeared in the original 1937 version of Lost Horizon as Chang, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Warner as Jesus Christ in King of Kings, 1927.

Among his later films were You Can't Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Rains Came (1939), and The Corsican Brothers (1941). In It's a Wonderful Life (1946), he played an atypical role as the drunken druggist. Occasionally, Warner was seen in sinister roles as in the 1941 film version of The Devil and Daniel Webster, in which he played the ghost of John Hathorne. Also that year, he played the villainous role of Mr. Carrington in Topper Returns. He had a cameo in Sunset Boulevard (1950), directed by Billy Wilder, in which he played himself, playing cards with some other former silent film stars, including Buster Keaton and Anna Q. Nilsson. He had a cameo role in Cecil B DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956). His last film role was an uncredited cameo in Darby's Rangers (1958). Warner has also co-starred in several films in the Bulldog Drumon series throughout the 1930s.

Warner as Mr. Gower in It's A Wonderful Life, 1946.

Personal life ~

Warner was married twice, first to the former Mrs. F. R. Hamlin, who died in 1914, and from 1915 until 1933 to Marguerite L. "Rita" Stanwood. On 21 December 1958, Warner died in Los Angeles, California, of a heart attack, and is interred in a private vault at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles, California.

For his contributions to the motion picture industry, Warner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6600 Hollywood Boulevard.