Warner Richmond (born Werner Paul Otto Raetzmann; January 11, 1886 – June 19, 1948) was an American stage and film actor. He began his career as a stock theatre actor and appeared in films in both the silent film and sound eras. His career spanned four decades. He is possibly best recalled for appearances in Westerns in his later career in sound films. Between 1912 and 1946, he appeared in more than 140 films.

Early life

Warner Richmond was born in

Racine, Wisconsin Racine ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River. Racine is situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and approximately 60 ...

as Werner Paul Otto Raetzmann, one of seven children born to Wilhelm ("William") Raetzmann and Emilie ("Amelia") Licht. Richmond's father was a German immigrant from

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

who worked as a printer in Reedsburg. His mother was Wisconsin-born and raised, and of German immigrant parents. Growing up in rural Wisconsin, he became an expert horseman, and this skill would later earn him roles in western movies. As a young man, he moved to Chicago and lived with his brother Ewald and worked as traveling salesman of musical merchandise while pursuing a career as a stage actor.

Career

By the early 1910s, Richmond was working steadily as a travelling stage actor in stock theater. Richmond's only known credited Broadway stage role was in a 1913 production of the Augustus Thomas play ''Indian Summer'', alongside Creighton Hale. Richmond's first credited film appearance was as the character Dick in the 1912

Ralph Ince Ralph Waldo Ince (January 16, 1887 – April 10, 1937) was an American pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter whose career began near the dawn of the silent film era. Ralph Ince was the brother of John E. Ince and Thomas H. Ince. Biogra ...

directed dramatic short ''The Godmother'' for

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, ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

. By 1917 he was a working consistently as an actor at

Solax Studios Solax Studios was an American motion-picture studio founded in 1910 by executives from the Gaumont Film Company of France. Alice Guy-Blaché, her husband Herbert, and a third partner, George A. Magie, established the Solax Company. Guy-Blaché ...

in Fort Lee, New Jersey. His first appearance in a Western genre film was as the character Dr. Newberry in

House Peters Robert House Peters Sr. (12 March 1880 – 7 December 1967) was a British-born American silent film actor, known to filmgoers of the era as "The Star of a Thousand Emotions". Biography Born in Bristol, Gloucestershire, England, Peters b ...

' 1915 '' The Great Divide''. When the film industry later relocated to southern California, Richmond and his family also moved and settled in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Toluca Lake. Richmond, who was not a contracted actor, made films with nearly all major film studios and by the late 1910s and early 1920s played both leading and second lead roles in crime dramas, romantic dramas, serials and Westerns. His career as an actor spanned over four decades and he appeared in prominent roles in Westerns, often playing a villain, particularly later in his career during the sound era. In 1940, while filming the Albert Herman directed Tex Ritter Western '' Rainbow Over the Range'' in Prescott, Arizona, Richmond fell from his horse and suffered a fractured skull which left the left side of his face paralyzed and diminished vision in his left eye. Richmond was hospitalized for eight months following the accident and spend the following two years resting at home and massaging and pinching his face until his reflexes were restored. In 1944, he returned to films.

Personal life and death

Richmond married actress Felice Striker Rose on October 31, 1918. They had a son, Warner Richmond Jr. in 1921. In the late 1940s, Richmond retired to the Motion Picture Country Home where he died on June 19, 1948 of coronary thrombosis, aged 62. He was cremated at the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles.

Selected filmography

* ''The Godmother'' (1912) - Dick - The Second Boy * ''Springtime'' (1914) - Crawley * ''

Lady Audley's Secret ''Lady Audley's Secret'' is a sensation novel by Mary Elizabeth Braddon published in 1862. John Sutherland. "Lady Audley's Secret" in ''The Stanford Companion to Victorian Fiction'', 1989. It was Braddon's most successful and well-known novel. C ...

'' (1915) - Sir Michael Audley * '' The Great Divide'' (1915) - Dr. Newberry * ''Betty of Greystone'' (1916) * ''

Her Maternal Right ''Her Maternal Right'' is lost American silent film directed by John Ince and Robert Thornby and stars Kitty Gordon. World Film Corporation distributed. Cast *Kitty Gordon - Nina Seasbury *Zena Keefe - Mary Winslow *George Relph - Emory Townse ...

'' (1916) * '' Manhattan Madness'' (1916) - Jack Osborne * '' Fifty-Fifty'' (1916) - Dandy * '' The Sporting Life'' (1918) - Joe Lee * '' Woman'' (1918) - Civil War Officer * ''A Romance of the Air'' (1918) - Minor Role * '' Brown of Harvard'' (1918) - Claxton Madden * ''The Gray Towers Mystery'' (1919) - Jean Bautiste * ''

My Lady's Garter ''My Lady's Garter'' is a lost 1920 American silent mystery film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Wyndham Standing, Sylvia Breamer and Holmes Herbert. It was based on the 1912 novel of the same name by Jacques Futrelle, a writer who ...

'' (1919) - Meredith * ''

A Woman's Business ''A Woman's Business'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by B.A. Rolfe and starring Olive Tell, Edmund Lowe and Donald Hall.Goble p.1021 Cast * Olive Tell as Barbara * Edmund Lowe as Johnny Lister * Donald Hall as Ellis * Lucille L ...

'' (1920) - Brookes * ''

The Mountain Woman ''The Mountain Woman'' is a 1921 American drama film directed by Charles Giblyn and written by Ashley T. Locke. It is based on the 1919 novel ''A Pagan of the Hills'' by Charles Neville Buck. The film stars Pearl White, Corliss Giles, Richard T ...

'' (1921) - Bud Sellers * '' The Heart of Maryland'' (1921) - Tom Boone * ''

Tol'able David ''Tol'able David'' is a 1921 American silent film based on the 1917 Joseph Hergesheimer short story of the same name. It was adapted to the screen by Edmund Goulding and directed by Henry King for Inspiration Pictures. A rustic tale of viole ...

'' (1921) - Allen Kinemon * ''Jan of the Big Snows'' (1922) - Jan Allaire * ''

Isle of Doubt ''Isle of Doubt'' is a 1922 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Hamilton Smith (writer), Hamilton Smith and starring Wyndham Standing, Dorothy Mackaill and George Fawcett.Munden p.387 The title is sometimes written as ''The Isle of ...

'' (1922) - Gerry Patten * '' The Challenge'' (1922) - Ralph Westley * ''

The Man from Glengarry ''The Man from Glengarry'' is a 1922 American-Canadian silent film, silent drama film directed by Henry MacRae and starring Anders Randolf, Warner Richmond, and Pauline Garon. It is based on the 1901 novel of the same title by Ralph Connor. The fil ...

'' (1922) - Ronald MacDonald * ''Luck'' (1923) - Pollard * ''

Mark of the Beast The number of the beast ( grc-koi, Ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θηρίου, ) is associated with the Beast of Revelation in chapter 13, verse 18 of the Book of Revelation. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of t ...

'' (1923) - Donald Duncan * ''

The Speed Spook ''The Speed Spook'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film directed by Charles Hines and starring Johnny Hines, Faire Binney and Edmund Breese.Munden p.754 Cast * Johnny Hines as 'Blue Streak' Billings * Faire Binney as Betty West * Edmund Br ...

'' (1924) - Jud Skerrit * '' Daughters of the Night'' (1924) - Lawyer Kilmaster * ''

Fear-Bound ''Fear-Bound'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by William Nigh and starring Marjorie Daw, William Nigh, and Niles Welch Niles Eugene Welch (July 29, 1888 – November 21, 1976) was an American performer on Broadway, an ...

'' (1925) - Ed Tumble * ''

The Crowded Hour ''The Crowded Hour'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Bebe Daniels. It was produced by Famous Players–Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on the 1918 Broadway play, ''The Crow ...

'' (1925) - Operator * ''

The Making of O'Malley ''The Making of O'Malley'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Lambert Hillyer and written by Eugene Clifford. The film stars Milton Sills, Dorothy Mackaill, Helen Rowland, Warner Richmond, Thomas Carrigan and Julia Hurley. The ...

'' (1925) - Danny the Dude * '' The Pace That Thrills'' (1925) - Jack Van Loren * '' The Wives of the Prophet'' (1926) - Ben Blake * ''

Good and Naughty ''Good and Naughty'' is a 1926 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and starring Pola Negri and Tom Moore. It was based on the play ''Naughty Cinderella'' by Henri Falk and René Peter. Released in 1926, it is a ...

'' (1926) - Bad News Smith * '' The Fire Brigade'' (1926) - Jim O'Neil * '' Finger Prints'' (1927) - Andy 'Annie Laurie' Norton * '' Slide, Kelly, Slide'' (1927) - CliffMacklin * '' White Flannels'' (1927) - Ed * '' Irish Hearts'' (1927) - Emmett * '' The Heart of Maryland'' (1927) - Capt. Fulton Thorpe * ''

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

'' (1927) - Asst. District Attorney * '' Hearts of Men'' (1928) - William Starke * '' The Crowd'' (1928) - Mr. Sims - John's Father (uncredited) * ''You Can't Beat the Law'' (1928) - Bowery Blackie * '' Stop That Man!'' (1928) - Jim O'Brien * '' Shadows of the Night'' (1928) - Feagan * '' The Apache'' (1928) - Gaston Laroux * '' The Voice of the Storm'' (1929) - Dobbs * '' Stark Mad'' (1929) - First Mate * ''

The Redeeming Sin ''The Redeeming Sin'' (1929) is a crime drama part- talking silent film with Vitaphone music and sound effects. It was produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and stars Dolores Costello. This film is a lost film. This film is a remake of a ...

'' (1929) - Lupine * '' Strange Cargo'' (1929) - Neil Stoker * '' Little Mother'' (1929, Short) - Father * '' Big News'' (1929) - Phelps - District Attorney's Man * '' Men Without Women'' (1930) - Lt. Cmdr. Briddwell * '' Strictly Modern'' (1930) - Judge Bartlett * '' Billy the Kid'' (1930) - Bob Ballinger * ''

Remote Control In electronics, a remote control (also known as a remote or clicker) is an electronic device used to operate another device from a distance, usually wirelessly. In consumer electronics, a remote control can be used to operate devices such ...

'' (1930) - Max * '' Quick Millions'' (1931) - 'Nails' Markey * '' Huckleberry Finn'' (1931) - Pap Finn * '' Stung'' (1931) - Racketeer * ''

The Woman from Monte Carlo ''The Woman from Monte Carlo'' is an American pre-Code film produced by Warner Bros. subsidiary First National Pictures (with the Vitaphone logo) in 1931 and released on January 9, 1932. It was directed by Michael Curtiz and gave top billing to ...

'' (1932) - Fourdylis * '' The Beast of the City'' (1932) - Tom * '' Scarface'' (1932) - Cesca's Dance Partner (uncredited) * '' Night Court'' (1932) - Ed - Frame-Up Man (uncredited) * ''

Strangers of the Evening ''Strangers of the Evening'' (reissued as ''The Hidden Corpse'') is a 1932 American pre-Code mystery film produced by Samuel Bischoff for Tiffany Pictures, directed by H. Bruce Humberstone, and starring ZaSu Pitts, Lucien Littlefield and Eug ...

'' (1932) - Dr. Joseph Chandler * '' Hell's Highway'' (1932) - 'Pop-Eye' Jackson * '' Fast Workers'' (1933) - Feets Wilson * '' King of the Jungle'' (1933) - Gus (uncredited) * '' Corruption'' (1933) - Regan * '' The Man Who Dared'' (1933) - Neighborhood Hood (uncredited) * ''

Life in the Raw ''Life in the Raw'' is a 1933 American pre-Code Western film, based on Zane Grey's short story "From Missouri", directed by Louis King and written by Stuart Anthony. It was Claire Trevor's film debut. Plot Cast * George O'Brien as J ...

'' (1933) - Harvey (H.B.) Lamson * '' Mama Loves Papa'' (1933) - The Radical * '' Police Call'' (1933) - Sammy * '' This Day and Age'' (1933) - Defense Attorney * ''

The Lost Jungle ''The Lost Jungle'' (1934) is a Mascot Pictures movie serial. A semi-sequel to this serial, ''Darkest Africa'', was released by Republic Pictures in 1936. Republic was made from a merger of several companies, including Mascot, which became the B-W ...

'' (1934) - Sharkey * '' The Scarlet Empress'' (1934) - Castle Guard (uncredited) * '' Gift of Gab'' (1934) - Cop (uncredited) * '' Happy Landing'' (1934) - Powell * '' Fugitive Lady'' (1934) - Saunders (uncredited) * ''

The Band Plays On ''The Band Plays On'' is the debut album from Back Street Crawler, fronted by ex- Free guitarist Paul Kossoff. Keyboard player Mike Montgomery composed six songs and co-wrote two others on the album, in addition to singing lead vocals on "All ...

'' (1934) - Lumberjack (uncredited) * '' Under Pressure'' (1935) - Weasel * ''

The Phantom Empire ''The Phantom Empire'' is a 1935 American Western serial film directed by Otto Brower and B. Reeves Eason and starring Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, and Betsy King Ross.Magers 2007, p. 21. This 12-chapter Mascot Pictures serial combined the ...

'' (1935) - Rab * ''

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'' (1935) - Man at Bar Who Pulls a Gun (uncredited) * '' Straight from the Heart'' (1935) - Cop (uncredited) * ''

Smokey Smith Ernest Alvia "Smokey" Smith (3 May 1914 – 3 August 2005) was a Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. He was the last living ...

'' (1935) - Kent * ''

The Headline Woman ''The Headline Woman'' is a 1935 American crime film directed by William Nigh and starring Heather Angel and Ford Sterling. The film is also known as ''The Woman in the Case'' in the United Kingdom. Cast * Heather Angel as Myrna Van Buren * ...

'' (1935) - Henchman Bradley * '' So Red the Rose'' (1935) - Confederate Sergeant * '' Chinatown Squad'' (1935) - Detective (uncredited) * '' Rainbow's End'' (1935) - Thomas Stark * '' The Last Days of Pompeii'' (1935) - Captain of the Guard (uncredited) * '' The New Frontier'' (1935) - Ace Holmes * '' Remember Last Night?'' (1935) - Policeman (uncredited) * ''

The Fighting Marines ''The Fighting Marines'' is a 1935 movie serial. It was the last serial produced by Mascot Pictures before the studio was bought out and merged with others to become Republic Pictures. This new company went on to become the most famous of the ...

'' (1935, Serial) - Metcalf - Henchman * ''

The Courageous Avenger ''The Courageous Avenger'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by Robert N. Bradbury. Cast * Johnny Mack Brown John Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) was an American college football player and film actor billed as ...

'' (1935) - Gorman * ''

The Singing Vagabond ''The Singing Vagabond'' is a 1935 American Western film directed by Carl Pierson and starring Gene Autry, Ann Rutherford, and Smiley Burnette. Written by Oliver Drake and Betty Burbridge, the film is about a cowboy who rides to the rescue when ...

'' (1935) - Buck LaCrosse * '' Heart of the West'' (1936) - Johnson * '' Hearts in Bondage'' (1936) - Bucko (uncredited) * ''Wolves of the Sea'' (1936) - Snoden * '' Below the Deadline'' (1936) - Diamond Dutch * ''

Missing Girls ''Missing Girls'' is a 1936 American film directed by Phil Rosen. Cast * Roger Pryor as Reporter Jimmie Dugan *Muriel Evans as Dorothy Benson *Sidney Blackmer as Dan Collins *Noel Madison as Ben Davis *Ann Doran as Ann Jason * George Cooper a ...

'' (1936) - Ray Hanson * ''In His Steps'' (1936) - Gavin * '' White Legion'' (1936) - Burke * ''

Song of the Gringo ''Song of the Gringo'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by John P. McCarthy. The film is also known as ''The Old Corral'' in the United Kingdom. The film was the debut of singing cowboy Tex Ritter. It was co-written by former outlaw and ...

'' (1936) - Henchman Cherokee * ''Headin' for the Rio Grande'' (1936) - Ike Travis * '' Trail of Vengeance'' (1937) - Link Carson * '' The Gold Racket'' (1937) - Doc Johnson * '' A Lawman Is Born'' (1937) - Kane Briscoe * '' The 13th Man'' (1937) - George Crandall * ''

Doomed at Sundown ''Doomed at Sundown'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by George H. Plympton. The film stars Bob Steele, Lorraine Randall, Warner Richmond, Earl Dwire, Harold Daniels and David Sharpe. The film was released ...

'' (1937) - Jim Hatfield * '' Riders of the Dawn'' (1937) - Jim Danti * ''Stars Over Arizona'' (1937) - Ace Carter * ''

Where Trails Divide ''Where Trails Divide'' is a 1937 American Western film directed by Robert N. Bradbury and starring Tom Keene, Warner Richmond and Eleanor Stewart Eleanor Stewart (February 2, 1913 – July 4, 2007), was an American film actress of ...

'' (1937) - Mississippi Blackie Wilson * ''

Federal Bullets ''Federal Bullets'' is a 1937 American crime film written and directed by Karl Brown. It is based on the 1937 novel ''Federal Bullets'' by George Fielding Eliot. The film stars Milburn Stone, Zeffie Tilbury, Terry Walker, William Harrigan, Helen ...

'' (1937) - Henchman Burke * '' Wallaby Jim of the Islands'' (1937) - Karl Haage, Richter Henchman * ''

Child Bride ''Child Bride'', also known as ''Child Brides'', ''Child Bride of the Ozarks'' and ''Dust to Dust'' (USA reissue titles), is a 1938

'' (1938) - Jake Bolby * '' The Secret of Treasure Island'' (1938, Serial) - Capt. Tom Stanton, alias Capt. Tom Faxton h.1* '' Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars'' (1938, Serial) - Zandar * '' Six Shootin' Sheriff'' (1938) - Ace Kendal * ''

The Singing Cowgirl ''The Singing Cowgirl'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Samuel Diege. Plot Cast * Dorothy Page as Dorothy Hendricks * Dave O'Brien as Dick Williams *Vince Barnett as Kewpie *Warner Richmond as 'Gunhand' Garrick * Dorothy Short as ...

'' (1938) - Henchman Garrick * '' Prairie Moon'' (1938) - Mullins * ''

Wild Horse Canyon ''Wild Horse Canyon'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Robert F. Hill and written by Robert Emmett Tansey. The film stars Jack Randall, Dorothy Short, Frank Yaconelli, Warner Richmond, Walter Long and Dennis Moore. The film was ...

'' (1938) - Travers * '' Water Rustlers'' (1939) - Wiley * ''Trigger Smith'' (1939) - Gallop * '' The Oregon Trail'' (1939, Serial) - General Sherman h.1(uncredited) * '' Fighting Mad'' (1939) - Henchman Trigger * '' Rhythm of the Rio Grande'' (1940) - Buck * '' Pals of the Silver Sage'' (1940) - Sheriff * '' The Golden Trail'' (1940) - Henchman Chris * '' Rainbow Over the Range'' (1940) - Gene Griffin * ''Outlaw Trail'' (1944) - Judd Hansen * '' Colorado Serenade'' (1946) - Dad Dillon * ''Wild West'' (1946) - Judge Templeton

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richmond, Warner 1886 births 1948 deaths American male film actors American male stage actors Male Western (genre) film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors Burials at Chapel of the Pines Crematory American people of German descent Male actors from Wisconsin