Louis Robert Wolheim (March 28, 1880 – February 18, 1931) was an American actor, of both stage and screen, whose rough physical appearance relegated him to roles mostly of thugs or villains in the movies, but whose talent allowed him to flourish on stage. His career was mostly contained during 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, when ...

of the film industry, due to his untimely death at the age of 50 in 1931.

Early life

Born in New York City in 1880, he attended

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

, where he graduated with a degree in engineering. After graduation, he taught mathematics, including six years as an instructor at Cornell. He also worked as a mining engineer. According to Wolheim, while at Cornell, he suffered an injury to his nose during a football game, and, after having the nose seen to by medical professionals, later that same day he got into a physical altercation (which he won), although his nose suffered more damage, ending up becoming almost a trademark for him. After the United States entrance into World War I, Wolheim joined the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

, and was in officers training at

Camp Zachary Taylor Camp Zachary Taylor was a military training camp in Louisville, Kentucky. It opened in 1917, to train soldiers for U.S. involvement in World War I, and was closed three years later. It was initially commanded by Guy Carleton and after the war i ...

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

when hostilities ended. Not wanting to remain in the service as a career, he asked for and was granted a

discharge Discharge may refer to Expel or let go * Discharge, the act of firing a gun * Discharge, or termination of employment, the end of an employee's duration with an employer * Military discharge, the release of a member of the armed forces from ser ...

. According to Art Leibson's book ''Sam Dreben: The Fighting Jew'' (Westernlore Press, Tucson, Arizona 1996), just before World War I Wolheim was in Chihuahua, Mexico selling raincoats and rubber boots to revolutionaries, when he met

Sam Dreben Samuel Dreben (June 1, 1878 – March 15, 1925), sometimes misspelled "Drebben" or "Drebin", and known as "The Fighting Jew", was a highly decorated soldier in the US Army and a mercenary who fought in a variety of wars and revolutions. Early li ...

, an American mercenary. According to a 1933 article in ''Liberty Magazine'' by Tex O'Reilly. Wolheim and Dreben were noted for their drinking and fighting in Mexican cantinas. One time Wolheim beat up a Mexican officer and was put in jail. Dreben rushed to the prison and secured Wolheim's release. When Dreben died in 1925 on the West Coast, Wolheim was living there and served as one of his pallbearers.

Career

In 1914, on the advice of

Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''A Free Soul'' (1931 ...

and

John Barrymore John Barrymore (born John Sidney Blyth; February 14 or 15, 1882 – May 29, 1942) was an American actor on stage, screen and radio. A member of the Drew and Barrymore theatrical families, he initially tried to avoid the stage, and briefly att ...

, Wolheim entered films. Both brothers also invited him to appear in the 1919 play ''The Jest'' in which the Barrymores co-starred. He would appear in at least five films with Lionel Barrymore including a serial and four films with John Barrymore, ''

The Test of Honor ''The Test of Honor'' (1919) was an American silent film drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky, released by Paramount, directed by John S. Robertson, and starring John Barrymore. Considered the actor's first drama movie role after years of doi ...

'' (1919), '' Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde'' (1920), ''

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

'' (1922) and '' Tempest'' (1928). Wolheim appeared in two silent films with their sister Ethel Barrymore. Wolheim's fearsome visage almost immediately typecast him in roles as gangsters, executioners (as in

D. W. Griffith David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the n ...

's '' Orphans of the Storm'') or prisoners. Towards the end of the 1920s, he occasionally broke out of these stereotypes and played a comic Russian officer in Tempest and a rambunctious

Sergeant Sergeant ( abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other ...

Howard Hughes Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in t ...

's '' Two Arabian Knights.'' He also played a Chaneyesque gangster in Hughes's splendidly photographed '' The Racket'', a lost film for over 70 years recently rediscovered. Beginning with his appearance in the Barrymores' play ''The Jest'', Wolheim would appear in ten

Broadway plays Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

from 1919 through 1925. He received considerable acclaim as Yank in the original stage production of '' The Hairy Ape'' (1922) by

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright and Nobel laureate in literature. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of realism, earli ...

. His final play would be as the

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, ...

, Captain Flagg, in '' What Price Glory?'', in 1925. The play would be made into a

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmospher ...

a year later, with Victor McLaglen in the role of Flagg. In 1922, with his fluent French, Wolheim translated Henri Bernstein's play ''The Claw'' into English, which his friend Lionel Barrymore had a successful run on Broadway in. Wolheim acted primarily in

silent film 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, w ...

s, because of his sudden death at the close of the silent era, but he did appear in several

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed before ...

s, including ''

All Quiet on the Western Front ''All Quiet on the Western Front'' (german: Im Westen nichts Neues, lit=Nothing New in the West) is a novel by Erich Maria Remarque, a German veteran of World War I. The book describes the German soldiers' extreme physical and mental trauma ...

'' and '' Danger Lights'' (both 1930) before he died. Wolheim was credited for a screenplay in addition to his acting career, for ''The Greatest Power'', which starred none other than

Ethel Barrymore Ethel Barrymore (born Ethel Mae Blythe; August 15, 1879 – June 18, 1959) was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors. Barrymore was a stage, screen and radio actress whose career spanned six decades, and was regard ...

. At the very end of his career, his final appearance was in ''

The Sin Ship ''The Sin Ship'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film produced and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and directed by the actor Louis Wolheim in his only directorial effort. The film marks the last contribution Wolheim made to the film industry ...

'', which was also his only directing credit. The film was released in April 1931, after Wolheim's death, however after its completion, Wolheim had decided that directing was not for him, and had stated he would only act from that point forward. According to the biography included in the DVD version of ''All Quiet on the Western Front'', Wolheim wanted, at one point in his career, to play romantic leads instead of tough " heavies". To that end, he sought to have plastic surgery performed on his broken nose. Executives at

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stu ...

successfully obtained a

restraining order A restraining order or protective order, is an order used by a court to protect a person in a situation involving alleged domestic violence, child abuse, assault, harassment, stalking, or sexual assault. Restraining and personal protecti ...

against him from doing so, however. Off-screen, Wolheim had a reputation as a genuinely caring individual, so much so that after his death, when flowers were usually sent to the funeral, his friends and co-workers instead took up a collection and gave the money, in Wolheim's name, to a fund to feed the hungry.

James R. Quirk James R. Quirk (September 4, 1884 – August 1, 1932) was an American magazine editor. Career Quirk was the vice president and editor of ''Photoplay'' magazine, one of the earliest film or fan glamour magazines and particularly popular in th ...

, editor and president of '' Photoplay Magazine'', said of Wolheim, "This is no attempt to glorify an actor who has passed on. It is the truth, every word of it. Louis Wolheim was one of the finest and most generous souls I have ever known." Wolheim was a member of The Lambs Club, which he had joined in 1925.

Death

While preparing to appear in the film '' The Front Page'', Wolheim died suddenly on February 18, 1931, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

. He had been losing drastic amounts of weight for the role, and news accounts from that time attributed his death to that weight loss. However, modern sources attribute his death to

stomach cancer Stomach cancer, also known as gastric cancer, is a cancer that develops from the lining of the stomach. Most cases of stomach cancers are gastric carcinomas, which can be divided into a number of subtypes, including gastric adenocarcinomas. Ly ...

. He would be replaced in ''The Front Pages cast by Adolphe Menjou. Wolheim is interred at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...

Hollywood, CA Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

Filmography

(filmography as per AFI database, except where otherwise noted) * '' The Warning'' (1914) - Policeman (uncredited) * ''

The Romance of Elaine ''The Romance of Elaine'' is a 1915 American silent adventure film serial directed by George B. Seitz, Leopold Wharton and Theodore Wharton, based on the novel by Arthur B. Reeve. The film is considered to be lost. Cast * Pearl White as Elai ...

'' (1915, Serial) - (uncredited) * '' Dorian's Divorce'' (1916) - Capt. Ross * '' The Brand of Cowardice'' (1916) - Cpl. Mallin * '' The Sunbeam'' (1916) - Biff the Brute * '' The Greatest Power'' (1917, screenplay) * '' The End of the Tour'' (1917) * '' The Millionaire's Double'' (1917) - Bob Holloway * '' The Eternal Mother'' (1917) - Bucky McGhee * '' The Avenging Trail'' (1917) - Lefty Reed * ''

The Eyes of Mystery ''The Eyes of Mystery'' is a lost 1918 American silent mystery film directed by Tod Browning starring Edith Storey. Plot As described in a film magazine, Carma Carmichael (Storey), who lives with her uncle Quincy Carmichael (Andrews), is kid ...

'' (1918) - Brad Tilton * '' The House of Hate'' (1918 - film serial) * '' Peg of the Pirates'' (1918) - Flatnose Tim (as L. Walheim) * '' A Pair of Cupids'' (1918) aka. ''Both Members'' (reissue title) - Dirk Thomas * '' The Poor Rich Man'' (1918) - Wrestler * '' The Belle of the Season'' (1919) - Johnson * '' The Carter Case'' (1919 - film serial) - Emanon * ''

'' (1919) - Man/Devil in Dream''Rock Island Argus'', May 10, 1919; Chronicling America - Library of Congress
Retrieved February 27, 2018(*uncredited) * ''

The Darkest Hour "The Darkest Hour" is a phrase used to refer to an early period of World War II, from approximately mid-1940 to mid-1941. While widely attributed to Winston Churchill, the origins of the phrase are unclear. The phrase The phrase "the darkest ...

'' (1919) - Louis Marcotte * '' Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1920) - Dance Hall Proprietor * ''

A Manhattan Knight ''A Manhattan Knight'' is a 1920 American silent mystery film directed by George Beranger and starring George Walsh, Virginia Hammond, William H. Budd, Warren Cook, Jack Hopkins, and William T. Hayes. It is based on the 1911 novel ''Find the Woma ...

'' (1920) - Mangus O'Shea * '' Number 17'' (1921) * ''

Experience Experience refers to conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these conscious processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience involv ...

'' (1921) - Crime * '' Orphans of the Storm'' (1921) - Executioner * '' Determination'' (1922) * ''

'' (1922) - Craigin * '' The Face in the Fog'' (1922) - Petrus * ''

Love's Old Sweet Song "Love's Old Sweet Song" is a Victorian parlour song published in 1884 by composer James Lynam Molloy and lyricist Graham Clifton Bingham. The first line of the chorus is "Just a song at twilight", and its title is sometimes misidentified as suc ...

'' (1923) - The Wanderer — two-reeler filmed in

Phonofilm Phonofilm is an optical sound-on-film system developed by inventors Lee de Forest and Theodore Case in the early 1920s. Introduction In 1919 and 1920, Lee De Forest, inventor of the audion tube, filed his first patents on a sound-on-film proce ...

sound-on-film system * ''

The Last Moment ''The Last Moment'' is a 1928 American drama film conceived and directed by Paul Fejos. The film starred Otto Matieson and Georgia Hale. Fejos made ''The Last Moment'' on a budget of US$13,000. The film told its story without intertitles, w ...

'' (1923) - The Finn * '' The Go-Getter'' (1923) - Daniel Silver * '' Little Old New York'' (1923) - The Hoboken Terror * ''

Unseeing Eyes ''Unseeing Eyes'' is a lost 1923 American silent north country drama film produced by William Randolph Hearst and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. Edward H. Griffith directed Lionel Barrymore, Seena Owen, Louis Wolheim, and Gustav von Seyffertit ...

'' (1923) - Laird * '' The Uninvited Guest'' (1924) - Jan Boomer * ''

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

'' (1924) - Capt. Hare * '' The Story Without a Name'' (1924) - Kurder * '' Lover's Island'' (1925) - Captain Joshua Dawson * '' Two Arabian Knights'' (1927) - Sergeant Peter McGaffney * '' Sorrell and Son'' (1927) - Buck * '' Tempest'' (1928) - Sgt. Bulba * '' The Racket'' (1928) - Nick Scarsi * '' The Awakening'' (1928) - Le Bete * '' The Shady Lady'' (1929) - Professor Holbrook * ''

Square Shoulders ''Square Shoulders'' is a 1929 American silent crime drama film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Frank Coghlan Jr., Louis Wolheim and Anita Louise.Munden p.760 Synopsis After returning from fighting in World War I, a man falls into ba ...

'' (1929) - Slag Collins * '' Wolf Song'' (1929) - Gullion * '' Frozen Justice'' (1929) - Duke * '' Condemned'' (1929) - Jacques * '' The Ship from Shanghai'' (1930) - Ted, the steward * ''

'' (1930) - Stanislaus Katczinsky * '' Danger Lights'' (1930) - Dan Thorn * '' The Silver Horde'' (1930) - George Balt * '' Gentleman's Fate'' (1931) - Frank * ''

'' (1931) - Captain Sam McVey (also directed)

Stage career

(list as per

Internet Broadway Database The Internet Broadway Database (IBDB) is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It was conceived and created by Karen Hauser in 1996 and is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade asso ...

) * ''The Jest'' (1919–20) - The Executioner * ''The Letter of the Law'' (1920) - Bridet * '' The Broken Wing'' (1920-1921) - General Panfilo Aguilar * ''The Claw'' (1921-1922) - translation from French * ''The Fair Circassian'' (1921) - The Prince Regent * '' The Idle Inn'' (1921-1922) - Bendet * '' The Hairy Ape'' (1922) - Yank * ''MacBeth'' (1924) - Porter * ''Catskill Dutch'' (1924) - Cobby * '' What Price Glory?'' (1925) - Captain Flagg

References

External links

* *
Louis Wolheim
at Virtual History * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wolheim, Louis 1880 births 1931 deaths Cornell Big Red football players Deaths from stomach cancer American male film actors American male silent film actors Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Deaths from cancer in California Male actors from New York City 20th-century American male actors Jewish American male actors Members of The Lambs Club