Robert C. Hadley (April 12, 1882 – December 30, 1968) was an American stage and early silent film actor who appeared in over sixty motion pictures between 1912 and 1927. Hadley quit acting as he approached
middle age
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
to later become a successful Hollywood
makeup artist.
Biography
Robert C. Hadley was born on April 12, 1882, in Walla Walla, Washington; the first child of William and Amanda Hadley. His father, who was born of English parents, hailed from Michigan and supported his family as a farmer and
day laborer. He married native Kansan Amanda Goble in or around 1880 and the two went on to raise seven children.
[Robert C. Hadley, 1968 - California Death Index – Ancestry.com]
In the late 1890s Hadley's family moved temporally to
Lewiston, Idaho
Lewiston is a city and the county seat of Nez Perce County, Idaho, United States, in the state's north central region. It is the second-largest city in the northern Idaho region, behind Coeur d'Alene, and ninth-largest in the state. Lewiston is ...
where he first took to the stage. He later spent two seasons playing villains with the Dell Lawrence Stock Company that led to a season with the Curtis Comedy Company and engagements on the legitimate stage in theaters from Seattle to El Paso.
[Who's Who in the Film World - edited by Fred C. Justice & Tom R. Smith – Film World Publishing - 1914 - pg. 172]
Hadley began his film career in 1912 with the Kay-Bee Broncho Company where he was remembered for playing the road agent in ''A Forlorn Hope'' and the spy in ''A Wartime Mother's Sacrifice'', both released in 1913. With the
Kalem Company he was given the convict role in the 1914 film ''A Convict's Story'' and appeared in a number of
Carlyle Blackwell films. Other films of note that Hadley played in may include ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1917), ''The Beggar Prince'' (1920), ''Three Gold Coins'' (1920), ''
Down Home'' (1920), and ''Partners of the Tide'' (1921).
[
Though he would continue to appear in films for a number of years, Hadley began to transition his career away from acting as he approached his forties. He worked for a time as a film cutter, but eventually chose instead to be a studio makeup artist. By the late 1930s Hadley had become head of the makeup department at Paramount Studios and president of the union local that represented his craft.
Bert Hadley died in Los Angeles on December 30, 1968, nearly ten months after the death of Zena, his wife of nearly 64 years. The couple had two daughters, Fatima and Bert (or Burt); the latter also had a career in Hollywood as an actress and makeup artist.][Zena Hadley, 1968 - California Death Index – Ancestry.com]
Partial filmography
*'' Little Pal'' (1915)
*'' Casey at the Bat'' (1916)
*'' Madam Who?'' (1918)
*'' The Beggar Prince'' (1920)
*''3 Gold Coins
''3 Gold Coins'' is a 1920 American silent Western film directed by Clifford Smith and starring Tom Mix. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. It is believed to be a lost film.
Plot
Things are not going well for Bob Flemi ...
'' (1920)
*'' Down Home'' (1920)
* '' Trailin''' (1921)
* ''Partners of the Tide
''Partners of the Tide'' is a novel by Joseph C. Lincoln published in 1905. It was adapted into a 1921 film. The story revolves around a shipwreck. L. V. Jefferson is given directing credit in the catalog of copyrights.
Film
The film was an ...
'' (1921)
*'' The Lightning Rider'' (1924)
*'' The Flying U Ranch'' (1927)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hadley, Bert
1882 births
1968 deaths
American male silent film actors
American male stage actors
20th-century American male actors
Artists from Walla Walla, Washington