Leo Willis (January 5, 1890Katchmer, George A. (2009).
A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses
'. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 401. . – April 10, 1952) was an American

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

who began his career in the

silent era A silent film is a film without 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, wh ...

. He played mainly tough guys and comic villains, notably opposite

Harold Lloyd Harold Clayton Lloyd Sr. (April 20, 1893 – March 8, 1971) was an American actor, comedian, and stunt performer who appeared in many Silent film, silent comedy films.Obituary ''Variety'', March 10, 1971, page 55. One of the most influent ...

Charley Chase Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...

, and

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American double act, comedy duo during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957) ...

at the

Hal Roach Studios Hal Roach Studios was an American motion picture and, through its TV production subsidiary, Hal Roach Television Corporation, television production studio. Known as ''The Laugh Factory to the World'', it was founded by producer Hal Roach and busin ...

Early life and career

Born in Wapanucka, Oklahoma, Willis was the son of Joe Willis and Margurate Holdebery. Regarding Willis's third film, the 1916

William S. Hart William Surrey Hart (December 6, 1864 – June 23, 1946) was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered as a foremost Western star of the silent era who "imbued all of his characters with honor and integ ...

western '' The Return of Draw Egan'', the ''

Nashville Tennessean ''The Tennessean'' (known until 1972 as ''The Nashville Tennessean'') is a daily newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee. Its circulation area covers 39 counties in Middle Tennessee and eight counties in southern Kentucky. It is owned by Gannett, w ...

'' singled out as one of the film's principal "thrill a fight staged between the star and Willis, whom the paper dubs "one of Inceville's strongest men." Willis again figured prominently, this time alongside fellow villain Thomas Kurihara, in Hart's followup western, ''

The Devil's Double ''The Devil's Double'' is a 2011 English-language Dutch-Belgian biographical thriller film directed by Lee Tamahori, written by Michael Thomas, and starring Dominic Cooper in the dual role of Iraqi military commander Uday Hussein and his body dou ...

''. ''

The Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'', often referred to simply as ''The Inquirer'', is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded on June 1, 1829, ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is the third-longest continuously operating da ...

'', in its contemporaneous review of Harold Lloyd's 1927 comedy ''

The Kid Brother ''The Kid Brother'' is a 1927 American silent film, silent comedy film, comedy film starring Harold Lloyd. It was successful and popular upon release and today is considered by critics and fans to be one of Lloyd's best films, integrating e ...

'', states that Walter James, Willis, and

Olin Francis Olin Caldwell Francis (September 13, 1891 in Mooreville, Mississippi – June 30, 1952 in Hollywood, California) was an American actor. Francis graduated in engineering from the University of Mississippi and acted on stage before he went to H ...

, in their respective portrayals of the hero's father and two older brothers, "create a new standard of character work in a feature-length comedy," a point echoed by ''

New-York Tribune The ''New-York Tribune'' (from 1914: ''New York Tribune'') was an American newspaper founded in 1841 by editor Horace Greeley. It bore the moniker ''New-York Daily Tribune'' from 1842 to 1866 before returning to its original name. From the 1840s ...

'' critic Harriette Underhill, who characterized the trio's work as "singularly earnest ndwithout exaggeration for a work of this sort." Beginning in 1927, the final decade of Willis's screen career featured appearances—mostly in minor roles—in 11 films alongside Laurel and Hardy, including a pair, '' Call of the Cuckoo'' and '' Flying Elephants'', in which the two appeared together prior to becoming a full-fledged team, as well as his final role, in the 1936 Charlie Chase short, '' On the Wrong Trek'', in which the famous team makes only a cameo appearance.

Personal life and death

Willis was married to May Frances Hennessey from June 1914 until her death on September 17, 1926."Deaths (With Funeral Announcements)"
''The Los Angeles Times''. pt. I, p. 24. They had two daughters. On April 10, 1952, at age 62, Willis died in his sleep at his home in

King City, California King City (variants: Kings City, City of King) is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. It is located on the Salinas River southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of . It lies along U.S. Route 101 in the Salinas Valley of Ca ...

Selected filmography

* '' The Italian'' (

1915 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January *January – British physicist Sir Joseph Larmor publishes his observations on "The Influence of Local Atmospheric Cooling on Astronomical Refraction". *January 1 * ...

) * '' Hell's Hinges'' (1915) * '' The Return of Draw Egan'' (

1916 Events Below, the events of the First World War have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 1 – The British Empire, British Royal Army Medical Corps carries out the first successful blood transfusion, using blood that has been stored ...

) * ''

'' (1916) * '' One Shot Ross'' (

1917 Events Below, the events of World War I have the "WWI" prefix. January * January 9 – WWI – Battle of Rafa: The last substantial Ottoman Army garrison on the Sinai Peninsula is captured by the Egyptian Expeditionary Force's ...

) * '' Bull's Eye'' (1917) * '' A Regular Fellow'' (

1919 Events January * January 1 ** The Czechoslovak Legions occupy much of the self-proclaimed "free city" of Pressburg (later Bratislava), enforcing its incorporation into the new republic of Czechoslovakia. ** HMY ''Iolaire'' sinks off th ...

) * ''

The Toll Gate ''The Toll Gate'' is a 1920 American silent Western film directed by Lambert Hillyer, written by Lambert Hillyer and William S. Hart, and starring William S. Hart, Anna Q. Nilsson, Joseph Singleton, Jack Richardson, and Richard Headrick. It ...

'' (

1920 Events January * January 1 ** Polish–Soviet War: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20. ** Kauniainen in Finland, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its ow ...

) * '' The Rent Collector'' (

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

) * '' Three Word Brand'' (1921) * ''

The Timber Queen ''The Timber Queen'' is a 1922 American action silent film serial directed by Fred Jackman. The film serial stars Ruth Roland and Bruce Gordon. Produced by Pathé Exchange, the serial was advertised as "The beautiful scenery! The forest, the ...

'' (

1922 Events January * January 7 – Dáil Éireann (Irish Republic), Dáil Éireann, the parliament of the Irish Republic, ratifies the Anglo-Irish Treaty by 64–57 votes. * January 10 – Arthur Griffith is elected President of Dáil Éirean ...

) * '' Broken Chains'' (1922) * ''

Wild Bill Hickok James Butler Hickok (May 27, 1837August 2, 1876), better known as "Wild Bill" Hickok, was a folk hero of the American Old West known for his life on the frontier as a soldier, reconnaissance, scout, lawman, cattle rustler, gunslinger, gambler, s ...

'' (

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

) * '' Near Dublin'' (

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

) * ''

Jubilo, Jr. ''Jubilo, Jr.'' is a 1924 short silent comedy film directed by Robert F. McGowan. It was the 27th ''Our Gang'' short subject to be released. Plot A hobo tells of his adventure as a child when he tried to raise the money to buy his mother a h ...

'' (1924) * '' Short Kilts'' (1924) * '' The White Sheep'' (1924) * ''

Isn't Life Terrible? ''Isn't Life Terrible?'' is a 1925 American film starring Charley Chase and featuring Oliver Hardy and Fay Wray. This short is a parody on D. W. Griffith's 1924 drama ''Isn't Life Wonderful'' (1924). The staircase used in this film is the same ...

'' (

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

) * '' A Hero of the Big Snows'' (

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

) * '' The Tough Guy'' (1926) * ''

'' (

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

) * '' Call of the Cuckoo'' (1927) * '' Flying Elephants'' (

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly demonstrating that DNA is the genetic material. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris B ...

) * '' Their Purple Moment'' (1928) * '' The Hoose-Gow'' (

1929 This year marked the end of a period known in American history as the Roaring Twenties after the Wall Street Crash of 1929 ushered in a worldwide Great Depression. In the Americas, an agreement was brokered to end the Cristero War, a Catholic ...

) * '' Below Zero'' (

1930 Events January * January 15 – The Moon moves into its nearest point to Earth, called perigee, at the same time as its fullest phase of the Lunar Cycle. This is the closest moon distance at in recent history, and the next one will be on J ...

) * ''

Pardon Us ''Pardon Us'' is a 1931 American pre-Code Laurel and Hardy film. It was the team's first starring feature-length comedy film, produced by Hal Roach, directed by James Parrott, and originally distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1931. Plot Du ...

'' (

1931 Events January * January 2 – South Dakota native Ernest Lawrence invents the cyclotron, used to accelerate particles to study nuclear physics. * January 4 – German pilot Elly Beinhorn begins her flight to Africa. * January 22 – Sir I ...

) * ''

The Kid from Spain ''The Kid from Spain'' is a 1932 American pre-Code black-and-white musical comedy film directed by Leo McCarey. Harry Ruby and Bert Kalmar composed the songs, and Busby Berkeley is credited with creating and directing the film's musical scenes. ...

'' (

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

) * '' The Live Ghost'' (

1934 Events January–February * January 1 – The International Telecommunication Union, a specialist agency of the League of Nations, is established. * January 15 – The 8.0 1934 Nepal–Bihar earthquake, Nepal–Bihar earthquake strik ...

) * ''

The Gold Ghost ''The Gold Ghost'' is a 1934 short American pre-code comedy film starring Buster Keaton. Plot Two wealthy fathers Jim and George try to arrange their children Gloria and Wally to marry in order to strengthen their families. Gloria refuses to ...

'' (1934) * ''

The Bohemian Girl ''The Bohemian Girl'' is an English language Romantic opera composed by Michael William Balfe with a libretto by Alfred Bunn. The plot is loosely based on a Miguel de Cervantes' tale, ''La gitanilla''. The best-known aria from the piece is "I D ...

'' (

1936 Events January–February * January 20 – The Prince of Wales succeeds to the throne of the United Kingdom as King Edward VIII, following the death of his father, George V, at Sandringham House. * January 28 – Death and state funer ...

)

References

External links

* 1890 births 1952 deaths Hal Roach Studios actors American male film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Oklahoma People from Johnston County, Oklahoma {{US-film-actor-1890s-stub