Paul Gregory Willis"Juvenile Type That Pleases"
''The Movie Magazine''. 1915. December 1915. Vol. 2, No. 3. p. 106. Retrieved October 30, 2024. (born Spencer Paul Gregory; April 9, 1900"Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1949", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQB9-TSZ : Thu May 09 21:13:47 UTC 2024), Entry for Spencer Paul Gregory and Spencer Orville Gregory. – November 3, 1960) was an American actor of the

silent film 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, w ...

era.

Biography

Born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

, the son of Spencer Orville Gregory and Cora Ryer Lee, Willis began his career as a

child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage, television, or in film, movies. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associa ...

in the 1910s, making his screen debut 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 ...

at the age of thirteen in the title role of the 1913 drama-short ''Little Kaintuck''. He would go on to play a variety of juvenile roles, often opposite child actress

Mildred Harris Mildred Harris (November 29, 1901 – July 20, 1944) was an American stage, film, and vaudeville actress during the early part of the 20th century. She began her career in the film industry as a child actress at age 10. She was also the first w ...

.Yale, Grace G. (July 13, 1921)
"Paul's Picnic Party, Pickering Pleasure Pier"
''Evening Vanguard''. p. 6. Retrieved October 30, 2024. One notable film starring Willis was the 1914 comedy-short ''Bill Goes in Business for Himself'', directed by Edward Dillon and supervised by

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 ...

, whose cast also featured future film director

Tod Browning Tod Browning (born Charles Albert Browning Jr.; July 12, 1880 – October 6, 1962) was an American film director, film actor, screenwriter, vaudeville performer, and carnival sideshow and circus entertainer. He directed a number of films of var ...

. Willis's breakthrough performance came with his feature film debut in the 1916

screen adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

of James B. Hendryx's novel, ''The Promise''. The following year, he appeared opposite popular onscreen duo

Harold Lockwood Harold A. Lockwood (April 12, 1887 – October 19, 1918) was an American silent film actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most popular matinee idols of the early film period during the 1910s. Early life and career Born in Brook ...

and

May Allison May Allison (June 14, 1890 – March 27, 1989) was an American actress whose greatest success was achieved in the early part of the 20th century in silent films, although she also appeared on stage. Life and career Allison was born in Rising F ...

in the romantic drama ''The Promise''. Through the 1910s and into the 1920s, Paul Willis would appear opposite such actors as

Carmel Myers Carmel Myers (April 9, 1899 – November 9, 1980) was an American actress who achieved her greatest successes in silent film. Early life Myers was born in San Francisco, the daughter of Isidore Myers, a Russian-Jewish rabbi who was born in ...

Lester Cuneo Lester H. Cuneo (October 25, 1888 – November 1, 1925) was an American stage and silent film actor. He began acting in theatre while still in his teens. His name remains associated with the history of Western film. Early years Born in Chicago, ...

Broncho Billy Anderson Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson (born Maxwell Henry Aronson; March 21, 1880 – January 20, 1971) was an American actor, writer, film director, and film producer, who was the first star of the Western film genre. He was a founder and star ...

and

Mae Marsh Mae Marsh (born Mary Warne Marsh; November 9, 1894U.S. Census records for 1900, El Paso, Texas, Sheet No. 6 – February 13, 1968) was an American film actress whose career spanned over 50 years. Early life Mae Marsh was born Mary Warne Marsh i ...

. Willis is possibly best recalled for his portrayal of Dickon Sowerby in the 1919

Gustav von Seyffertitz Gustav von Seyffertitz (4 August 1862 – 25 December 1943) was a German film actor and director. He settled in the United States. He was born in Haimhausen, Bavaria, and died in Los Angeles, California, aged 81. Biography Gustav von Seyfferti ...

-directed film adaptation of the

Frances Hodgson Burnett Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett (24 November 1849 – 29 October 1924) was a British-American novelist and playwright. She is best known for the three children's novels ''Little Lord Fauntleroy'' (1886), ''A Little Princess'' (1905), a ...

novel ''

The Secret Garden ''The Secret Garden'' is a children's novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in book form in 1911, after serialisation in ''The American Magazine'' (November 1910 – August 1911). Set in England, it is seen as a classic of English c ...

'' for the

Famous Players–Lasky Corporation Famous may refer to: Companies * Famous Brands, a South African restaurant franchisor * Famous Footwear, an American retail store chain * Famous Music, the music publishing division of Paramount Pictures * Famous Studios, the animation division ...

, in which he appeared opposite actors

Lila Lee Lila Lee (born Augusta Wilhelmena Fredericka Appel; July 25, 1905 – November 13, 1973) was a prominent screen actress, primarily a leading lady, of the silent film and early sound film eras. Early life The daughter of Augusta Fredericka App ...

Richard Rosson Richard Rosson (April 4, 1893 – May 31, 1953) was an American film director and actor. As an actor, he was known for the nearly 100 films he was in during the silent era. As a director, he directed the logging sequences in the 1936 film '' C ...

and

Spottiswoode Aitken Frank Spottiswoode Aitken (16 April 1868 – 26 February 1933) was a Scottish-American actor of the silent era. He played Dr. Cameron in D. W. Griffith's epic drama ''The Birth of a Nation''. Early years Aitken was born 16 April 1868 in Edinb ...

.''The New York Times Movies''
/ref> The film is now considered lost. In December of that year, ''

Motion Picture News The ''Motion Picture News'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1913 to 1930. History The publication was created through the 1913 merger of the ''Moving Picture News'' founded in 1908 and ''The Exhibitors' Times'', founde ...

'' reported that Wallis and actress

Molly Malone "Molly Malone" ( Roud 16932, also known as "Cockles and Mussels" or "In Dublin's Fair City") is a song set in Dublin, Ireland, which has become the city's unofficial anthem. A statue representing Molly Malone, designed by Dublin artist Jeanne ...

had been signed by Robertson-Cole to appear in the company's ''Supreme Comedies'' series.

Paul Willis, who has made good in the heavier side of screen dramatics, believes he is better suited for the comedy and has now become a full-fledged fun producer. The rising young star has played juvenile leads with the best stars in the country. ..Scott Sidney, director of many of the Robertson-Cole comedy successes, will be in charge of the latest acquisition to the comedy-producing forces.

Within three months, Willis had been added to the cast of fellow recent acquisition

's upcoming Robertson-Cole debut, '' Nobody's Kid'', adapted from

Kate Langley Bosher Kate Langley Bosher (February 1, 1865 – July 27, 1932) was an American novelist from Virginia, best known for her novels ''Mary Cary'' (1910) and ''Miss Gibbie Gault'' (1911).(July 29, 1932)Mrs. Kate Bosher, Author, Dies at 67; Widely Known V ...

's popular 1910 novel, '' Mary Cary, Frequently Martha''."Mae Marsh and Paul Willis play a bit"
''The Waco Times-Herald''. May 28, 1922. Retrieved October 30, 2024. In 1921, Willis appeared as himself alongside

Pauline Curley Pauline Curley (December 19, 1903 – December 11, 2000) was a vaudeville and silent film actress from Holyoke, Massachusetts. Her film career spanned much of the silent era, from 1915 to 1928. Early years Pauline Curley was born in Holyoke, M ...

in the promotional film, ''Paul's Picnic Party on Pickering Pleasure Pier'', which was both filmed and screened at the aforementioned Pier, in

Ocean Park, California Ocean Park is a Santa Monica neighborhood of Santa Monica in the Westside region of Los Angeles County, United States. History Developer Abbot Kinney and Francis G. Ryan, of the firm Kinney & Ryan, acquired the deed to the coastal strip prev ...

. Willis retired from acting at age 23. His final film appearance was in the 1923 Tom Forman-directed drama ''

Money! Money! Money! ''Money, Money, Money'' is a lost 1923 silent film drama directed by Tom Forman and starring Katherine MacDonald. It was produced by B. P. Schulberg under his production company Preferred Pictures and released through Associated First Nationa ...

'', opposite

Katherine MacDonald Katherine Agnew MacDonald (December 14, 1891 – June 4, 1956) was an American stage and film actress, film producer, and model. She was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and was the older sister of actresses Miriam MacDonald and Mary MacLaren. ...

and

Carl Stockdale Carl Stockdale also known as Carlton Stockdale (February 19, 1874 – March 15, 1953) was one of the longest-working Hollywood veteran actors, with a career dating from the early 1910s. He also made the difficult transition from silent fi ...

. Willis died at the age of 60 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in 1960.California, Los Angeles, Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery, Deceased Card File Index, 1877-1989", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:W8D8-CZPZ : Sat Mar 09 03:02:44 UTC 2024), Entry for Paul Gregory Willis, 4 Nov 1960.

Partial filmography

*'' Little Kaintuck'' (1913, Short) - Little Kaintuck *'' The Brute'' (1914, Short) - Ted Barton - Black's Son *'' Johanna, the Barbarian'' (1914, Short) - George - Johanna's Son *'' The Poor Folks' Boy'' (1914, Short) - Benny Benson *'' The Milkfed Boy'' (1914, Short) - The Widow's Milkfed Boy *'' Bill Goes in Business for Himself'' (1914, Short) - Bill's Other Friend *'' The Little Matchmaker'' (1915, Short) - Paul *'' A Man for All That'' (1915, Short) - The Young Boy *'' The Little Soldier Man'' (1915, Short) - Paul *'' A Rightful Theft'' (1915, Short) - Paul Brown - the Widow's Son *''

The Old Batch ''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The' ...

'' (1915, Short) - Johnny - the Adopted Son *'' The Little Lumberjack'' (1915, Short) - Paul - the Little Lumberjack *'' The Indian Trapper's Vindication'' (1915, Short) - Arnold King - their Son *'' Could a Man Do More?'' (1915, Short) - Richard Sherwood *''

The Fall of a Nation ''The Fall of a Nation'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Thomas Dixon Jr., and a sequel to the 1915 film ''The Birth of a Nation'', directed by D. W. Griffith. Dixon, Jr. attempted to cash in on the success of the controversi ...

'' (1916) - Billy *'' The Promise'' (1917) - Charlie Manton *'' The Haunted Pajamas'' (1917) - Francis Billings *'' The Trouble Buster'' (1917) - 'Blackie' Moyle *'' Shootin' Mad'' (1918) *''

'' (1919) - Dickon Sowerby *'' The Son-of-a-Gun'' (1919) - Buddy Brown *'' The Cry of the Weak'' (1919) - Budd *'' Nobody's Kid'' (1921) - John Maxwell *'' Thunderclap'' (1921) - Tommy *''

'' (1923) - Lennie Hobbs (final film role)

References

Bibliography

* John Holmstrom, ''The Moving Picture Boy: An International Encyclopaedia from 1895 to 1995'', Norwich, Michael Russell, 1996, p. 19.

External links

* American male film actors American male silent film actors American male child actors 1900 births 1960 deaths 20th-century American male actors Male actors from Chicago {{US-screen-actor-1900s-stub