Walter K. Whitman (April 25, 1859 – March 27, 1928) was an American

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

of the stage and screen who was active during

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

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 is not to be confused with the influential poet of the

same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first and last name. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after four-ep ...

Biography

Whitman had a long career on the stage in cities like

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and

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 ...

before he began appearing in Triangle films in the 1910s, at which point he was already an older man. He died on March 27, 1928, in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. "I was only a country lad, but I had seen so many real good shows at our local

opera house An opera house is a theater building used for performances of opera. Like many theaters, it usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, backstage facilities for costumes and building sets, as well as offices for the institut ...

that I made up my mind I would be an actor," he'd later tell reporters of his beginnings. He also recounted that in 1896, he leapt from the fifth floor of the Hotel Richelieu in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

when it caught on fire.

Selected filmography

* '' Missing Daughters'' (1924) * '' Long Live the King'' (1923) * ''

The Grub-Stake ''The Grub-Stake'' is a 1923 American silent western film co-directed by Bert Van Tuyle and Nell Shipman, who played the lead role. The screenplay was written by Shipman and produced by her company, Nell Shipman Productions. Nell Shipman Produ ...

'' (1923) * '' The Love Letter'' (1923) * ''

Wasted Lives ''Wasted Lives'' is a 1925 American silent film, silent drama film directed by John Gorman (director), John Gorman and starring Elliott Dexter, Cullen Landis and Edith Roberts (actress), Edith Roberts.Munden p.867 Cast * Elliott Dexter as Clayto ...

'' (1923) * '' Hearts Aflame'' (1923) * '' A Question of Honor'' (1922) * '' The Fire Bride'' (1922) * ''

The Girl from Rocky Point ''The Girl from Rocky Point'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Fred Becker and starring Milton Ross, Ora Carew and Gloria Joy.Munden p.291 Plot A young woman falls in love with man shipwrecked on the Maine coastline, but has to ...

'' (1922) * ''

The New Disciple ''The New Disciple'' is a 1921 American silent film directed by Ollie Sellers and produced by labor organization the Federal Film Corporation in Seattle, Washington. It was the most widely viewed labor film of this period, with over one million v ...

'' (1921) * '' The Mysterious Rider'' (1921) * ''His Nibs'' (1921) * ''The Girl from God's Country'' (1921) * ''

The Three Musketeers ''The Three Musketeers'' () is a French historical adventure novel written and published in 1844 by French author Alexandre Dumas. It is the first of the author's three d'Artagnan Romances. As with some of his other works, he wrote it in col ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Home Stretch ''The Home Stretch'' is a surviving 1921 American silent drama film directed by Jack Nelson and written by Louis Stevens. The film stars Douglas MacLean, Beatrice Burnham, Walt Whitman, Margaret Livingston, Wade Boteler, Mary Jane Irving, ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Mark of Zorro ''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 ...

'' (1920) * ''

Darling Mine ''Darling Mine'' is a lost 1920 American silent drama film directed by Laurence Trimble and starring Olive Thomas, Walter McGrail and Walt Whitman.Connelly p.59 Plot Cast * Olive Thomas as Kitty McCarthy * Walter McGrail as Roger Davis * W ...

'' (1920) * ''

Passion's Playground ''Passion's Playground'' is a 1920 American silent drama film produced by and starring Katherine MacDonald. Rudolph Valentino has a featured part in the film billed as Rudolph Valentine. The film is based on the novel ''The Guests of Hercules'' ...

'' (1920) * ''

Dangerous Hours ''Dangerous Hours'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Fred Niblo. Prints of the film survive in the UCLA Film and Television Archive. It premiered in February 1920. The film was based on a short story "A Prodigal in Utopia" pub ...

'' (1919) * ''

John Petticoats ''John Petticoats'' is a 1919 American silent action film directed by Lambert Hillyer and written by C. Gardner Sullivan. The film stars William S. Hart, Walt Whitman, George Webb, Winifred Westover, Ethel Shannon, and Andrew Arbuckle. The ...

'' (1919) * ''

When Bearcat Went Dry ''When Bearcat Went Dry'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Oliver L. Sellers from the novel by Charles Neville Buck, and starring Lon Chaney as Kindard Powers. The title refers to a character nicknamed "Bearcat" ( Bernard J. Dur ...

'' (1919) * ''Pretty Smooth'' (1919) * ''

Destiny Destiny, sometimes also called fate (), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often used interchangeably, the words ''fate'' and ''destiny'' ...

'' (1919) * '' The Cry of the Weak'' (1919) * ''Whom the Gods Would Destroy'' (1919) * ''

The Heart of Humanity ''The Heart of Humanity'' is a 1918 American silent war propaganda film produced by Universal Pictures and directed by Allen Holubar. The film stars Dorothy Phillips, William Stowell, and Erich von Stroheim. Overview The film "follows the gen ...

'' (1918) * '' Desert Law'' (1918) * '' Daughter Angele'' (1918) * ''They're Off'' (1918) * ''The Price of Applause'' (1918) * ''

False Ambition ''False Ambition'' is a 1918 silent drama film produced and released by the Triangle Film Corporation. Directed by Gilbert P. Hamilton, the film stars Alma Rubens. Cast * Alma Rubens - Judith/Zariska * Peggy Pearce - Felicity * Alberta Lee - ...

'' (1918) * ''

Everywoman's Husband ''Everywoman's Husband'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Gilbert P. Hamilton and starring Gloria Swanson. A print of the film is preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive. Plot As described in a film magazine, when th ...

'' (1918) * ''His Enemy, the Law'' (1918) * ''

The Last Rebel ''The Last Rebel'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released in 1993. It is the last album to feature drummer Kurt Custer and guitarist Randall Hall. Track listing # "Good Lovin's Hard to Find" (Ed King, Gary Ro ...

'' (1918) * ''Old Hartwell's Cub'' (1918) * '' Captain of His Soul'' (1918) * ''The Hopper'' (1918) * ''Without Honor'' (1918) * ''

The Regenerates ''The Regenerates'' is a surviving 1917 silent film drama directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Alma Rubens. It was produced and distributed by the Triangle Film Corporation. Cast * Alma Rubens - Catherine Ten Eyck *Walt Whitman - Mynderse Va ...

'' (1917) * ''

The Firefly of Tough Luck ''The Firefly of Tough Luck'' is an American 1917 silent film directed by E. Mason Hopper and written by J. G. Hawks. It was produced and released by the Triangle Film Corporation, and starred Alma Rubens and Charles Gunn. Plot The Firef ...

'' (1917) * '' The Tar Heel Warrior'' (1917) * ''

Polly Ann ''Polly Ann'' (also known as ''The Little Reformer'' and ''Pernickety Polly Ann'') is a lost film, lost 1917 American Silent film, silent comedy-drama film produced and distributed by the Triangle Film Corporation. It was directed by Charles Mill ...

'' (1917) * '' Wee Lady Betty'' (1917) * ''The Girl, Glory'' (1917) * ''

The Millionaire Vagrant ''The Millionaire Vagrant'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Victor Schertzinger and starring Charles Ray, Sylvia Breamer and J. Barney Sherry. Plot Wealthy young man Steven du Peyster encounters more adventures than he might ...

'' (1917) * '' The Desert Man'' (1917) * '' Paddy O'Hara'' (1917) *'' The Boss of the Lazy Y'' (1917) * ''

The Dark Road ''There is No Escape'' (also known as ''The Dark Road'' and ''The Thurston Story'') is a 1948 British second feature ('B') drama film directed by Alfred J. Goulding and starring Farnham Baxter, Cyril Chamberlain, Sydney Bromley and Stanley Thurs ...

'' (1917) * ''

The Last of the Ingrams ''The Last of the Ingrams'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Walter Edwards and starring William Desmond, Margery Wilson and Robert McKim.Katchmer p.404 Cast * William Desmond as Jules Ingram * Margery Wilson as Mercy Reed * ...

'' (1917) * '' Princess of the Dark'' (1917) * ''The Sin Ye Do'' (1916) * ''The Criminal'' (1916) * ''The Honorable Algy'' (1916) * ''

'' (1916) * '' The Mating'' (1915)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Whitman, Walt 1859 births 1928 deaths American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors People from Lyons, New York