Henry King (January 24, 1886 – June 29, 1982) was an American actor and film director. Widely considered one of the finest and most successful filmmakers of his era, King was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director and directed seven films nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Henry King | |
|---|---|
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| Born | January 24, 1886 Christiansburg, Virginia, United States[1] |
| Died | June 29, 1982 (aged 96) Toluca Lake, California, United States |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, film director |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Louis King (brother) |
Biography
Before coming to film, King worked as an actor in various repertoire theatres and first started to take small film roles in 1912. Between 1913 and 1925, he appeared as an actor in approximately sixty films. He directed for the first time in 1915 and grew to become one of the most commercially successful Hollywood directors of the 1920s and '30s. He was twice nominated for the Best Director Oscar. In 1944, he was awarded the first Golden Globe Award for Best Director for his film The Song of Bernadette. He worked most often with Tyrone Power and Gregory Peck and for 20th Century Fox.
Henry King was one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards excellence of cinematic achievements every year, and was the last surviving founder. He directed more than 100 films in his career.
In 1955, King was awarded The George Eastman Award,[2] given by the George Eastman House for distinguished contribution to the art of film.
During World War II, King served as the deputy commander of the Civil Air Patrol coastal patrol base in Brownsville, Texas, holding the rank of captain. In his final years, he was the oldest licensed private pilot in the United States, having obtained his license in 1918.
On June 29, 1982, King died at home in his sleep of a heart attack at the age of 96.[3] He was interred with his second wife Ida Davis in the Davis King family plot at Myrtle Hill Cemetery in Tampa, Florida.
Partial filmography
Director
- Should a Wife Forgive? (1915)
- Little Mary Sunshine (1916)
- Pay Dirt (1916)
- Shadows and Sunshine (1916)
- The Mate of the Sally Ann (1917)
- Twin Kiddies (1917)
- Beauty and the Rogue (1917)
- Sunshine and Gold (1917)
- A Game of Wits (1917)
- Told at Twilight (1917)
- The Bride's Silence (1917)
- Southern Pride (1917)
- Powers That Prey (1918)
- Up Romance Road (1918)
- Hobbs in a Hurry (1918)
- Hearts or Diamonds? (1918)
- Social Briars (1918)
- The Locked Heart (1918)
- All the World to Nothing (1918)
- Where the West Begins (1919)
- Brass Buttons (1919)
- This Hero Stuff (1919)
- A Fugitive from Matrimony (1919)
- Six Feet Four (1919)
- Some Liar (1919)
- A Sporting Chance (1919
- Haunting Shadows (1919)[4]
- One Hour Before Dawn (1920)
- Dice of Destiny (1920)
- The White Dove (1920)
- Uncharted Channels (1920)
- Help Wanted - Male (1920)
- When We Were 21 (1921)
- The Sting of the Lash (1921)
- Salvage (1921)
- Tol'able David (1921)
- Sonny (1922)
- The Seventh Day (1922)
- Fury (1923)
- The Bond Boy (1923)
- The White Sister (1923)
- Romola (1924)
- Stella Dallas (1925)
- The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926)
- Partners Again (1926)
- The Magic Flame (1927)
- The Woman Disputed (1928)
- She Goes to War (1929)
- Hell Harbor (1930)
- The Eyes of the World (1930)
- Lightnin' (1930)
- Merely Mary Ann (1931)
- Over the Hill (1931)
- The Woman in Room 13 (1932)
- State Fair (1933)
- I Loved You Wednesday (1933)
- Marie Galante (1934)
- One More Spring (1935)
- Way Down East (1935)
- The Country Doctor (1936)
- Ramona (1936)
- Lloyd's of London (1936)
- Seventh Heaven (1937)
- In Old Chicago (1937)
- Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938)
- Jesse James (1939)
- Stanley and Livingstone (1939)
- Little Old New York (1940)
- Maryland (1940)
- Chad Hanna 1940)
- A Yank in the RAF (1941)
- Remember the Day (1941)
- The Black Swan (1942)
- The Song of Bernadette (1943)
- Wilson (1944)
- A Bell for Adano (1945)
- Margie (1946)
- Captain from Castile (1947)
- Deep Waters (1948)
- Prince of Foxes (1949)
- Twelve O'Clock High (1949)
- The Gunfighter (1950)
- I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951)
- David and Bathsheba (1951)
- O. Henry's Full House (1952)
- The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
- Wait till the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952)
- King of the Khyber Rifles (1953)
- Untamed (1955)
- Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing (1955)
- Carousel (1956)
- The Sun Also Rises (1957)
- The Bravados (1958)
- This Earth Is Mine (1959)
- Beloved Infidel (1959)
- Tender Is the Night (1962)
Actor
- Who Pays? (1915)
- Should a Wife Forgive? (1915) - Jack Holmes
- Little Mary Sunshine (1916) - Bob Daley
- Pay Dirt (1916) - The Easterner
- The Power of Evil (1916) - Stuart Merwin
- Shadows and Sunshine (1916) - Minor Role (uncredited)
- Joy and the Dragon (1916) - Hal Lewis
- Twin Kiddies (1917) - Jasper Hunt
- In the Hands of the Law (1917)
- The Devil's Bait (1917)
- Told at Twilight (1917) - The Father
- Sunshine and Gold (1917) - The Chauffeur
- Hearts or Diamonds? (1918)
- The Locked Heart (1918) - Harry Mason
- Help Wanted - Male (1920) - Tubbs
- Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) - Chariot Race Spectator (uncredited) (final film role)
Academy Awards
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Best Director | The Song of Bernadette | Nominated |
| 1944 | Best Director | Wilson | Nominated |
References
External links
Media related to Henry King (director) at Wikimedia Commons
Works by or about Henry King (1886-1982) at Wikisource- Henry King at Find a Grave
- Henry King at IMDb
- Forgotten By Fox: Henry King of the Khyber Rifles
