1875-10-25 London, England, UK
Henry Byron Warner (often credited as H.B. Warner; 25 October 1875 – 21 December 1958) was an English actor. He was the definitive cinematic Jesus Christ in Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings (1927). He was born into a prominent theatrical family on October 26, 1875 in London. His father was Charles Warner, and his grandfather was James Warner, both prominent English actors. He replaced J.B. Warner as Jesus in The King of Kings (1927) when J.B. died of tuberculosis at age 29. (J.B. was not Henry's brother. J.B. had taken the professional last name "Warner" because Henry's family took him in.) Henry Warner's family wanted him to become a doctor, and he graduated from London University but eventually gave up his medical studies. The theater was in his blood, and he studied acting in Paris and Italy before joining his father's stock company, making his debut in the English production of "Drink." It was from his father that he honed his craft. Warner made it to America in the early 1900s, after touring the British Empire. Billed as Harry Warner, he made his Broadway debut in the American colonial drama "Audrey" at Hoyt's Theatre on November 24, 1902, starring James O'Neill, the father of playwright Eugene O'Neill. He was billed as H.B. Warner in his next appearance on Broadway, in the 1906 comedy "Nurse Marjorie." He appeared in 13 more Broadway productions in his career, from the twin-bill of "Susan in Search of a Husband" & "A Tenement Tragedy" (also 1906) to "Silence" in 1925. He moved into motion pictures, making his debut in the Mutual short Harp of Tara (1914). Also in 1914, he appeared in a film written by Cecil B. DeMille for Famous Players Lasky, The Ghost Breaker (1914), in which he had played on Broadway the year before. Warner became a leading man and a star in silent pictures, reaching the zenith of his career playing Jesus in DeMille's The King of Kings (1927). His excellent performance was actually enhanced by the silent screen, allowing the audience to imagine how Jesus would sound. Warner could be extremely moving in silent pictures, notably in the melodrama Sorrell and Son (1927) as a war veteran father who sacrifices all for his son. When talkies arrived, he became a busy supporting player. A favorite of Frank Capra , appeared in Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Cast again by Capra, he was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in Lost Horizon (1937). He also appeared in You Can't Take It with You (1938), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Other major talkies included The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941) and Topper Returns (1941). Other than Jesus, the role he is best remembered role for today is in It's a Wonderful Life (1946), in which he played Mr. Gower, the druggist who is saved from committing a lethal medication error by the young George Bailey (the James Stewart character as a child). H.B. Warner appeared in Sunset Blvd. (1950) as himself. His last credited role was as Amminadab in DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1956), a remake of the earlier silent The Ten Commandments (1923). He last role was an uncredited bit part in Darby's Rangers (1958).
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Lux Æterna: The Art of Filmmaking | The Son of God | 2019-05-18 |
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James Stewart: A Wonderful Life | Self (archive footage) | 1987-03-13 |
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The Ten Commandments | Amminadab | 1956-10-05 |
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Here Comes the Groom | Uncle Elihu | 1951-09-20 |
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The First Legion | Father José Sierra | 1951-05-04 |
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Savage Drums | Maou | 1951-06-22 |
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Journey Into Light | Wiz, the Wino | 1951-09-28 |
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Sunset Boulevard | H.B. Warner | 1950-08-10 |
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El Paso | Judge Fletcher | 1949-03-22 |
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Hellfire | Brother Joseph | 1949-05-29 |
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The Prince of Thieves | Gilbert Head | 1948-01-16 |
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Driftwood | Rev. Hollingsworth | 1947-09-15 |
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High Wall | Mr. Slocum | 1947-12-17 |
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The Judge Steps Out | Chief Justice Hayes | 1947-12-15 |
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Strange Impersonation | Dr. Mansfield, plastic surgeon | 1946-03-16 |
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Gentleman Joe Palooka | Sen. McCarden | 1946-10-05 |
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Prospecting for Petroleum | The Voice of History (voice) | 1946-01-01 |
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It's a Wonderful Life | Mr. Gower | 1946-12-20 |
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Captain Tugboat Annie | Judge Abbott | 1945-11-17 |
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Enemy of Women | Col. Eberhart Brandt | 1944-11-10 |
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Rogues' Gallery | Professor Reynolds | 1944-12-06 |
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Action in Arabia | Abdul al-Rashid | 1944-02-18 |
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Faces in the Fog | Defense Attorney Rankins | 1944-11-30 |
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Women in Bondage | Pastor Renz | 1943-12-16 |
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Hitler's Children | The Bishop | 1943-01-06 |
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Crossroads | Prosecuting Attorney | 1942-07-23 |
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The Boss of Big Town | Jeffrey Moore | 1942-12-07 |
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A Yank in Libya | Herbert Forbes | 1942-07-24 |
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All That Money Can Buy | Justice Hawthorne | 1941-10-17 |
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The Corsican Brothers | Dr. Enrico Paoli | 1941-11-28 |
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South of Tahiti | High Chief Kawalima | 1941-10-17 |
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Topper Returns | Mr. Carrington | 1941-03-21 |
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Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime | Ray Jardin | 1941-08-14 |
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City of Missing Girls | Capt. McVeigh | 1941-03-27 |
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New Moon | Father Michel | 1940-06-28 |
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The Rains Came | Maharajah | 1939-09-15 |
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Mr. Smith Goes to Washington | Senate Majority Leader | 1939-10-19 |
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Nurse Edith Cavell | Hugh Gibson | 1939-08-31 |
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Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police | Colonel Nielson | 1939-03-29 |
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The Gracie Allen Murder Case | Richard Lawrence | 1939-06-02 |
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Let Freedom Ring | Rutledge | 1939-02-24 |
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Bulldog Drummond's Bride | Colonel Nielson | 1939-07-12 |
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Army Girl | Col. Armstrong | 1938-08-11 |
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The Toy Wife | Victor Brigard | 1938-06-10 |
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Kidnapped | Angus Rankeiller | 1938-05-27 |
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Bulldog Drummond in Africa | Colonel J. A. Nielsen | 1938-08-05 |
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Arrest Bulldog Drummond | Colonel Nielsen | 1938-11-25 |
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The Girl of the Golden West | Father Sienna | 1938-03-18 |
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The Adventures of Marco Polo | Chen Tsu | 1938-04-07 |
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You Can't Take It with You | Mr. Ramsey | 1938-09-01 |
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Lost Horizon | Chang | 1937-03-03 |
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Our Fighting Navy | British Consul Brent | 1937-09-25 |
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Victoria the Great | Lord Melbourne | 1937-09-01 |
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Blackmailer | Michael Rankin | 1936-07-23 |
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Along Came Love | Dr. Martin | 1936-11-05 |
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Moonlight Murder | Godfrey Chiltern | 1936-03-27 |
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Rose of the Rancho | Don Pasqual Castro | 1936-01-09 |
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The Garden Murder Case | Major Fenwicke-Ralston | 1936-02-21 |
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Mr. Deeds Goes to Town | Judge May | 1936-04-09 |
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Born to Gamble | Carter Mathews | 1935-07-09 |
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A Tale of Two Cities | Theophile Gabelle | 1935-12-25 |
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Sorrell and Son | Captain Stephen Sorrell | 1934-03-05 |
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Night Alarm | Henry B. Smith | 1934-12-10 |
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Grand Canary | Dr Ismay | 1934-07-20 |
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Viva Villa! | Man | 1934-04-27 |
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Behold My Wife! | Hubert Carter | 1934-12-06 |
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In Old Santa Fe | Charlie Miller | 1934-11-15 |
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Jennie Gerhardt | William Gerhardt | 1933-06-08 |
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Supernatural | Dr. Carl Houston | 1933-04-21 |
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Christopher Bean | Maxwell Davenport | 1933-11-17 |
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A Woman Commands | Col. Stradimirovitsch | 1932-02-12 |
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Tom Brown of Culver | Dr. Brown | 1932-06-30 |
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The Menace | Inspector Tracy | 1932-01-29 |
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The Son-Daughter | Sin Kai | 1932-12-23 |
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The Crusader | Phillip Brandon | 1932-10-04 |
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Charlie Chan's Chance | Inspector Fife | 1932-01-24 |
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Cross-Examination | Gerald Waring | 1932-02-13 |
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The Phantom of Crestwood | Priam Andes | 1932-10-14 |
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Unholy Love | Dr. Daniel Gregory | 1932-06-08 |
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A Woman of Experience | Hugh Schmidt | 1931-07-08 |
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The Reckless Hour | Walter Nichols | 1931-08-15 |
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Five Star Final | Michael Townsend | 1931-09-26 |
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Expensive Women | Melville Raymond | 1931-10-24 |
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The Princess and the Plumber | Prince Conrad of Daritzia | 1930-12-21 |
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The Green Goddess | Major Crespin | 1930-02-13 |
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Liliom | Chief Magistrate | 1930-09-27 |
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On Your Back | Raymond Pryor | 1930-09-14 |
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The Furies | Oliver Bedlow | 1930-03-16 |
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The Second Floor Mystery | Inspector Bray | 1930-04-26 |
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Wild Company | Henry Grayson | 1930-07-05 |
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Stark Mad | Prof. Dangerfield | 1929-02-02 |
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The Gamblers | James Darwin | 1929-06-29 |
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The Trial of Mary Dugan | District Attorney Galway | 1929-06-08 |
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The Argyle Case | Hurley | 1929-08-17 |
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The Show of Shows | The Victim - Guillotine Sequence (uncredited) | 1929-11-21 |
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Tiger Rose | Dr. Cusick | 1929-12-21 |
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Wedding Rings | Lewis Dike | 1929-12-29 |
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The Doctor's Secret | Richard Garson | 1929-01-26 |
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Conquest | James Farnham | 1928-12-22 |
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Romance of a Rogue | Bruce Lowry | 1928-10-01 |
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The Divine Lady | Sir William Hamilton | 1928-12-26 |
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Man-Made Women | Jules Moret | 1928-09-09 |
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The King of Kings | Jesus, The Christ | 1927-04-19 |
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Sorrell and Son | Stephen Sorrell | 1927-12-02 |
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French Dressing | Phillip Grey | 1927-12-10 |
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Whispering Smith | 'Whispering Smith' | 1926-03-28 |
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Silence | Jim Warren | 1926-04-25 |
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The Man from Broadway | James Sanford Richardson | 1924-10-01 |
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Is Love Everything? | Jordan Southwick | 1924-11-30 |
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Zaza | Bernard Dufresne | 1923-10-21 |
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When We Were Twenty-One | Richard Carewe | 1921-01-01 |
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Felix O'Day | Felix O'Day | 1920-09-12 |
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One Hour Before Dawn | George Clayton | 1920-07-11 |
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The Pagan God | Bruce Winthrop | 1919-08-04 |
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The Seventh Sin | Feodor | 1917-03-17 |
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Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath | Feodor | 1917-03-05 |
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God's Man | Arnold L'Hommedieu | 1917-04-01 |
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Danger Trail | John Howland | 1917-04-30 |
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The Market of Vain Desire | John Armstrong | 1916-05-28 |
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Shell 43 | William Berner | 1916-08-13 |
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The Beggar of Cawnpore | Dr. Robert Lowndes | 1916-04-29 |
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The Vagabond Prince | Prince Tonio | 1916-10-22 |
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The Raiders | Scott Wells | 1916-02-27 |
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The Lost Paradise | Reuben Warren | 1914-09-01 |
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The Ghost Breaker | Warren Jarvis | 1914-12-07 |
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English Nell | Duke of Monmouth | 1900-09-06 |
