H.B. Warner
H.B. Warner is known for It's a Wonderful Life (1946), Sunset Boulevard (1950), The Ten Commandments (1956).
Biography
Henry Byron Warner (often credited as H.B. Warner) 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).
Questions about H.B. Warner
How many H.B. Warner films are in the catalogue?
The CineQuiz catalogue has 82 films with H.B. Warner, from 1916 to 2026.
What is the best rated H.B. Warner film?
The best rated H.B. Warner film in the catalogue is Sunset Boulevard (1950), rated 8.3.
What was the first H.B. Warner film?
The first H.B. Warner film in the catalogue is The King of Kings, from 1927.
Who has H.B. Warner worked with the most?
In the catalogue, H.B. Warner shares the most credits with Frank Capra (5 films), Joseph Walker (5 films) and Dimitri Tiomkin (4 films).
People data: TMDb.
- Awards
- star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
- Nominations
- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (1938)
Known for
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8.3 It's a Wonderful Life
1946
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8.3 Sunset Boulevard
1950
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7.8 The Ten Commandments
1956
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7.8 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939
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7.5 You Can't Take It with You
1938
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7.5 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936
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6.9 Lost Horizon
1937
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5.6 Victoria the Great
1937
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6.4 The King of Kings
1927
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7.0 All That Money Can Buy
1941
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6.8 A Tale of Two Cities
1935
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6.5 Topper Returns
1941
Trivia
- Studied at
- Bedford School
- Spouse
- Rita Stanwood
- Father
- Charles Warner
- Siblings
- Grace Warner
Trivia from Wikidata, licensed CC0.
Full filmography
134 films — 82 in the catalogue
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The Resurrection of Christ
2026
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6.7 Lux Æterna: The Art of Filmmaking
2019 · The Son of God
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6.5 James Stewart: A Wonderful Life
1987 · Self (archive footage)
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7.8 The Ten Commandments
1956 · Amminadab
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6.5 Journey Into Light
1951 · Wiz, the Wino
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5.4 Here Comes the Groom
1951 · Uncle Elihu
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7.0 Savage Drums
1951 · Maou
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7.4 The First Legion
1951 · Father José Sierra
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8.3 Sunset Boulevard
1950 · H.B. Warner
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6.4 Hellfire
1949 · Brother Joseph
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6.0 El Paso
1949 · Judge Fletcher
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6.4 The Prince of Thieves
1948 · Gilbert Head
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6.4 High Wall
1947 · Mr. Slocum
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6.8 The Judge Steps Out
1947 · Chief Justice Hayes
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6.8 Driftwood
1947 · Rev. Hollingsworth
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8.3 It's a Wonderful Life
1946 · Mr. Gower
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Gentleman Joe Palooka
1946 · Sen. McCarden
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6.1 Strange Impersonation
1946 · Dr. Mansfield, plastic surgeon
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Prospecting for Petroleum
1946 · The Voice of History (voice)
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8.0 Captain Tugboat Annie
1945 · Judge Abbott
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5.9 Rogues' Gallery
1944 · Professor Reynolds
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4.3 Faces in the Fog
1944 · Defense Attorney Rankins
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5.1 Enemy of Women
1944 · Col. Eberhart Brandt
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6.0 Action in Arabia
1944 · Abdul al-Rashid
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6.8 Women in Bondage
1943 · Pastor Renz
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6.0 Hitler's Children
1943 · The Bishop
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6.2 The Boss of Big Town
1942 · Jeffrey Moore
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4.7 A Yank in Libya
1942 · Herbert Forbes
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5.9 Crossroads
1942 · Prosecuting Attorney
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7.0 The Corsican Brothers
1942 · Dr. Enrico Paoli
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7.0 All That Money Can Buy
1941 · Justice Hawthorne
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6.5 South of Tahiti
1941 · High Chief Kawalima
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5.8 Ellery Queen and the Perfect Crime
1941 · Ray Jardin
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4.7 City of Missing Girls
1941 · Capt. McVeigh
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6.5 Topper Returns
1941 · Mr. Carrington
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6.9 New Moon
1940 · Father Michel
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7.8 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939 · Senate Majority Leader
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6.1 The Rains Came
1939 · Maharajah
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6.6 Nurse Edith Cavell
1939 · Hugh Gibson
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6.3 Bulldog Drummond's Bride
1939 · Colonel Nielson
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6.3 The Gracie Allen Murder Case
1939 · Richard Lawrence
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6.2 Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police
1939 · Colonel Nielson
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6.8 Let Freedom Ring
1939 · Rutledge
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6.8 Arrest Bulldog Drummond
1938 · Colonel Nielsen
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7.5 You Can't Take It with You
1938 · Ramsey
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6.8 Army Girl
1938 · Col. Armstrong
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5.8 Bulldog Drummond in Africa
1938 · Colonel J. A. Nielsen
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5.0 The Toy Wife
1938 · Victor Brigard
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6.0 Kidnapped
1938 · Angus Rankeiller
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6.2 The Adventures of Marco Polo
1938 · Chen Tsu
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5.3 The Girl of the Golden West
1938 · Father Sienna
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3.5
Our Fighting Navy
1937 · British Consul Brent
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5.6 Victoria the Great
1937 · Lord Melbourne
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6.9 Lost Horizon
1937 · Chang
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6.3 Along Came Love
1936 · Dr. Martin
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6.5 Blackmailer
1936 · Michael Rankin
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7.5 Mr. Deeds Goes to Town
1936 · Judge May
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4.8 Moonlight Murder
1936 · Godfrey Chiltern
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5.7 The Garden Murder Case
1936 · Major Fenwicke-Ralston
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7.0 Rose of the Rancho
1936 · Don Pasqual Castro
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6.8 A Tale of Two Cities
1935 · Theophile Gabelle
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5.2 Born to Gamble
1935 · Carter Mathews
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5.4 Night Alarm
1934 · Henry B. Smith
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8.0 Behold My Wife!
1934 · Hubert Carter
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5.8 In Old Santa Fe
1934 · Charlie Miller
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4.8 Grand Canary
1934 · Dr Ismay
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6.2 Viva Villa!
1934 · Man
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5.0 Sorrell and Son
1934 · Captain Stephen Sorrell
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8.0 Christopher Bean
1933 · Maxwell Davenport
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5.7 Jennie Gerhardt
1933 · William Gerhardt
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6.2 Supernatural
1933 · Dr. Carl Houston
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8.0 Justice Takes a Holiday
1933 · John Logan
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6.5 The Son-Daughter
1932 · Sin Kai
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5.9 The Phantom of Crestwood
1932 · Priam Andes
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7.3
The Crusader
1932 · Phillip Brandon
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6.8 Tom Brown of Culver
1932 · Dr. Brown
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4.0 Unholy Love
1932 · Dr. Daniel Gregory
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5.1 Cross-Examination
1932 · Gerald Waring
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9.0 A Woman Commands
1932 · Col. Stradimirovitsch
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5.6 The Menace
1932 · Inspector Tracy
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7.3 Charlie Chan's Chance
1932 · Inspector Fife
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5.7 Expensive Women
1931 · Melville Raymond
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6.6 Five Star Final
1931 · Michael Townsend
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6.6 The Reckless Hour
1931 · Walter Nichols
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6.2 A Woman of Experience
1931 · Hugh Schmidt
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10.0 The Princess and the Plumber
1930 · Prince Conrad of Daritzia
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6.8 Liliom
1930 · Chief Magistrate
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8.0 On Your Back
1930 · Raymond Pryor
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7.0 Wild Company
1930 · Henry Grayson
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8.0 The Second Floor Mystery
1930 · Inspector Bray
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7.0 The Furies
1930 · Oliver Bedlow
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4.9 The Green Goddess
1930 · Major Crespin
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8.0 Wedding Rings
1929 · Lewis Dike
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7.0 Tiger Rose
1929 · Dr. Cusick
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6.6 The Show of Shows
1929 · The Victim - Guillotine Sequence (uncredited)
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10.0 The Argyle Case
1929 · Hurley
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9.0 The Gamblers
1929 · James Darwin
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6.4 The Trial of Mary Dugan
1929 · District Attorney Galway
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5.5 Stark Mad
1929 · Prof. Dangerfield
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7.0 The Doctor's Secret
1929 · Richard Garson
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5.3 The Divine Lady
1928 · Sir William Hamilton
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8.0 Conquest
1928 · James Farnham
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10.0 Romance of a Rogue
1928 · Bruce Lowry
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9.0 Man-Made Women
1928 · Jules Moret
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3.7 French Dressing
1927 · Phillip Grey
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6.0 Lágrimas de Homem
1927 · Stephen Sorrell
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6.4 The King of Kings
1927 · Jesus, The Christ
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8.0 Silence
1926 · Jim Warren
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9.0 Whispering Smith
1926 · 'Whispering Smith'
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9.0 Is Love Everything?
1924 · Jordan Southwick
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The Man from Broadway
1924 · James Sanford Richardson
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6.3 Zaza
1923 · Bernard Dufresne
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7.0 When We Were Twenty-One
1921 · Richard Carewe
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7.0
Dice of Destiny
1920 · Jimmy Doyle
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10.0 Felix O'Day
1920 · Felix O'Day
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10.0 One Hour Before Dawn
1920 · George Clayton
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Haunting Shadows
1919 · John Glenarm
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9.0 A Fugitive from Matrimony
1919 · Stephen Van Courtlandt
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10.0 The Gray Wolf's Ghost
1919 · Doctor West / Harry West
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10.0 For a Woman's Honor
1919 · Captain Clyde Mannering
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9.0 The Pagan God
1919 · Bruce Winthrop
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7.0 The Man Who Turned White
1919 · Captain Rand / Ali Zaman
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Danger Trail
1917 · John Howland
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God's Man
1917 · Arnold L'Hommedieu
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7.0 The Seventh Sin
1917 · Feodor
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Seven Deadly Sins: Wrath
1917 · Feodor
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The Vagabond Prince
1916 · Prince Tonio
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Shell 43
1916 · William Berner
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The Market of Vain Desire
1916 · John Armstrong
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The Beggar of Cawnpore
1916 · Dr. Robert Lowndes
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The Raiders
1916 · Scott Wells
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The Ghost Breaker
1914 · Warren Jarvis
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The Lost Paradise
1914 · Reuben Warren
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English Nell
1900 · Duke of Monmouth
People data: TMDb.
Cast