Hobart Bosworth

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Hobart Bosworth in a costume (around 1900)

Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth (born August 11, 1867 in Marietta , Ohio , † December 30, 1943 in Glendale , California ) was an American actor and film director .

Life

Hobart Bosworth was born in the northeastern United States to Daniel Perkins Bosworth and Clara Mumford Van Zandt. After his mother died, his father remarried. Bosworth did not get along with the stepmother and left home at the age of 12. After a five-month trip from New York to San Francisco, he began to work as a seaman like many in his family. Around 1885 he began his career as a stage actor, first in smaller roles, then soon in larger ones. He made his breakthrough on Broadway in 1888 with the role of wrestler Charles in Shakespeare's As You Like It . After a tour of Europe, he worked with actress Julia Marlowe on other Shakespeare plays. As his acting success grew, he fell ill with tuberculosis , from which he suffered the rest of his life. A major success on Broadway was for him in 1903 appearances in Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler .

In 1908 he made his film debut in the role of Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Christo . Bosworth was one of the first well-known US actors to take seriously this new medium. In the next few years he worked with well-known directors such as DW Griffith . In addition to his appearances in front of the camera, Bosworth also worked behind the camera on his films: he directed around 60 films, was involved over 30 times as a screenwriter and as a producer in a dozen films. With his own production company Bosworth Inc. filmed several dramas by the writer Jack London such as the sea ​​wolf , in which Bosworth himself played the title role in 1913, while Jack London made a cameo . After Bosworth's company was closed at some point, he had to play in productions by other directors, mostly he had to be content with supporting roles from the 1920s.

The older Boswarth successful end of the 1920s, the jump in the sound film , but his roles were minor. He played the role of Southern General Robert E. Lee in Griffith's presidential portrait Abraham Lincoln . At that time he mostly only appeared in supporting roles in B-Westerns or in short appearances in larger films. In later years he often embodied figures of respect such as fathers, doctors or judges. In 1942 he ended his film career after around 290 films, he died a year later. His first wife was the silent film actress Adele Farrington (1867-1963), with whom Bosworth also appeared in several films. They divorced in 1919 and Bosworth married Cecile Kibre a year later. He also adopted their son Percival.

Filmography (selection)

literature

  • Kay Less : The film's great personal dictionary . The actors, directors, cameramen, producers, composers, screenwriters, film architects, outfitters, costume designers, editors, sound engineers, make-up artists and special effects designers of the 20th century. Volume 1: A - C. Erik Aaes - Jack Carson. Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf, Berlin 2001, ISBN 3-89602-340-3 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Bosworth, Hobart
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Van Zandt Bosworth, Hobart (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor and film director
DATE OF BIRTH August 11, 1867
PLACE OF BIRTH Marietta , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH December 30, 1943
Place of death Glendale , California