Walter Houston is a Canadian-American actor who laid the foundation for a dynasty of great American actors, screenwriters, directors: John Huston, Tony Houston, Angelica Houston, Jack Houston. All members of this clan are owners of an obstinate disposition and great talent.
Walter Thomas Houston was born on April 6, 1884 in Canada's largest city, the capital of Ontario. His parents were from Scotland. Despite the fact that Walter Houston was a mechanic by profession, this did not prevent him from becoming an outstanding actor over time.
Actor's career
Walter Houston began his theatrical career in vaudeville in 1909, and in 1909 he became a leading actor.
It was from 1924 to 1950 that the professional career of the great actor lasted. In 1924, the actor made his Broadway debut in the play Love Under the Elms. In 1929, already a veteran of the scene, Walter Houston came to Hollywood to try his hand at cinema, where he made his film debut.
In 1930, the tall Houston starred in the Griffiths film Abraham Lincoln. He is widely invited to westerns both for the role of villains - Trampez in the movie "The Virginian" (1929), and for the role of good characters - Watt Yarp in "Man and Law" (1932).
In 1931, Walter Houston, no less bright and talented, plays a prison warden in the "Penal Code", the district attorney in "Star Witness" and a cop in "The City Beast". Houston was able to play the role of politicians - for example, the dishonest American president, who was suddenly inspired from above to unleash anger on the traffickers of smuggled alcohol, in the film "Gabrielle over the White House" (1933). Ironically, Houston himself had been in favor of permitting the sale of drinks even before the law was lifted in April 1933.
In 1936, after starring in the films Rhodes Africa and Dosworth, Walter Houston returned to the theater. As an experienced character actor, he plays mostly colorful roles - a native of the people of Mr. Scratch in the film The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), Doc Holliday in Outlaw (1943), an alcoholic doctor in the film And No One became (1945).
In 1949, Walter Houston played the most impressive role of all roles in his son John's film "The Treasures of the Sierra Madre", for which he received an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
Films with Walter Houston
- 1929 - "Two Americans" - as Abraham Lincoln;
- 1930 Abraham Lincoln as Abraham Lincoln;
- 1930 - "Virtuous Sin" - as General Grigory Platov;
- 1932 Law & Order as Fram Johnson;
- 1932 Congo as Flint Rutledge;
- 1932 - "Rain" - as Alfred Davidson;
- 1932 - "The Night Court" - as Judge Moffett;
- 1932 - "The Beast of the City" as Jim "Fitz" Fitzpatrick;
- 1932 American Madness as Thomas Dixon;
- 1933 - "The Storm at the End of the Day" - as Major Dusan Radovic;
- 1933 - "Gabrielle Above the White House" - as Judson Hammond, President of the United States;
- 1933 Ann Vickers as Judge Barney Dolphin;
- 1935 - "The Tunnel" - as the President of the United States;
- 1936 Rhodes African as Cecile John Rhodes;
- 1936 Dodsworth as Sam Dodsworth
- 1941 - "The Devil and Daniel Webster" - as Mr. Scratch;
- 1941 The Maltese Falcon as Captain Jacoby;
- 1942 - "This is Our Life" - as Bartender;
- 1942 Yankee Doodle Dandy as Jerry Cohan;
- 1943 - "Outlaw" - as Doc Holliday;
- 1943 - "Edge of Darkness" - as Dr. Martin Stensgard;
- 1943 - "December 7" - as Uncle Sam;
- 1943 - "Mission to Moscow" - as US Ambassador to the USSR Joseph Davis;
- 1943 - "North Star" - as Dr. Pavel Grigorievich Kurin;
- 1945 - "And There Was No One Left" - as Dr. Edward Armstrong;
- 1946 - "Duel in the Sun" - as Sinkiller;
- 1946 Dragonvik as Ephraim Wells;
- 1948 The Treasures of the Sierra Madre as Howard;
- 1948 - "The Great Sinner" - as General Ostrovsky;
- 1950 - "The Furies" - as Giffords.
Scoring
1943 - "Communication with the Aleut" (documentary)
Vocals
1950 "The September scam"
Awards and prizes for creativity
Oscar nomination
- 1936 - Best Actor ("Dodsworth")
- 1941 - Best Actor ("The Devil and Daniel Webster")
- 1942 - Best Supporting Actor ("Yankee Doodle Dandy")
Academy Awards, Golden Globes
1948 - Best Supporting Actor ("The Treasures of the Sierra Madre")
Personal life and acting dynasty
For the first time, the actor married Ria Gore, her life years from 1904 to 1912. Walter's first wife gave birth to a son, John Huston. Later he became a famous and famous film director, screenwriter of the post-war period. John had an easy sociable character, loved entertainment, practical jokes, friendly companies with drinks. Many scripts and directorial works bear a noticeable imprint of his personal attitude. Years of life from 1906 to 1981.
In 1950, John Houston had a son, Tony Houston. He wrote a brilliant screenplay for his father's last film, The Dead (1987), starring his sister, Angelica Houston.
In 1951, Walter Houston's granddaughter Angelica Houston was born, she was the daughter of John Huston. Subsequently, she also began to act in films, she was a director.
In 1982, Tony's son Jack Houston was born. He first appeared on stage at the age of six as Peter Pan in a school play. After seeing his aunt, Angelica Houston, play, he decided to make acting his profession.
The second time Walter Houston married Bayon Whipple, her life span from 1915 to 1924. Walter Houston's third marriage was with Ninetta Sunderland, her life span from 1931 to 1950.
The actor passed away on April 7, 1950, in Hollywood (California, USA) the day after his 67th birthday. Walter Houston died of aortic aneurysm.
