Harry Davenport is an American actor who has served in the theater for most of his life, as well as a director. He was the star of Broadway productions. He first appeared in films in 1913, starring as an unnamed doctor in a short film. However, great success in Hollywood came to him only in the 1930s and 1940s.
Despite the fact that Harry Davenport's film career took off when the artist was already 70 years old, he managed to star in more than 150 feature films. The last film, entitled "Aiming High" was released after the death of the famous actor, the premiere took place in 1950.
In 1915-1917, Harry tried himself as a director. He made mostly short films. In total, the artist worked in this role on 38 projects.
Before Davenport became a sought-after Hollywood actor, who most often embodied the images of wise and good old men, doctors, judges on the screen, Harry managed to become famous as a brilliant theatrical actor. He continued his career on Broadway until he was 69.
Biography facts
The future actor was born in 1866. His birthday: January 19th. Some sources say that his place of birth is Canton, Pennsylvania, USA, where his parents were on vacation. Others indicate that Harry's birthplace is New York City. The artist's full name sounds like Harold George Bryant Davenport.
The boy's father was actor Edward Loomis Davenport, who died in 1877. Harry's mother's name was Elizabeth (Fanny) Winning. She was originally from England, her life was also associated with acting. Elizabeth is a descendant of the 18th century theater actor Jack Johnson. Weining died in 1891.
Harry came from a large family. He had 9 brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, 2 children died at a very early age. Due to the fact that all children grew up in an atmosphere saturated with art and creativity, some of them, except for Harold himself, chose acting paths in life. And one of the girls named Lilly, who was several years older than Harry, became a famous opera singer.
Harry's acting talent was noticeable from a very young age. The boy attended performances with interest and, while still a preschooler, began to dream of becoming an artist. As a result, his debut on the stage took place when he was only 5 years old. Harold appeared in the 1871 production of Damon and Pythias. At the time, he lived with his family in Philadelphia.
When Davenport went to get his basic education at school, he also began attending drama school. The boy willingly took part in the plays that were staged at school. By adolescence, the talented young man had already performed on the big theater stage, playing in performances based on the works of William Shakespeare.
After graduating from high school, Harry continued his education, studying acting and drama. He returned from Philadelphia to New York, where he set himself the goal of becoming a Broadway actor. And I must say that he really managed to achieve this goal before he turned 30.
Theatrical career
For the first time, a young artist appeared on the Broadway stage in 1894. He took part in the comedy musical "The Voyage of Suzette". A year later, Harry joined the cast of The Belle of New York, and in 1899 he was involved in the productions of In Gay Paree and The Rounders.
In the following years, Harry Davenport's career on Broadway developed very actively. He took part in many productions, which enjoyed tremendous success with the public. The artist appeared on stage in the framework of, for example, such musicals as "The Girl from Kay's", "A Country Mouse", "Children of Destiny".
After 1910, Harry became seriously interested in cinema. He wanted to try his hand at a big movie. The debut short silent film with him was released in 1913 and was called "Kenton's Heir".
Having starred in a number of films, Davenport decided to return to the theater again, and until the mid-1930s, the artist did not think about resuming his creative path in Hollywood cinema. Oddly enough, but the sudden death of his beloved wife forced him to return to filming. Harold moved to California and within a few years became a very famous and sought-after film actor.
Film career
Before Harry Davenport moved to California at an advanced age and successfully built a career in Hollywood, he starred in obscure films. These projects did not add much popularity to the artist. Among his early works are: "Father and Boy", "Fashion and Fury", "Sowers and Reapers", "Dawn".
In the early 1930s, Davenport appeared in the paintings "His Woman", "Take That Venus", "Scoundrel". Then, in the period from 1937 to 1939, the artist starred in films that received an Oscar in the Best Picture category. He played roles in projects: "The Life of Emile Zola", "Gone with the Wind", "You Can't Take It With You."
In subsequent years, especially successful films in the filmography of Harry were: "Cowboy and Lady", "Juarez", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "All of this and heaven to boot", "Foreign Correspondent", "This uncertain feeling", "Bride cash on delivery "," The Story of Benjamin Blake "," Tales of Manhattan "," Meet Me in St. Louis "," Lassie's Courage "," Farmer's Daughter "," For the Love of Mary "," Little Women ".
The last films in which the American artist starred and which were released during his lifetime were the films "The Forsyte Saga" and "Tell It to the Judge". Both films were released in 1949.
Personal life and death of the artist
The actor married for the first time in 1893. His chosen one was a film actress named Alice Shepard, who after the wedding took her husband's surname. In 1895, a daughter appeared in this marriage, who was named Dorothy. In the future, the girl also chose the acting path in life.
The relationship between Harry and Alice did not last long. The couple filed for divorce in early 1896.
In the same 1896, Davenport invited the actress Phyllis Rankin to become his wife. The woman agreed. She had a son from her first marriage, whom Harry adopted. In this union, 3 more children were born: Edward, Fanny and Kate. All of them eventually also became famous and sought-after artists.
In 1934, a tragedy struck in the family - Phyllis died suddenly. Heartbroken Harry moved to Los Angeles, where he began to live with his children and began to conquer Hollywood.
The famous film and theater actor died when he was 83 years old. The cause of death was a heart attack. Died: August 9, 1949. Buried Harold Davenport in one of the New York cemeteries.
