Richard Barthelmess

Richard Barthelmess (1895–1963) was an American actor whose leading roles in silent films such as Broken Blossoms and The Noose made him a major screen star.

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Broken Blossoms: A 1919 D. W. Griffith drama about a Chinese missionary and a mistreated London girl. Barthelmess played Cheng Huan, the role most closely associated with his silent-film career.
Broadway theatre: The professional theater industry centered in New York City's Broadway district. Barthelmess performed on Broadway before becoming a screen star.
Mary Hay: An American stage and film actress who was married to Richard Barthelmess. Hay and Barthelmess married in 1920 and had a daughter.
Academy Award for Best Actor: An annual Academy Award recognizing a leading performance by an actor in a film. Barthelmess received one of the first nominations in this category for The Noose and The Patent Leather Kid.
The Noose: A 1928 American silent crime drama directed by John Francis Dillon. Barthelmess starred as Nickie Elkins in one of his major late-silent successes.
Frank E. Woods: An American screenwriter and producer active during the silent-film era. Woods introduced Barthelmess to director D. W. Griffith.
Jessica Stewart Sargent: An American socialite and philanthropist who was Richard Barthelmess's second wife. She married Barthelmess in 1928 and remained his spouse until his death.
The Jazz Singer: A 1927 American film featuring synchronized spoken dialogue and songs in selected sequences. Its commercial success accelerated the industry's shift away from silent releases.
Way Down East: A 1920 D. W. Griffith melodrama about a woman deceived and abandoned by her lover. Barthelmess played David Bartlett in this prominent Griffith production.
D. W. Griffith: An American film director and producer whose silent films shaped early feature filmmaking. Griffith cast Barthelmess in roles that brought him national attention.