Warner Baxter
Warner Baxter was an American film and stage actor whose performance as the Cisco Kid in In Old Arizona won the 1930 Academy Award for Best Actor.
In Old Arizona: A 1928 Western starring Warner Baxter as the Cisco Kid; it earned him the Academy Award for Best Actor. Baxter’s performance as the Cisco Kid brought him his Academy Award.
Academy Award for Best Actor: An annual Academy Award recognizing a leading performance by an actor in a film. Baxter won the 1930 award for In Old Arizona, the first sound film to win Best Picture.
Raoul Walsh: An American film director, actor, and screenwriter whose career spanned the silent and sound eras. Walsh directed In Old Arizona, the film that brought Baxter his Oscar.
Clint Eastwood: An American actor and filmmaker known for Westerns, crime films, and directing. Eastwood’s later screen image offers a contrast to Baxter’s early sound-era Western stardom.
The Cisco Kid: A fictional bandit hero created by O. Henry and later adapted across films, radio, and television. Baxter’s portrayal in In Old Arizona helped establish the character on screen.
29th Academy Awards: The second Academy Awards ceremony, held in 1930 to honor films released in 1928 and 1929. The ceremony recognized Baxter’s performance in the 1928 film.
Edmund Lowe: An American actor prominent in silent and early sound films, including the What Price Glory? series. Lowe was a contemporary leading man whose career offers a useful comparison to Baxter’s.
Silent film: A motion picture made without synchronized recorded dialogue, often accompanied by live music. Baxter began in silent cinema, while his best-known role depended on recorded dialogue.
42nd Street: A 1933 musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon and set around the production of a Broadway show. Baxter played the theatrical producer Julian Marsh in this major later role.
Sound film: A motion picture with synchronized recorded sound, especially dialogue, rather than a silent-film soundtrack alone. In Old Arizona was an early feature-length sound Western, and Baxter’s success came during this transition.