Background

Louis Wolheim was born on March 28, 1881, in New York City, New York, United States. He was a son of Elias Wolheim.

Education

In 1903, Louis received a Bachelor of Science degree from the City College of New York. Later, in 1906, he graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a reputation as a remarkable student of Mathematics.

Career

After doing some graduate work, Louis taught Mathematics in the Cornell Preparatory School for six years. He then went to Mexico as a mining engineer, but after three years, the Mexican Revolution interfered with his prospects to such an extent, that he returned to New York. After the United States entrance into World War I, Wolheim joined the United States Army and was in officers training at Camp Zachary Taylor in Louisville, Kentucky, when hostilities ended. Not wanting to remain in the service as a career, he asked for and was granted a discharge.

At the beginning of Wolheim's career, Lionel Barrymore persuaded him to take a small part in the play "The Jest" and he appeared as a bruiser, banging Barrymore around very realistically. In March 1922, Louis appeared with the Provincetown Players in Eugene O'Neill's "The Hairy Ape" and his portrayal of the brawny stoker was highly applauded for its realism.

After two years with "The Hairy Ape", Wolheim appeared at the Plymouth Theatre in New York City as Captain Flagg in "What Price Glory?", a play, based upon army life in France during World War I. It was brilliant, realistic and hard-boiled, and Wolheim's Captain Flagg was brutally aggressive. In this role, he attained the highest point of his whole career.

In general, Louis appeared in ten Broadway plays from 1919 through 1925. It's also worth noting, that, Louis was fluent in French and he translated Henri Bernstein's play "The Claw into English", which his friend, Lionel Barrymore, had a successful run on Broadway in.

On the screen, Wolheim appeared in "The Go-Getter" (1923), "Little Old New York" (1923), "Sorrell and Son" (1927), "Two Arabian Nights" (1927), "The Awakening" (1928), "All Quiet on the Western Front" (1930), "The Ship from Shanghai" (1930), and many others. His last pictures were "Gentleman's Fate" (1931) and "The Sin Ship" (1931). It's worth noting, that "The Sin Ship" was also his only directing credit.

Besides, Wolheim also wrote a screenplay for "The Greatest Power" film.

Achievements

• Louis Wolheim was a well-known stage and screen actor, whose rough physical appearance brought him many roles, mainly those of criminals and villains.
  
  Wolheim received considerable acclaim as Yank in the original stage production of "The Hairy Ape" (1922) by Eugene O'Neill and also gained prominence for his role as Captain Flagg in the play "What Price Glory?" (1925). Louis had his role in a number of movies, including "The Ship from Shanghai" (1930), "Danger Lights" (1930), "The Sin Ship" (1931), "Gentleman's Fate" (1931), and many others.

Works

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  • Sherlock Holmes

    (When a young prince is accused of a crime, that could emb...)

    1922
  • All Quiet on the Western Front

    (One of the most influential anti-war films ever made, thi...)

    1930
  • Orphans of the Storm

    (Two orphaned sisters are caught up in the turmoil of the ...)

    1921
  • America

    (This movie describes the heroic story of the events durin...)

    1924
  • Danger Lights

    (Thorn is a tough player, a yard boss in a growing railroa...)

    1930
  • Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

    (Dr. Henry Jekyll experiments with scientific means of rev...)

    1920
  • Little Old New York 1923
  • Tempest 1928
  • The Racket 1928
  • Condemned 1929
  • The Ship From Shanghai 1930
  • The Silver Horde 1930
  • Gentleman's Fate 1931

Personality

In spite of his formidable appearance, however, Louis was a retiring, soft-spoken, scholarly man, who lived quietly and avoided all publicity. He was fluent in French, German, Spanish and Yiddish.

Physical Characteristics: Louis was a large, tall man, weighing two hundred pounds. In his college days, Wolheim was an athlete. He broke his nose three times in two seasons, playing football, and had a "cauliflower" ear from boxing. These disfigurements gave him a plug-ugly appearance and he capitalized it as an actor, becoming the best delineator of hard-boiled parts on the American stage. In 1927, he intended to have his nose straightened by plastic surgery as a means of breaking away from "tough" roles, but his studio obtained a restraining injunction.

In his later years, Wolheim suffered from stomach cancer, which caused his death. However, some sources attributed his death to the drastic loss of weight.

Connections

In 1923, Louis married Ethel Dane, an actress and sculptor. They had no children.

Father:

Elias Wolheim

Wife:

Ethel Dane

Friend:

Sam Dreben

Friend:

Lionel Barrymore

Friend:

John Barrymore