Wallace Beery

Wallace Beery
Beery c. 1930
Born
Wallace Fitzgerald Beery

(1885-04-01)April 1, 1885
DiedApril 15, 1949(1949-04-15) (aged 64)
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actor
  • film director
Years active1904–1949
Spouses
(m. 1916; div. 1918)
Rita Gilman
(m. 1924; div. 1939)
Children1
Relatives

Wallace Fitzgerald Beery (April 1, 1885 – April 15, 1949) was an American film and stage actor.[1] He is best known for his portrayal of Bill in Min and Bill (1930) opposite Marie Dressler, as General Director Preysing in Grand Hotel (1932), as the pirate Long John Silver in Treasure Island (1934), as Pancho Villa in Viva Villa! (1934), and his title role in The Champ (1931), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Beery appeared in some 250 films during a 36-year career. His contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer stipulated in 1932 that he would be paid $1 more than any other contract player at the studio. This made Beery the highest-paid film actor in the world during the early 1930s. He was the brother of actor Noah Beery and uncle of actor Noah Beery Jr.

For his contributions to the film industry, Beery was posthumously inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.[2]

  1. ^ Obituary Variety, April 20, 1949.
  2. ^ Walk of Fame Stars-Wallace Beery