William Farnum
William Farnum (July 4, 1876 in Boston, Massachusetts – June 5, 1953 in Hollywood, California) was a major movie actor. One of three brothers, Farnum grew up in a family of actors. He made his acting debut at the age of ten in Richmond, Virginia in a production of Julius Caesar, with Edwin Booth playing the title character. His first major success was as the title character of Ben-Hur in 1900 though replacing the original actor Edward Morgan who premiered the character in 1899. Later plays Farnum appeared in were the costume epic The Prince of India (1906), The White Sister (1909) starring Viola Allen, The Littlest Rebel (1911) co-starring his brother Dustin and a child actress named Mary Miles Minter(then nine years old) & Arizona (1913) with Dustin and stage beauty Elsie Ferguson.
In The Spoilers in 1914, Farnum and Tom Santschi staged a classic movie fight which lasted for a full reel. In 1930, Farnum and Stantschi coached Gary Cooper and William Boyd in the fight scene for the 1930 version of The Spoilers. Other actors influenced by the Farnum scene were Milton Sills and Noah Beery in 1922 and Randolph Scott and John Wayne in 1942.
From 1915 to 1925, Farnum devoted his life to motion pictures. When becoming one of the biggest sensations in Hollywood, he also became one of the highest-paid actors, earning $10,000 a week. Farnum's silent pictures the western Drag Harlan(1920) and the drama-adventure If I Were King(1921) survive from his years contracted to Fox Films.
Farnum has a "Star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was the younger brother of actor Dustin Farnum. He had another brother, Marshall Farnum, who was a silent film director and died in 1917.
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Filmography (123 Appearances)
Lone Star
Jack and the Beanstalk
Hollywood Story
Trail of Robin Hood
Samson and Delilah
Gun Cargo
Bride of Vengeance
Daughter of the West
The Perils of Pauline
My Dog Shep
Rolling Home
God's Country
Captain Kidd
Wildfire
The Mummy's Curse
Frontier Badmen
American Empire
Tennessee Johnson
Deep in the Heart of Texas
Boss of Hangtown Mesa
The Silver Bullet
Men of Texas
The Spoilers
Lone Star Ranger
Today I Hang
Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2
The Corsican Brothers
Last of the Duanes
Gangs of Sonora
A Woman's Face
Kit Carson
Adventures of Red Ryder
Hi-Yo Silver
Convicted Woman
South of the Border
Rovin' Tumbleweeds
Colorado Sunset
Mexicali Rose
Shine On Harvest Moon
Santa Fe Stampede
If I Were King
The Secret of Treasure Island
The Lone Ranger
Public Cowboy No. 1
Git Along Little Dogies
Maid of Salem
The Vigilantes Are Coming
Sharad of Atlantis
The Amazing Exploits of the Clutching Hand
Custer's Last Stand
The Kid Ranger
Custer's Last Stand
The Irish Gringo
Between Men
The Eagle's Brood
Powdersmoke Range
Hollywood Extra Girl
The Crusades
Million Dollar Haul
The Silver Streak
The Brand of Hate
Cleopatra
The Scarlet Letter
Happy Landing
Are We Civilized?
School for Girls
Good Dame
Stolen by Gypsies or Beer and Bicycles
Supernatural
Reckless Decision
Flaming Guns
Mr. Robinson Crusoe
The Drifter
The Wide Open Spaces
Law of the Sea
The Pagan Lady
A Connecticut Yankee
Ten Nights in a Bar-room
The Painted Desert
Du Barry, Woman of Passion
Tropical Nights
The Man Who Fights Alone
The Gunfighter
Brass Commandments
Without Compromise
Moonshine Valley
Shackles of Gold
A Stage Romance
Perjury
His Greatest Sacrifice
The Scuttlers
Drag Harlan
If I Were King
The Joyous Trouble-Makers
The Orphan
The Adventurer
Heart Strings
Wings of the Morning
The Last of the Duanes
Wolves of the Night
The Lone Star Ranger
The Man Hunter
For Freedom
The Rainbow Trail
Riders of the Purple Sage
True Blue
Rough and Ready
The Heart of a Lion
Les Misérables
When a Man Sees Red
The Conqueror
American Methods
A Tale of Two Cities
The Price of Silence
Fires of Conscience
The Man from Bitter Roots
The Battle of Hearts
The Bondman
A Soldier's Oath
The Wonderful Adventure
Samson
The Sign of the Cross
The Spoilers