King Baggot
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia William King Baggot (November 7, 1879 – July 11, 1948) was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in America, Baggot was referred to as "King of the Movies", "The Most Photographed Man in the World", and "The Man Whose Face Is As Familiar As The Man In The Moon". Baggot appeared in over 300 motion pictures from 1909 to 1947, wrote 18 screenplays, and directed 45 movies from 1912 to 1928, including The Lie (1912), Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman (1925), and The House of Scandal (1928). He also directed William S. Hart in his most famous western, Tumbleweeds (1925). Among his film appearances, Baggot was best known for The Scarlet Letter (1911), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913), and Ivanhoe (1913). Baggot began his career on the stage, in a Shakespearean stock company, and toured throughout the U.S. While acting in stock in St. Louis in 1909, he was cast as supporting player in the Schubert touring production of The Wishing Ring. When The Wishing Ring closed in Chicago, Baggot returned to New York to join another company. Upon a chance meeting with Harry Solter, who was directing movies for Carl Laemmle at Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP), he was persuaded to go with Solter to the studio. Baggot became interested in the fledgling industry and decided to turn picture player. His first film was the romance short The Awakening of Bess (1909) opposite Florence Lawrence. It was directed by Harry Solter, her husband, at IMP in Fort Lee, New Jersey. At a time when screen actors worked anonymously, Baggot and Lawrence became the first "movie stars" to be given billing, a marquee, and promotion in advertising. Baggot starred in at least 42 movies opposite Lawrence from 1909 to 1911. In the latter year, he starred in at least 16 movies with Mary Pickford. He also began writing screenplays and directing, all the while becoming a major star internationally. When he appeared "in person" at theatres he was mobbed at stage doors. By 1912, he was so famous that when he took the leading part in forming the prestigious Screen Club in New York, the first organization of its kind strictly for movie people, he was the natural choice for its first president. King Baggot died in Los Angeles, California in 1948, age 68. For his contributions to the film industry, Baggot received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. His star is located at 6312 Hollywood Boulevard.
Known For
The Philadelphia Story
1940
A Night at the Opera
1935
The Postman Always Rings Twice
1946
Ziegfeld Girl
1941
The Big Store
1941
Marie Antoinette
1938
Boys Town
1938
Honky Tonk
1941
San Francisco
1936
The Secret Heart
1946
Rio Rita
1942
Come Live with Me
1941
Filmography
The Philadelphia Story
as Wedding Guest (uncredited) · 1940
A Night at the Opera
as Dignitary (uncredited) · 1935
The Postman Always Rings Twice
as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited) · 1946
Ziegfeld Girl
as Man in Audience (uncredited) · 1941
The Big Store
as Store Employee (uncredited) · 1941
Marie Antoinette
as Nobleman at Court (uncredited) · 1938
Boys Town
as Derelict in Mission (uncredited) · 1938
Honky Tonk
as Townsman (uncredited) · 1941
San Francisco
as Earthquake Survivor (uncredited) · 1936
The Secret Heart
as Man at Graduation Ceremony · 1946
Rio Rita
as Hotel Guest (uncredited) · 1942
Come Live with Me
as Doorman · 1941
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood
as Barbershop Patron (uncredited) · 1945
The Emperor's Candlesticks
as Customs Official (uncredited) · 1937
Too Hot to Handle
as Reporter (uncredited) · 1938
I Take This Woman
as Man in Subway (uncredited) · 1940
Swing Fever
as Nightclub Patron (uncredited) · 1943
The Ice Follies of 1939
as Man in Audience (uncredited) · 1939
Bitter Sweet
as Cafe Patron (uncredited) · 1940
What Price Hollywood?
as Department Head (uncredited) · 1932
Fingers at the Window
as Psychiatrist at Lecture (uncredited) · 1942
The Devil-Doll
as Detective Pierre (uncredited) · 1936
3 Kids and a Queen
as Druggist · 1935
The Death Kiss
as Al Payne · 1932
A Night at the Movies
as Movie Patron (uncredited) · 1937
The Bad Sister
as Policeman on Street (uncredited) · 1931
The Adventures of Frank Merriwell
as Chemistry Professor · 1936
My Brother Talks to Horses
as Bank Employee (uncredited) · 1947
Cheating Cheaters
as Official (uncredited) · 1934
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde · 1913
Her Cardboard Lover
as Police Officer in Courtroom (uncredited) · 1942
Dancing Co-Ed
as Man in Casting Office (uncredited) · 1939
I Loved a Woman
as Banker (uncredited) · 1933
The Girl in the Taxi
as Maj. Frederick Smith · 1921
The Ghost Comes Home
as Townsman at Banquet (uncredited) · 1940
Sweepstake Annie
as Motion Picture Studio Executive (uncredited) · 1935
The Master and the Man
as Basil King · 1911
It May Happen to You
as Man in Hospital (uncredited) · 1937
Sweepstakes
as Mike - Weber's Trainer · 1931
Arsène Lupin Returns
as Detective (uncredited) · 1938
Merton of the Movies
as Man in Audience (uncredited) · 1947
Afraid to Talk
as Police Officer (uncredited) · 1932
Parnell
as Man in Office · 1937
That Mothers Might Live
as Passerby (uncredited) · 1938
The Shadow of Lightning Ridge
· 1920
The Man Who Stayed at Home
as Christopher Brent · 1919
Opening Day
as Baseball Fan · 1938
At a Quarter of Two
as Dan Nolan - the Burglar · 1911
The Suburban
as Donald Gordon · 1915
Girl of the Rio
as Maitre d'hotel, Purple Pigeon Cafe · 1932
Mississippi
as Gambler (uncredited) · 1935
Fragments: Surviving Pieces of Lost Films
as Himself (archive footage) · 2011
Romance in the Rain
as Milton McGillicuddy · 1934
Science
as Dr. Crawford · 1911
The Taming of Jane
· 1910
Jackass Mail
as Old Miner · 1942
Old Heads and Young Hearts
· 1910
Holiday in Mexico
· 1946
The Red Rider
as Townsman · 1934
Gallant Sons
as Man on Street / Man in Audience (uncredited) · 1940
Sworn Enemy
as Accident Witness (uncredited) · 1936
The Call of the Song
as Hugh Norton · 1911
A Cave Man Wooing
as George - the 'Sissy' Hero · 1912
Stronger Than Desire
as Juror (uncredited) · 1939
The Hawk's Trail
as Sheldon Steele/The Hawk · 1919
Absinthe
as Jean Dumas · 1914
Over the Hills
as Wayne Holland · 1911
Snow Gets in Your Eyes
as Department Store Customer (uncredited) · 1938
Stablemates
as Bettor · 1938
The Rose's Story
as Gerald Kinney · 1911
The Eagle's Eye
as Harrison Grant · 1918
Father Brown, Detective
as Priest (uncredited) · 1934
The Call of the Savage
as Dr. Pierce · 1935
The Dwelling Place of Light
as Brooks Insall · 1920
Beloved
as Second Doctor · 1934
Irony of Fate
· 1910
The Awakening of Bess
as Bess' Sweetheart · 1909
The Man from Nowhere
as James Herron · 1916
Kildare of Storm
as Basil Kildare · 1918
The Wanderer
as The Shepherd · 1913
The Call of the Circus
· 1910
The Big Flash
as Hinkle · 1932
The Forbidden Thing
as Dave · 1920
While There is hope, There is Life
as Alfred King · 1911
The Doctor's Perfidy
· 1910
At the Duke's Command
as Edward, the Duke's Nephew · 1911
A Game of Deception
· 1911
Mad Holiday
as Film Director (uncredited) · 1936
Think It Over
· 1938
The Governor’s Pardon
as The Man · 1910
For the Queen's Honor
as The King · 1911
The Silent Stranger
as The Silent Stranger · 1916
The Great Universal Mystery
as Himself · 1914
The Time-Lock Safe
as The Father · 1910
Jane and the Stranger
as The Stranger · 1910
The Czar of Broadway
· 1930
Dangerous Partners
as Lunch Room Customer (uncredited) · 1945
A Notorious Gentleman
as Police Sergeant · 1935
The Thrill Chaser
as Himself - Cameo · 1923
Police Court
as Harry Field · 1932
The Scarlet Letter
as Reverend Dimmesdale · 1911
In the Sultan's Garden
as Lt. Robbins · 1911
His Second Wife
· 1910
The Tide of Fortune
· 1910
The Secret of the Palm
as Cecil Abbott · 1911
The Count of Montebello
as Percy · 1910
The Blind Man’s Tact
· 1910
All the World’s a Stage
· 1910
The Miser’s Daughter
· 1910
Chinatown Squad
as Patrol Wagon Guard · 1935
Half a Rogue
as Richard Warrington · 1916
The Cheater
as Lord Asgarby · 1920
Bear Ye One Another’s Burdens
as George Rand · 1910
Ivanhoe
as Wilfred of Ivanhoe · 1913
Mission of the War Chest
as Self · 1918
Love's Stratagem
as The Boy · 1909
Life's Twist
as Jim Sargent · 1920
The Butterfly Girl
as H.H. Van Horn · 1921
Building for Democracy
as The Husband · 1918
Justice in the Far North
as King · 1910
Torture Money
as False Accident Witness (uncredited) · 1937
Two Men
as The Tenderfoot · 1910
Graft
as Ship's Captain · 1931
A Game for Two
as Clark, the Best Friend · 1910
Shamus O'Brien
as Shamus O'Brien · 1912
The Right of Love
· 1910
Sweet Memories
as Edward Jackson · 1911
The Eternal Triangle
as The Dashing Young Count · 1910
Up Against It
as Amos Bentley · 1912
The Better Way
as Louis Perry - a Reformed Crook · 1911
The Fair Dentist
as Dental Patient · 1911
The Marble Heart
as Raphael / Phidias · 1915
The Wife’s Awakening
as Enoch Harrington · 1911
A Reno Romance
as Jack · 1910
Once Upon a Time
· 1910
The Rosary
· 1910
Once a Gentleman
as Van Warner · 1930
The Stage Note
· 1910
Debt
· 1910
Second Sight
as Tom Mooreland · 1911
Pressed Roses
· 1910
The New Shawl
as Jacques · 1910
The Mirror
· 1911
Mother Love
· 1910
The Broken Oath
· 1910
The Temptress
as Gilbert Irving · 1911
The Maelstrom
· 1910
The Winning Punch
· 1910
Pictureland
as Pablo · 1911
Transfusion
· 1910
Tracked
as Roger Densmore · 1911