Henry Hull

From the original Broadway production of Grand Hotel, L-R: Henry Hull, William Nunn, Eugenie Leontovich, Lester Alden, and Rafaela Ottiano. Henry Watterson Hull (October 3, 1890 – March 8, 1977) was an American character actor who played the lead in Universal Pictures's Werewolf of London (1935). For most of his career, he was a lead actor on stage and a character actor on screen. He was named for his godfather, Pulitzer Prize-winning Louisville journalist Henry Watterson.

William Hull had been a drama critic in Louisville, In 1919, he was at the Broadhurst Theatre in 39 East with Tallulah Bankhead.

Hull created the role of Jeeter Lester in the long-running play Tobacco Road (1933), based on the novel by Erskine Caldwell.

Film

Hull appeared in 74 films between 1917 and 1966, often playing supporting characters such as the uncle of Tyrone Power's love interest Nancy Kelly in Jesse James (1939). He appeared as Charles Rittenhouse, a wealthy industrialist in Alfred Hitchcock's Lifeboat (1944). Some of his other notable roles were as Abel Magwitch in the 1934 version of Great Expectations and in the last film of director Tod Browning, Miracles for Sale (1939). He starred in Werewolf of London in 1935.

Hull played the role of aging architect Henry Cameron (the mentor to Howard Roark) in The Fountainhead. Hull portrayed a doctor to whom Humphrey Bogart goes for help in High Sierra and was also cast in Colorado Territory, a Western remake of the High Sierra story starring Joel McCrea. He played a desert prospector who comes to Robert Ryan's rescue in Inferno in 1953.

He guest-starred on CBS's Appointment with Adventure, John Payne's NBC Western series titled The Restless Gun, and the syndicated crime drama U.S. Marshal. In 1958, he was featured in Robert Culp's Western series, Trackdown as Moss in the episode "Three Legged Fox". In 1959, he played the part of Obadiah on Wagon Train, season two, episode 14, "The Kitty Angel Story". In 1960, Hull played Mark Applewhite in the S3 EP29 “Trial for Murder”.

In 1960, Hull appeared on Bonanza twice, in the episode "The Gunmen" as Sheriff B. Banneman, and a scout for General John Charles Fremont (who, in real life, was the grandfather of Hull's wife) in the episode "The Mission".

On December 13, 1960, Hull guest-starred on NBC's Laramie as an embittered rancher, Ben Parkinson, who challenges Slim Sherman, played by series star John Smith, to a duel after Parkinson's youngest son accidentally kills himself on Sherman ranch land. Ron Harper portrays Parkinson's other son, Tom.

Hull also guest-starred in the series finale of Laramie, the episode "The Road to Helena" (May 21, 1963). Series character Slim Sherman, while in Cody, Wyoming, is hired by David Franklin, played by Hull, and his barmaid daughter, Ruth, portrayed by Maggie Pierce, to guide the pair to Helena, Montana, so Franklin can return money that he had previously stolen. John M. Pickard also appears in this episode.

Hull's last film was The Chase (1966) with Marlon Brando and Robert Redford.

Hull was quoted as saying he owed all his dramatic training to Anglin, with whom he had acted on stage. The middle brother, Shelley Hull, was a popular leading man who costarred in Why Marry?, the first play to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. He fell ill during the run of his biggest hit – the WWI play Under Orders – and died of influenza at 34 on January 14, 1919, during the Spanish influenza epidemic. Shelley's widow, Josephine Hull (1877–1957), was a successful stage performer throughout her long life and became an Oscar-winning character actress.

Filmography Year Title Role Director Notes 1917 A Square Deal Mark Dunbar Harley Knoles Lost film 1917 The Family Honor Anthony Wayne Emile Chautard Lost film 1917 Rasputin, the Black Monk Kerensky Arthur Ashley Lost film 1917 The Volunteer Jonathan Mendenhall Harley Knoles Lost film 1918 Little Women John Brooke Harley Knoles Lost film 1922 One Exciting Night John Fairfax D. W. Griffith 1923 The Last Moment Hercules Cameron J. Parker Read Jr. Lost film 1923 A Bride for a Knight Jimmy Poe Lost film 1924 Roulette Jimmy Moore Stanner E.V. Taylor Lost film 1924 The Hoosier Schoolmaster Ralph Hartsook Oliver L. Sellers Incomplete film 1924 For Woman's Favor The Fool / The Lover O. A. C. Lund Lost film 1925 Wasted Lives John Gorman Lost film 1925 The Wrongdoers Hugh Dierker Lost film 1934 Midnight Nolan Chester Erskine 1934 Great Expectations Abel Magwitch Stuart Walker 1935 Transient Lady Sen. Hamp Baxter Edward Buzzell 1935 Werewolf of London Dr. Glendon Stuart Walker 1938 Paradise for Three Sepp Edward Buzzell 1938 Yellow Jack Dr. Jesse Lazear George B. Seitz 1938 Three Comrades Dr. Becker Frank Borzage 1938 Port of Seven Seas Uncle Elzear James Whale Uncredited 1938 Boys Town Dave Morris Norman Taurog 1938 The Great Waltz Franz Josef Josef von Sternberg (uncredited) 1939 Jesse James Major Rufus Cobb Henry King 1939 The Spirit of Culver Doc Allen Joseph Santley 1939 Return of the Cisco Kid Colonel Joshua Bixby Herbert I. Leeds 1939 Stanley and Livingstone James Gordon Otto Brower (safari sequences) 1939 Miracles for Sale Dave Duvallo Tod Browning 1939 Babes in Arms Madox 1939 Bad Little Angel Red Wilks Wilhelm Thiele 1939 Nick Carter, Master Detective John A. Keller Jacques Tourneur 1939 Judge Hardy and Son Dr. Jones George B. Seitz 1940 My Son, My Son! Dermot O'Riordan Charles Vidor 1940 The Return of Frank James Major Rufus Cobb Fritz Lang 1941 High Sierra Doc Banton Raoul Walsh 1943 The West Side Kid Sam Winston George Sherman 1943 Seeds of Freedom Guerilla Leader 1943 The Woman of the Town Inky Wilkenson George Archainbaud 1944 Lifeboat Charles J. Rittenhouse Alfred Hitchcock 1944 Goodnight Sweetheart Jeff Parker Joseph Santley 1945 Objective, Burma! Mark Williams Raoul Walsh 1947 High Barbaree Dr. William G. Brooke Jack Conway 1947 Deep Valley Cliff Saul Jean Negulesco 1947 Mourning Becomes Electra Seth Beckwick Dudley Nichols 1948 On Our Merry Way Dying Man King Vidor Uncredited; deleted sequence 1948 Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay! Milt Dominy F. Hugh Herbert 1948 The Walls of Jericho Jefferson Norman John M. Stahl 1948 Belle Starr's Daughter Old Marshall Lesley Selander Uncredited 1948 Fighter Squadron Brig. Gen. Mike McCready Raoul Walsh 1948 Portrait of Jennie Eke William Dieterle 1949 El Paso Judge Henry Jeffers Lewis R. Foster 1949 Rimfire Nathaniel Greeley B. Reeves Eason 1949 Colorado Territory Fred Winslow Raoul Walsh 1949 The Fountainhead Henry Cameron King Vidor 1949 The Great Gatsby Dan Cody Elliott Nugent 1949 The Great Dan Patch Dan Palmer Joseph M. Newman 1949 Song of Surrender Deacon Parry Mitchell Leisen 1950 The Return of Jesse James Hank Younger Arthur Hilton(as Arthur David Hilton) 1951 Hollywood Story Vincent St. Clair William Castle 1952 The Treasure of Lost Canyon Cousin Lucas Cooke Ted Tetzlaff 1953 The Last Posse Ollie Stokley Alfred L. Werker 1953 Inferno Sam Elby Roy Ward Baker 1953 Thunder Over the Plains Lt. Col. Chandler Andre de Toth 1955 Kentucky Rifle Preacher Bently Carl K. Hittleman 1955 Man with the Gun Marshal Lee Sims Richard Wilson 1957 The Buckskin Lady Doc Morley Carl K. Hittleman 1958 The Proud Rebel Judge Morley Michael Curtiz 1958 The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw Masters Raoul Walsh 1958 The Buccaneer Ezra Peavey Anthony Quinn 1959 The Restless Gun Old Jesse Episode "The Last Gray Man" 1959 The Restless Gun Doc Kemmer Episode "Dead Man's Hand" 1959 The Restless Gun Matt Harper Episode "One on the House" 1959 The Oregon Trail George Seton Gene Fowler Jr. 1961 Master of the World Prudent William Witney 1965 The Fool Killer Dirty Jim Jelliman Servando González 1966 The Chase Briggs Arthur Penn (final film role)