Noah Beery, Sr.

Noah Nicholas Beery (January 17, 1882 – April 1, 1946) was an American actor who appeared in films from 1913 until his death in 1946. He was the older brother of Academy Award-winning actor Wallace Beery as well as the father of character actor Noah Beery Jr. He was billed as either Noah Beery or Noah Beery Sr. depending upon the film.

Early life Noah Nicholas Beery was born on a farm in Clay County, Missouri, not far from Smithville. The Beery family left the farm in the 1890s and moved to nearby Kansas City, Missouri, where the father was employed as a police officer. While still a young boy Beery got his first exposure to theatre, and at the same time showed budding entrepreneurship by selling lemon drops at the Gillis Theater in Kansas City.

Beery's deep, rich voice in his early teens led several actors at the Gillis Theater to encourage him to take singing lessons and consider a career as a performer. A summer of singing at Kansas City's Electric Park amusement park led to his leaving for New York City at age 16.

Selected filmography

The Influence of a Child (1913, Short) as Jim Cooper - a Crook The Social Highwayman (1916) as Hugh Jaffray The Human Orchid (1916) The Spirit of '76 (1917) as George Washington A Mormon Maid (1917) as Darius Burr Sacrifice (1917) as Count Wenzel The Chosen Prince, or The Friendship of David and Jonathan (1917) as Saul The Hostage (1917) as Boyadi The Clever Mrs. Carfax (1917) as Adrian Graw Molly Entangled (1917) as Shawn, the Smithy His Robe of Honor (1918) as 'Boss' Nordhoff The Hidden Pearls (1918) as Teariki The Whispering Chorus (1918) as Longshoreman The White Man's Law (1918) as Dr. Robinson Old Wives for New (1918) as Doctor (uncredited) Social Ambition (1918) as Big Dan Johnson Believe Me, Xantippe (1918) as Sheriff Kamman Less Than Kin (1918) as Senor Cortez The Source (1918) as John Nord The Goat (1918) as Cowboy (uncredited) Too Many Millions (1918) as R.A. Bass The Squaw Man (1918) as Tabywana Under the Top (1919) as Prof. De Como Johnny Get Your Gun (1919) as Town Marshal The Red Lantern (1919) as Dr. Sam Wang The Woman Next Door (1919) as Randolph Schuyler A Very Good Young Man (1919) as Blood Louisiana (1919) as Lem Rogers The Valley of the Giants (1919) as Black Minorca In Mizzoura (1919) as Jo Vernon Everywoman (1919) as Bluff The Sagebrusher (1920) as Sim Gage The Fighting Shepherdess (1920) as Mormon Joe The Sea Wolf (1920) as 'Wolf' Larsen, the Sea Wolf Go and Get It (1920) as Dr. Ord Love Madness (1920) as Jack Frost The Scoffer (1920) as Boorman The Mutiny of the Elsinore (1920) as Andreas Mellzire Dinty (1920) as Wong Tai The Mark of Zorro (1920) as Sergeant Pedro Gonzales Why Tell? (1921) Bob Hampton of Placer (1921) as Red Slavin Beach of Dreams (1921) as Jack Raft Bits of Life (1921) as Hindoo The Call of the North (1921) as Galen Albret Lotus Blossom (1921) as Tartar Chief Tillie (1922) as Jacob Getz Wild Honey (1922) as Henry Porthen Belle of Alaska (1922) as Wade Harkin The Lying Truth (1922) as Lawrence De Muidde The Heart Specialist (1922) as Dr. Thomas Fitch The Crossroads of New York (1922) as James Flint I Am the Law (1922) (with Wallace Beery) as Sgt. Georges Mordeaux Flesh and Blood (1922) as Li Fang (with Lon Chaney) The Power of Love (1922) as Don Almeda Youth to Youth (1922) as Brutus Tawney Good Men and True (1922) as S.S. Thorpe Ebb Tide (1922) as Richard Attwater Omar the Tentmaker (1922) (with Boris Karloff) as The shah of shahs Dangerous Trails (1923) as Insp. Criswell The Spider and the Rose (1923) as Maître Renaud Stormswept (1923) (with Wallace Beery) as Shark Moran Quicksands (1923) as 'Silent' Krupz Main Street (1923) as Adolph Valborg Soul of the Beast (1923) as Caesar Durand Wandering Daughters (1923) as Charle Horton The Spoilers (1923) (with Milton Sills and Anna Q. Nilsson) as Alex McNamara Tipped Off (1923) as Chang Wo Hollywood (1923, Cameo) as himself The Destroying Angel (1923) as Curtis Drummond To the Last Man (1923) as Colter His Last Race (1923) as Packy Sloane When Law Comes to Hades (1923) Desire (1923) as Hop Lee Stephen Steps Out (1923) as Muley Pasha The Call of the Canyon (1923) as Haze Ruff The Heritage of the Desert (1924) as Holderness The Fighting Coward (1924) as Capt. Blackie Wanderer of the Wasteland (1924) as Dismukes Welcome Stranger (1924) as Icabod Whitson Lily of the Dust (1924) (with Pola Negri and Ben Lyon) as Col. Mertzbach The Female (1924) (with Betty Compson and Warner Baxter) as Barend de Beer North of 36 (1924) (with Jack Holt and Lois Wilson) as Slim Rudabaugh The Spaniard (1925) as Gómez East of Suez (1925) as British Consul Folly of Youth (1925) as Lee Haynes Contraband (1925) (with Lois Wilson) as Deputy Jenney The Thundering Herd (1925) (with Jack Holt, Charles Ogle and Tim McCoy) as Randall Jett Old Shoes (1925) as The Stepfather The Light of Western Stars (1925) as Brand Wild Horse Mesa (1925) as Bud McPherson The Coming of Amos (1925) as Ramón Garcia The Vanishing American (1925) (with Richard Dix) as Booker Lord Jim (1925) (with Raymond Hatton) as Captain Brown The Enchanted Hill (1926) as Jake Dort The Crown of Lies (1926) as Count Mirko Padlocked (1926) as Henry Gilbert Beau Geste (1926) (with Ronald Colman, William Powell, and Victor McLaglen) as Sgt. Lejaune Paradise (1926) as Quex Evening Clothes (1927) as Lazarre The Rough Riders (1927) (with George Bancroft and Mary Astor) as Hell's Bells The Love Mart (1927) (with Boris Karloff) as Capt. Remy The Dove (1927) as Don José María y Sandoval Beau Sabreur (1928) as Sheikh El Hammel Two Lovers (1928) as The Duke of Azar Hellship Bronson (1928) as Capt. Ira Bronson The Godless Girl (1928) as The Brute The Passion Song (1928) as John Van Ryn Noah's Ark (1928) as Nickoloff / King Nephiliu Dreary House (1928) Love in the Desert (1929) as Abdullah Linda (1929) as Armstrong Decker False Fathers (1929) as Parson Careers (1929) as The President The Four Feathers (1929) as Slave Trader The Isle of Lost Ships (1929) as Captain Peter Forbes Two O'Clock in the Morning (1929) The Show of Shows (1929) (with John Barrymore, Mary Astor, Myrna Loy and Loretta Young) as Performer in "The Pirate" Number / Soldier (segment "Rifle Execution") Glorifying the American Girl (1929) as himself (uncredited) Isle of Escape (1930) as Shane Under a Texas Moon (1930) as Jed Parker Murder Will Out (1930) as Lt. Concon Showgirl in Hollywood (1930) as himself at Premiere (uncredited) Song of the Flame (1930) as Konstantin Golden Dawn (1930) as Shep Keyes Oh Sailor Behave (1930) as Romanian General The Way of All Men (1930) as Stratton Big Boy (1930) as Bagby Bright Lights (1930) as Miguel Parada The Love Trader (1930) as Captain Morton Renegades (1930) as Thurman Machwurth A Soldier's Plaything (1930) as Capt. Plover Tol'able David (1930) as Luke The Millionaire (1931) as Peterson Honeymoon Lane (1931) as Tom Baggott The Homicide Squad (1931) as Captain Buckley Shanghaied Love (1931) as Captain 'Black Yankee' angus Swope Riders of the Purple Sage (1931) (with George O'Brien and Marguerite Churchill) as Judge Dyer In Line of Duty (1931) as Jean Duchene The Drifter (1932) (with William Farnum) as John McNary The Stoker (1932) as Santini Stranger in Town (1932) as J.B. Hilliker Cornered (1932) as Laughing Red Slavens No Living Witness (1932) as Clyde Corbin Out of Singapore (1932) as 1st Mate Woolf Barstow The Big Stampede (1932) (with John Wayne) as Sam Crew The Devil Horse (1932, Serial) as Canfield The Kid from Spain (1932) as Alonzo Gomez Long Loop Laramie (1932) She Done Him Wrong (1933) (with Mae West and Cary Grant) as Gus Jordan The Thundering Herd (1933) (with Randolph Scott, Buster Crabbe and Harry Carey) as Randall Jett The Flaming Signal (1933) as Otto Von Krantz Sunset Pass (1933) (with Randolph Scott and Harry Carey) as Marshal Blake The Woman I Stole (1933) as Gen. Rayon Easy Millions (1933) with Richard "Skeets" Gallagher Fighting with Kit Carson (1933, Serial) as Cyrus Kraft Laughing at Life (1933) as Hauseman Man of the Forest (1933) (with Randolph Scott, Harry Carey and Buster Crabbe) as Clint Beasley To the Last Man (1933) (with Randolph Scott, Esther Ralston and Buster Crabbe) as Jed Colby Caravan (1934) as Innkeeper Madame Spy (1934) as General Philipow David Harum (1934) as General Woolsey Mystery Liner (1934) as Capt. John Holling Cockeyed Cavaliers (1934) as Baron Moxford Happy Landing (1934) as Capt. Terris The Trail Beyond (1934) (with John Wayne and Noah Beery Jr.) as George Newson Kentucky Kernels (1934) as Colonel Wakefield Sweet Adeline (1934) as Sultan in the Show (uncredited) King of the Damned (1935) as Mooche The Crimson Circle (1936) as Felix Marl The Avenging Hand (1936) as Lee Barwell Someone at the Door (1936) as Harry Capel The Prisoner of Corbal (1936) as The Sergeant Strangers on a Honeymoon (1936) as Redbeard I Live Again (1936) as Morton Meredith The Frog (1937) as Joshua Broad Our Fighting Navy (1937) as The Presidente of Bianco Zorro Rides Again (1937) as J. A. Marsden The Bad Man of Brimstone (1937) (with Wallace Beery) as Ambrose Crocker The Girl of the Golden West (1938) as The General Panamint's Bad Man (1938) as King Gorman Mexicali Rose (1939) as Pedro Valdez Mutiny on the Blackhawk (1939) as Captain of the 'Blackhawk' Pioneers of the West (1940) as Judge Platt Grandpa Goes to Town (1940) as Sam Adventures of Red Ryder (1940, Serial) (with Don 'Red' Barry) as Ace Hanlon The Tulsa Kid (1940) as Montana Smith A Little Bit of Heaven (1940) as Uncle Sherm A Missouri Outlaw (1941) as Sheriff Ben Dixon The Devil's Trail (1942) as Bull McQuade Isle of Missing Men (1942) as Capt. Sanchez (uncredited) Overland Mail (1942, Serial with Lon Chaney Jr. and Noah Beery Jr.) as Frank Chadwick Outlaws of Pine Ridge (1942) as Honest John Hollister Pardon My Gun (1942) as Judge W. B. Hackett (uncredited) Tennessee Johnson (1942) (with Van Heflin) as Sheriff Cass Carson City Cyclone (1943) as Judge Phalen Clancy Street Boys (1943) as Pete Monahan Salute to the Marines (1943, in color with Wallace Beery) as Adjutant Mr. Muggs Steps Out (1943) as Judge Million Dollar Kid (1944) as Captain Mathews Block Busters (1944) as Judge Barbary Coast Gent (1944 with Wallace Beery and Chill Wills) as Pete Hanibal Gentle Annie (1944) as Hansen This Man's Navy (1945 with Wallace Beery) as Joe Hodum Sing Me a Song of Texas (1945) (with Tom Tyler) as Charley Bronson