Burly, barrel-chested heavy of the silent era Wallace Beery (1885-1949) emerged as a stolid but endearing starring presence at MGM with the advent of sound after his popular and critical successes as a brutish convict in “The Big House” and as a good-natured waterfront slob in “Min and Bill” (both 1930). Beery subsequently enlivened such films as “The Champ” (1931), for which he won an Oscar as a broken-down boxer, and the all-star films “Grand Hotel” (1932) and “Dinner at Eight” (1933), playing brusque, loutish businessmen in both. Despite his bearish frame and none-too-handsome looks, Beery was married to silent screen diva Gloria Swanson from 1916 to 1918. His notable silent films, some of which gave him leading roles, included “Teddy at the Throttle” (1916), “The Last of the Mohicans” (1920), “The Three Ages”, “The White Tiger” (both 1923), and “The Lost World” (1925). Upon achieving fame with talkies, Beery proved a durable star, alternating rugged drill sergeants with lusty, crude… read more
Burly, barrel-chested heavy of the silent era Wallace Beery (1885-1949) emerged as a stolid but endearing starring presence at MGM with the advent of sound after his popular and critical successes as a brutish convict in “The Big House” and as a good-natured waterfront slob in “Min and Bill” (both 1930). Beery subsequently enlivened such films as “The Champ” (1931), for which he won an Oscar as a broken-down boxer, and the all-star films “Grand Hotel” (1932) and “Dinner at Eight” (1933), playing brusque, loutish businessmen in both. Despite his bearish frame and none-too-handsome looks, Beery was married to silent screen diva Gloria Swanson from 1916 to 1918. His notable silent films, some of which gave him leading roles, included “Teddy at the Throttle” (1916), “The Last of the Mohicans” (1920), “The Three Ages”, “The White Tiger” (both 1923), and “The Lost World” (1925). Upon achieving fame with talkies, Beery proved a durable star, alternating rugged drill sergeants with lusty, crude villains (e.g. “Treasure Island” 1934) and slovenly but essentially soft-hearted avuncular types (e.g. “Stablemates” 1938). Notable vehicles for Beery included “The Bowery” (1933), “China Seas” (1935), and “Slave Ship” (1937), the latter done on loan-out to 20th Century-Fox. Although Beery’s most important and popular films were made during the early and mid 30s, when he regularly appeared on exhibitors’ lists of Hollywood’s top ten boxoffice stars, he maintained his star status right up until his death. He returned to the box office top ten in 1940 when he made “Wyoming” (1940), beginning a seven-film partnership with the delightfully droning, rustically weathered character actor Marjorie Main. A playful, good-humored, often self-mocking performer, Beery even let Carmen Miranda give him dancing lessons in his last film, “A Date with Judy” (1948), a musical which spotlighted two up-and-coming MGM teens, Jane Powell and Elizabeth Taylor. Half-brother of beloved screen villain Noah Beery and uncle of reliable character player Noah Beery Jr. (TV’s “The Rockford Files”). —TCM
