Wallace Ashley Worsley (December 8, 1878 – March 26, 1944) was an American stage actor who became a film actor and film director during the silent era. Over the course of his career, Worsley directed 29 films and acted in 7. He directed several movies starring Lon Chaney Sr., and his professional relationship with the actor was the best Chaney had, second to his partnership with Tod Browning.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923) is one of his better-known works, along with The Penalty (1920). Worsley's 1922 horror film A Blind Bargain with Chaney is one of the more sought after lost films.Lon Chaney Archive
Acting In April 1901, Worsely appeared at the Empire Theatre (41st Street) as Lt. Earl of Hunstanton in a revival of Leo Trevor's comedy Brother Officers. It ran for eight performances."Brother Officers", 1901, IDBD He followed this immediately with Diplomacy, which ran for about six weeks.Diplomacy, IBDB Between 1903 and 1915, Worsley was in nine more plays, most of them short-lived."Wallace Worsley", IBDB One play which was particularly successful was Philip Bartholomae's Over Night (1911) in which Worsley portrayed Al Rivers.
In 1916, Worsley left Broadway for Hollywood and acted for two years, then he started directing."Wallace Worsley Sr. papers", Margaret Herrick Library, AMPAS
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
This movie was to be the first big-screen adaptation of Hugo's novel"The Hunchback of Notre Dame", American Cinematheque and Universal's major production of 1923. Chaney owned the rights, and reportedly, his first choice for director was Erich von Stroheim. However, Irving Thalberg recently fired von Stroheim due to conflicts over Merry-Go-Round.Blake, Michael F. A Thousand Faces: Lon Chaney's Unique Artistry in Motion Pictures. Vestal, New York: Vestal Press, 1997. Worsley, who had already worked on four films with Chaney, directed on loan from Paramount.
The cast of extras was so large that Worsley set aside his megaphone in favor of a radio and loudspeaker. The film was Universal's most successful silent film.
Personal life Worsley married Indiana-born actress, Julia Marie Taylor, on September 18, 1904. Among Julia's film credits is the title role of Juliet in the 1911 short Romeo and Juliet, directed by Barry O'Neil, considered to be the first attempt to distill the entire Shakespeare narrative into a single film. Together, they had two sons, Wallace Worsley Jr. (1908-1991), an assistant director and production manager, whose career spanned nearly six decades and included The Wizard of Oz and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Paul Brackenride Worsley (1920-1933). He died in 1944 at the age of 65.
Selected filmography Year Title Role 1917 Borrowed Plumage Sir Charles Broome 1917 Paws of the Bear Curt Schrieber 1917 Alimony John Flint 1918 A Man's Man Henry Jenks 1918 Madam Who? Albert Lockhart 1918 A Law Unto Herself director 1918 The Goddess of Lost Lake director 1919 Adele director 1919 Diane of the Green Van director 1919 Playthings of Passion director 1919 A Woman of Pleasure director 1920/I The Penalty director 1921 The Ace of Hearts director 1921 Voices of the City director 1921 Don't Neglect Your Wife director 1922 A Blind Bargain director1922 When Husbands Deceive director 1922 Enter Madame director1922Rags to Richesdirector 1923 A Man's Man Henry Jenks 1923 Nobody's Money director 1923 Is Divorce a Failure? director 1923 The Hunchback of Notre Dame director 1924 The Man Who Fights Alone director 1926 Shadow of the Law director 1928 The Power of Silence director
References
External links
Wallace Worsley as an actor on Broadway; photo from NYP Library Wallace Worsley gravesite at Findagrave Wallace Worsley on Broadway, 1914, in the play "Don't Weaken" with Marion Lorne(City Museum of NY)