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Henry Hull, 1923

Henry Hull (October 3, 1890 – March 8, 1977) was an American character actor with a unique voice, most noted for playing the lead in Universal Pictures's Werewolf of London (1935). The film flopped, but has since come to be highly regarded.

Life and career

Born Henry Vaughan in Louisville, Kentucky, he appeared in 74 films between 1917 and 1966, a half-century span, often playing supporting characters like 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). Two other notable roles were as Abel Magwitch in the 1934 version of Great Expectations and in the last film of veteran director Tod Browning, Miracles for Sale (1939).

In 1955, Hull appeared as a college professor forced to retire at sixty-five in an episode of CBS's sitcom, The Ray Milland Show. In 1961, Hull played an elderly man befriended by a young outlaw, portrayed by James Coburn, in NBC's western television series The Outlaws, starring Barton MacLane.

Hull's last movie was The Chase (1966) with Marlon Brando and Robert Redford. An accomplished stage actor, Hull frequently appeared on Broadway early in his career and is credited with creating the role of Jeeter Lester in the long-running play Tobacco Road (1933), based on the novel by Erskine Caldwell.

Family

Hull was married to Juliet van Wyck Fremont (1884-1971) from 1913 to her death in 1971. Juliet was a granddaughter of Civil War General John C. Fremont. Henry and Juliet had three children, Henry Jr., Shelley (1919-2005, named after Henry's late brother) and Joan. When his wife died in 1971 Hull went to England to spend his last years with his daughter. He died in Cornwall at his daughter's residence.

Hull had at least two brothers who were involved in the theater. Shelley Hull was a popular leading man, in fact more popular than Henry, and would have become a well known actor had he not died in 1919 during the Spanish Influenza epidemic. Shelley was married to Josephine Sherwood who later became a well known movie character actress under her late husband's surname Hull. Hull's other brother Howard Hull was also an actor and is the lesser known but oldest of the three brothers. He was married to stage star Margaret Anglin leaving her a widow in 1937.

References

External links

• Henry Hull at the Internet Movie Database
• Henry Hull at the Internet Broadway Database
• Henry Hull at Find a Grave
• Henry Hull: Informative Biography