Louis Wolheim
actor, director, writer
- Born:
- 1880-03-28, New York City, New York, USA
- Died:
- 1931-02-18, Los Angeles, California, USA
- Professions:
- actor, director, writer
Biography
A gridiron accident at Cornell left Louis Wolheim, Class of 1907, with a rearranged face—flattened nose, splintered cheekbones, a mug only a casting director could romanticize. Lionel Barrymore spotted the wreckage in a Wharton studio crowd scene, shoved the part-time extra toward Broadway, and barked, “That profile belongs under a spotlight.” Wolheim obeyed. He stomped onto the boards in Welcome Wing, roared through The Hairy Ape, then marched straight into theatrical legend as the hard-bitten Captain Flagg in What Price Glory.
