Paul Willis (actor) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Willis
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Mae Marsh and Paul Willis in Nobody's Kid (1921).
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| Born | April 9, 1901 |
| Died | (aged 59) |
Paul Willis (born April 9, 1901 – died November 3, 1960) was an American actor. He was famous for acting in movies during the silent film era. This means the movies had no sound. Actors used their expressions and body language to tell the story. Paul started acting when he was a child.
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Paul Willis's Acting Career
Early Life and First Roles
Paul Willis was born in Chicago, Illinois. He started acting when he was very young. In the 1910s, he became a child actor. His first movie was in 1913. It was a short drama called Little Kaintuck. Paul was only twelve years old then. He played the main character in that film.
Paul often played roles for young people. He sometimes acted alongside another child actress, Mildred Harris. One of his well-known early films was a comedy short from 1914. It was called Bill Goes in Business for Himself. This movie also featured Tod Browning, who later became a famous film director. In 1917, Paul appeared in a romantic drama called The Promise. He acted with the popular duo Harold Lockwood and May Allison.
Working with Famous Actors
As Paul grew older, he continued to act. Through the 1910s and into the 1920s, he worked with many well-known actors. Some of these included Carmel Myers, Lester Cuneo, Broncho Billy Anderson, and Mae Marsh.
Paul is perhaps best remembered for a special role. He played Dickon Sowerby in the 1919 movie The Secret Garden. This film was based on the famous book by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Paul acted with Lila Lee and Spottiswoode Aitken in this movie. Sadly, this film is now considered lost. This means no copies of it are known to exist today.
Retirement and Later Life
Paul Willis decided to stop acting when he was 22 years old. His last movie was in 1923. It was a drama called Money! Money! Money!. He acted with Katherine MacDonald in his final film.
Paul Willis passed away in Los Angeles, California, in 1960. He was 59 years old.
Paul Willis's Filmography
Here is a list of some of the movies Paul Willis appeared in:
- Little Kaintuck (1913, Short) - Little Kaintuck
- The Brute (1914, Short) - Ted Barton - Black's Son
- Johanna, the Barbarian (1914, Short) - George - Johanna's Son
- The Poor Folks' Boy (1914, Short) - Benny Benson
- The Milkfed Boy (1914, Short) - The Widow's Milkfed Boy
- Bill Goes in Business for Himself (1914, Short) - Bill's Other Friend
- The Little Matchmaker (1915, Short) - Paul
- A Man for All That (1915, Short) - The Young Boy
- The Little Soldier Man (1915, Short) - Paul
- A Rightful Theft (1915, Short) - Paul Brown - the Widow's Son
- The Old Batch (1915, Short) - Johnny - the Adopted Son
- The Little Lumberjack (1915, Short) - Paul - the Little Lumberjack
- The Indian Trapper's Vindication (1915, Short) - Arnold King - their Son
- Could a Man Do More? (1915, Short) - Richard Sherwood
- The Fall of a Nation (1916) - Billy
- The Promise (1917) - Charlie Manton
- The Haunted Pajamas (1917) - Francis Billings
- The Trouble Buster (1917) - 'Blackie' Moyle
- Shootin' Mad (1918)
- The Secret Garden (1919) - Dickon Sowerby
- The Son-of-a-Gun (1919) - Buddy Brown
- The Cry of the Weak (1919) - Budd
- Nobody's Kid (1921) - John Maxwell
- Thunderclap (1921) - Tommy
- Money! Money! Money! (1923) - Lennie Hobbs (final film role)
