Walter Huston facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Walter Huston
Huston in The Furies (1950)
Born	Walter Thomas Huston (1883-04-05)April 5, 1883 Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died	April 7, 1950(1950-04-07) (aged 67) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actor, singer
Years active	1902–1950
Spouse(s)	Rhea Gore ​ ​ (m. 1904; div. 1912)​ Bayonne Whipple ​ ​ (m. 1914; div. 1931)​ Ninetta (Nan) Sunderland ​ (m. 1931)​
Children	John Huston
Relatives	Tony Huston (grandson) Anjelica Huston (granddaughter) Danny Huston (grandson) Allegra Huston (granddaughter)

Walter Thomas Huston (pronounced HEW-stən; April 5, 1883 – April 7, 1950) was a famous Canadian actor and singer. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. This film was directed by his son, John Huston. Walter Huston is the first person in a well-known acting family. This family includes his son John, his grandchildren Anjelica Huston and Danny Huston, and his great-grandchild Jack Huston. Three generations of the Huston family have won Academy Awards: Walter, his son John, and his granddaughter Anjelica.

Walter Huston's Early Life

Walter Huston was born on April 5, 1883, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He went to Winchester Street Public School there. His parents were Elizabeth McGibbon and Robert Moore Huston. His father was a farmer who started a construction company. Walter's family had roots in Scotland and Ireland. He had a brother and two sisters. One of his sisters, Margaret Carrington, became a voice coach for actors.

Before Walter was born, his family moved from Melville, a small town near Orangeville, Ontario. When he was young, Walter worked in construction. In his free time, he studied acting at the Shaw School of Acting. He started acting on stage in 1902. He toured with plays like In Convict Stripes and Julius Caesar. In 1904, he married Rhea Gore and stopped acting for a while. He worked as a manager for electric power stations in Nevada, Missouri, until 1909.

Walter Huston's Acting Career

In 1909, Walter Huston started acting again. He performed with an older actress named Bayonne Whipple. They were known as Whipple and Huston. They got married in 1915. They performed in vaudeville shows, which were popular variety shows, throughout the 1920s.

Starting on Broadway

Walter Huston began his Broadway career on January 22, 1924. His first play was Mr. Pitt. He became a well-known Broadway actor. He appeared in plays such as Desire Under the Elms, Kongo, and The Barker.

Moving to Hollywood Films

When "talkies" (movies with sound) became popular in Hollywood, Walter Huston started acting in films. He played both main characters and supporting roles. His first big movie role was as the bad guy, Trampas, in the Western film The Virginian (1929). This movie also starred Gary Cooper. Some of his other early sound films include Abraham Lincoln (1930), Rain (1932), and Gabriel Over the White House (1933).

Walter Huston as Abraham Lincoln in the 1930 film.

Ruth Chatterton and Huston in Dodsworth (1936).

Huston in The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948).

Walter Huston was very busy acting in plays and movies during the 1930s and 1940s. He became one of America's most famous actors. He played the main character in the 1934 Broadway play Dodsworth. He also starred in the movie version of Dodsworth two years later. For his role as Sam Dodsworth, he won an award from the New York Film Critics Circle. He was also nominated for an Oscar. He sang the song "September Song" in the original Broadway show Knickerbocker Holiday (1938). His recording of "September Song" was later used in the 1950 movie September Affair.

Notable Film Roles

Walter Huston made an uncredited appearance in the classic 1941 film The Maltese Falcon. He played the ship's captain who is shot before delivering a valuable black bird. His son, John Huston, directed this movie. As a joke during filming, John made his father act out the death scene over ten different times.

During World War II, Walter Huston helped with Allied propaganda films. He appeared without credit as a military instructor in the short film Safeguarding Military Information (1942). He also narrated parts of the Why We Fight series of documentaries, which were directed by Frank Capra. Other movies he appeared in during this time include The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), where he played Mr. Scratch (the Devil). He was also in Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) and Mission to Moscow (1943). In Mission to Moscow, he played the United States Ambassador Joseph E. Davies.

Winning an Academy Award

In 1948, Walter Huston played the character Howard in the adventure movie The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. This film was also directed by his son John. The movie is about three gold prospectors in Mexico in the 1920s. Walter Huston won the Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role. His son John Huston won the Best Director Academy Award for the same film. This made them the first father and son to win Oscars at the same ceremony. Walter Huston's last movie was The Furies (1950). In this Western film, his last line was, "There will never be another one like me."

Walter Huston's Death

Walter Huston passed away on April 7, 1950, in his hotel room in Beverly Hills. He died from an aortic aneurysm, which is a serious medical condition. He was 67 years old, and his death happened two days after his birthday. He was cremated after his death.

Walter Huston's Legacy

In 1960, ten years after he died, Walter Huston received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. His star is located at 6624 Hollywood Boulevard. It honors his important work in movies and his contributions to entertainment. He was also a member of the American Theater Hall of Fame.

Walter Huston's son, John, first became a screenwriter. He then became an Academy Award-winning director and a respected actor. All of Walter Huston's grandchildren, except for Tony Huston, have become actors. His great-grandson has also become an actor. His granddaughter Anjelica Huston sang "September Song" on the TV show Smash in 2012.

In 1998, a book about Walter Huston was published. It was called September Song—An Intimate Biography of Walter Huston and was written by John Weld.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Walter Huston para niños

• Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood
• List of actors with Academy Award nominations