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Wallace Beery

Male 1885 - 1949  (64 years)    Has 2 ancestors and one descendant in this family tree.

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  • Name Wallace Beery 
    Birth 1 Apr 1885  Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Death 15 Apr 1949  Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I373500  Geneagraphie
    Last Modified 7 Apr 2002 

    Father Noah Beery   d. Yes, date unknown 
    Mother NN   d. Yes, date unknown 
    Family ID F148177  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Gloria Swanson,   b. 27 Mar 1899, Chicago, Illinois, USA Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 4 Apr 1983, New York, New York, USA Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 84 years) 
    Marriage 1916 
    Divorce 1919 
    Family ID F148171  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 7 Apr 2002 

    Family 2 Rita Gilman   d. Yes, date unknown 
    Divorce 1930 
    Children 
     1. Carol Ann Beery
    Family ID F148176  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 7 Apr 2002 

  • Event Map Click to hide
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 1 Apr 1885 - Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri, USA Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Photos Photos (Log in)Photos (Log in)

  • Notes 
    • In 1902, 16 year old Beery joined the Ringling Brothers Circus as an assistant to the elephant trainer. He left 2 years later when a leopard clawed his arm. Beery next went to New York where he found work in musical variety shows. He would become a leading man in musicals and appear on Broadway and in traveling stock companies. In 1913, he headed for Hollywood where he would get his start as the hulking Swedish Maid in the 'Sweedie' comedy series for Essanay. In 1915, he would work with a young ingenue by the name of Gloria Swanson in 'Sweedie Goes to College'. A year later, they would marry and be unhappy together. The marriage dissolved when Beery could not control his drinking and Gloria got tired of being black and blue. Beery finished with the Swedish Maid and worked as the heavy in a number of films. Starting in 1917, with the picture 'Patria', he would play the beastly Hun in a number of films. In the 20's he would be seen in a number of adventures including 'The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)', 'Robin Hood (1922)', 'The Sea Hawk (1924)' and 'The Pony Express (1925)'. He would also play the part of Poole in 'So Big (1925)', which was based on the best selling book by the same name. Paramount would start to move Beery back into comedies with 'Behind the Front (1926)'. When sound came to the movies, Beery was one of the victims of the wholesale studio purge. He had a voice that would record well, but his speech was slow and his tone was a deep folksy down home type. While not the handsome hero type, Irving Thalberg saw something in Beery and hired him for MGM. Thalberg cast Beery in 'The Big House (1930)', which was a big hit and gave him an Academy Award Nomination. But he would be even bigger in the sentimental 'Min and Bill', which would be one of 1930's top money makers. The next year Beery would win the Oscar for Best Actor in 'The Champ (1931)'. He would be forever remembered as Long John Silver in 'Treasure Island (1934)'. Who says never work with kids. Beery became one of the top ten stars in Hollywood as he was cast as the tough, dim-witted, easy-going type. In 'Flesh (1932)', he would be the dim-witted wrestler who did not figure that his wife was unfaithful. In 'Dinner at Eight (1933)', he played a businessman trying to get into society while having trouble with his wife. After Marie Dressler died in 1934, he would not find another partner in the same vein as his early talkes until he teamed with Marjorie Main in the forties. He would appear opposite her in such films as 'Wyoming (1940)' and 'Barnacle Bill (1941)'. By that time his career was slowing as he was getting up in age. He continued to work, appearing in only one or two pictures a year, until he died from a heart attack in 1949.



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