Acting
King Baggot
EN, XX cinema · 180 credits
Born
6 November 1879
Died
11 July 1948 (aged 68)
Birthplace
Saint Louis, Missouri, USA
Also known as William King Baggot · King Baggott
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia William King Baggot (November 7, 1879 – July 11, 1948) was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in America, Baggot was referred to as "King of the Movies", "The Most Photographed Man in the World", and "The Man Whose Face Is As Familiar As The Man In The Moon". Baggot appeared in over 300 motion pictures from 1909 to 1947, wrote 18 screenplays, and directed 45 movies from 1912 to 1928, including The Lie (1912), Raffles: The Amateur Cracksman (1925), and The House of Scandal (1928). He also directed William S. Hart in his most famous western, Tumbleweeds (1925). Among his film appearances, Baggot was best known for The Scarlet Letter (1911), Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1913), and Ivanhoe (1913). Baggot began his career on the stage, in a Shakespearean stock company, and toured throughout the U.S. While acting in stock in St. Louis in 1909, he was cast as supporting player in the Schubert touring production of The Wishing Ring. When The Wishing Ring closed in Chicago, Baggot returned to New York to join another company. Upon a chance meeting with Harry Solter, who was directing movies for Carl Laemmle at Independent Moving Pictures Company (IMP), he was persuaded to go with Solter to the studio. Baggot became interested in the fledgling industry and decided to turn picture player. His first film was the romance short The Awakening of Bess (1909) opposite Florence Lawrence. It was directed by Harry Solter, her husband, at IMP in Fort Lee, New Jersey. At a time when screen actors worked anonymously, Baggot and Lawrence became the first "movie stars" to be given billing, a marquee, and promotion in advertising. Baggot starred in at least 42 movies opposite Lawrence from 1909 to 1911. In the latter year, he starred in at least 16 movies with Mary Pickford. He also began writing screenplays and directing, all the while becoming a major star internationally. When he appeared "in person" at theatres he was mobbed at stage doors. By 1912, he was so famous that when he took the leading part in forming the prestigious Screen Club in New York, the first organization of its kind strictly for movie people, he was the natural choice for its first president. King Baggot died in Los Angeles, California in 1948, age 68. For his contributions to the film industry, Baggot received a motion pictures star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. His star is located at 6312 Hollywood Boulevard.
Known for
Filmography
Fragments: Surviving Pieces of Lost Films
as Himself (archive footage)
Beatlemania
1981
Beatlemania
Director of Photography
My Brother Talks to Horses
as Bank Employee (uncredited)
Merton of the Movies
as Man in Audience (uncredited)
The Secret Heart
as Man at Graduation Ceremony
The Postman Always Rings Twice
as Courtroom Spectator (uncredited)
Dangerous Partners
as Lunch Room Customer (uncredited)
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood
as Barbershop Patron (uncredited)
Swing Fever
as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
Her Cardboard Lover
as Police Officer in Courtroom (uncredited)
Jackass Mail
as Old Miner
Fingers at the Window
as Psychiatrist at Lecture (uncredited)
Rio Rita
as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Come Live with Me
as Doorman
The Big Store
as Store Employee (uncredited)
Honky Tonk
as Townsman (uncredited)
Ziegfeld Girl
as Man in Audience (uncredited)
I Take This Woman
as Man in Subway (uncredited)
Gallant Sons
as Man on Street / Man in Audience (uncredited)
The Philadelphia Story
as Wedding Guest (uncredited)
Bitter Sweet
as Cafe Patron (uncredited)
The Ghost Comes Home
as Townsman at Banquet (uncredited)
Stronger Than Desire
as Juror (uncredited)
Dancing Co-Ed
as Man in Casting Office (uncredited)
The Ice Follies of 1939
as Man in Audience (uncredited)
Snow Gets in Your Eyes
as Department Store Customer (uncredited)
That Mothers Might Live
as Passerby (uncredited)
Arsène Lupin Returns
as Detective (uncredited)
Stablemates
as Bettor
Opening Day
as Baseball Fan
Boys Town
as Derelict in Mission (uncredited)
Marie Antoinette
as Nobleman at Court (uncredited)
Too Hot to Handle
as Reporter (uncredited)
The Emperor's Candlesticks
as Customs Official (uncredited)
It May Happen to You
as Man in Hospital (uncredited)
A Night at the Movies
as Movie Patron (uncredited)
Torture Money
as False Accident Witness (uncredited)
Parnell
as Man in Office
The Devil-Doll
as Detective Pierre (uncredited)
Sworn Enemy
as Accident Witness (uncredited)
The Adventures of Frank Merriwell
as Chemistry Professor
San Francisco
as Earthquake Survivor (uncredited)
Mad Holiday
as Film Director (uncredited)
A Night at the Opera
as Dignitary (uncredited)
A Notorious Gentleman
as Police Sergeant
Mississippi
as Gambler (uncredited)
The Call of the Savage
as Dr. Pierce
Chinatown Squad
as Patrol Wagon Guard
3 Kids and a Queen
as Druggist
Sweepstake Annie
1935
Sweepstake Annie
as Motion Picture Studio Executive (uncredited)
The Red Rider
as Townsman
Romance in the Rain
as Milton McGillicuddy
Beloved
as Second Doctor
Father Brown, Detective
as Priest (uncredited)
Cheating Cheaters
as Official (uncredited)
I Loved a Woman
as Banker (uncredited)
Girl of the Rio
as Maitre d'hotel, Purple Pigeon Cafe
The Big Flash
as Hinkle
Police Court
as Harry Field
Afraid to Talk
as Police Officer (uncredited)
What Price Hollywood?
as Department Head (uncredited)
The Death Kiss
as Al Payne
Sweepstakes
as Mike - Weber's Trainer
The Bad Sister
as Policeman on Street (uncredited)
Graft
as Ship's Captain
Once a Gentleman
as Van Warner
Romance of a Rogue
Director
The Notorious Lady
Director
Perch of the Devil
Director
Lovey Mary
Director
Tumbleweeds
Director
The Home Maker
Director
The Tornado
Director
The Whispered Name
Director
The Gaiety Girl
Director
The Thrill Chaser
as Himself - Cameo
The Darling of New York
Director, Story
The Love Letter
Director
Gossip
Director
The Town Scandal
Director
Crossed Wires
Director, Story
The Kentucky Derby
Director
Human Hearts
Director
A Dangerous Game
Director
Kissed
Director
The Girl in the Taxi
as Maj. Frederick Smith
The Butterfly Girl
as H.H. Van Horn
Moonlight Follies
Director
Cheated Love
Director
Nobody's Fool
Director
Luring Lips
Director
The Cheater
as Lord Asgarby
Life's Twist
as Jim Sargent
The Dwelling Place of Light
as Brooks Insall
The Hawk's Trail
as Sheldon Steele/The Hawk
The Man Who Stayed at Home
as Christopher Brent
The Eagle's Eye
as Harrison Grant
Kildare of Storm
as Basil Kildare
The Silent Stranger
1916
The Silent Stranger
as The Silent Stranger, Director
Half a Rogue
as Richard Warrington
The Man from Nowhere
as James Herron
The Marble Heart
1915
The Marble Heart
as Raphael / Phidias
The Suburban
as Donald Gordon
Absinthe
as Jean Dumas
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
as Dr. Henry Jekyll / Mr. Hyde
The Wanderer
1913
The Wanderer
as The Shepherd
Ivanhoe
as Wilfred of Ivanhoe
Shamus O'Brien
1912
Shamus O'Brien
as Shamus O'Brien
A Cave Man Wooing
as George - the 'Sissy' Hero
Up Against It
as Amos Bentley
The Temptress
as Gilbert Irving
Sweet Memories
as Edward Jackson
The Scarlet Letter
as Reverend Dimmesdale
The Wife’s Awakening
1911
The Wife’s Awakening
as Enoch Harrington
For the Queen's Honor
as The King
In the Sultan's Garden
as Lt. Robbins
At a Quarter of Two
1911
At a Quarter of Two
as Dan Nolan - the Burglar
Science
1911
Science
as Dr. Crawford
The Secret of the Palm
1911
The Secret of the Palm
as Cecil Abbott
Tracked
1911
Tracked
as Roger Densmore
While There is hope, There is Life
1911
While There is hope, There is Life
as Alfred King
Second Sight
1911
Second Sight
as Tom Mooreland
The Fair Dentist
1911
The Fair Dentist
as Dental Patient
The Better Way
as Louis Perry - a Reformed Crook
The Rose's Story
as Gerald Kinney, Scenario Writer
Over the Hills
1911
Over the Hills
as Wayne Holland
At the Duke's Command
1911
At the Duke's Command
as Edward, the Duke's Nephew
Jane and the Stranger
1910
Jane and the Stranger
as The Stranger
A Game for Two
1910
A Game for Two
as Clark, the Best Friend
The Eternal Triangle
1910
The Eternal Triangle
as The Dashing Young Count
Two Men
1910
Two Men
as The Tenderfoot
The Double
1910
The Double
as Robert King / Joseph Dansby
The Awakening of Bess
1909
The Awakening of Bess
as Bess' Sweetheart
Love's Stratagem
as The Boy