Henry King

Trivia

• During World War II, King served as the deputy commander of the Civil Air Patrol coastal patrol base in Brownsville, TX, holding the grade of captain. In his final years, he was the oldest licensed private pilot in the United States, having obtained his license in 1918.
• Henry King was one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which awards the Oscars every year. He directed over 100 films in his career.
• He worked most often with Tyrone Power and Gregory Peck.
• In 1944, he was awarded the first ever Golden Globe Award award for best director for his film The Song of Bernadette, based on the novel of the same name by Franz Werfel.
• He was nominated for the best director Oscar twice, but did not win on either occasion.
• He directed for the first time in 1915, and grew to become one of the most commercially successful Hollywood directors of the 1920s and 1930s.
• Before coming to film, King worked as an actor in various repertoire theatres, and first started to take small film roles in 1912.
• Henry King was an American film director.

Quotes

• “Stay for me there; I will not fail / To meet thee in that hollow vale. / And think not much of my delay; / I am already on the way.”
• “Then we shall rise and view ourselves with clearer eyes in that calm region where no night can hide us from each other's sight.”
• “The El Paso hotel market did very good. El Paso hotels in general made money last year. I think we're going to see a decline in occupancy (this year) because we can only absorb about 200 rooms a year without decreasing occupancy, and it looks like there will be more than 200 rooms coming on line this year.”
• “We expect the PC price war to intensify in the second quarter as Dell joins the battle, (and) we believe all (PC vendors), including Acer, will continue to suffer from declining average selling prices and margin erosion.”
• “These kids have their own gang bible, just like I have a book of general statutes. And they have to study.”
• “It's a football city, ... But between Crosby and the free agents, people feel the Penguins have a better chance at rebuilding. (The Steelers) are going to have to share fans this winter.”
• “Nuremberg modernized the laws of war and created a denominator under which all citizens of the world could live and be judged. In doing so, Nuremberg launched the international human rights movement.”
• “Nuremberg introduced the concept that individuals and states were subject to international law, including limits on sovereignty.”
• “We do not believe that strong September sales mark the end of the peak season.”

Biography

Henry King

Last Updated: Thursday, August 27, 2009

After a start as a stage actor, Henry Kingbegan appearing in films in 1912, and by 1915 was directing. King made numerous dramas, westerns, and actioners over the teens, achieving special distinction with his 1919 comedy 23-1/2 Hours Leave. Two years later he co-wrote, produced, and directed the landmark rural drama Tol'able David; his other important works of the '20s include The White Sister (1923), Romola (1925), and The Winning of Barbara Worth (1926).

A prolific and reliable craftsman, King made numerous handsome films into the early 1960s, most notably two outstanding films with Gregory Peck: a psychological drama of World War II, Twelve O'Clock High (1942), and the moody, intelligent western The Gunfighter (1950). King's career is also notable for his feeling for Americana, as found in 1930s projects as different as State Fair (1933), Jesse James (1939), and In Old Chicago (1938), as well as in such later films as Remember the Day (1941) and Wait 'Til the Sun Shines, Nellie (1952). He was also skilled at helming historical dramas (Lloyds of London [1936], The Song of Bernadette [1943]) and adventure tales (The Black Swan [1942], Prince of Foxes [1949]).