Dell Henderson


George Adelbert "Dell" Henderson was a Canadian-American actor, director, and writer. He began his long and prolific film career in the early days of silent film.

Biography

Born in the southwestern Ontario city of St. Thomas, Dell Henderson started his acting career on the stage, but appeared in his first movie Monday Morning in a Coney Island Police Court in 1908. Henderson was a frequent associate of film pioneer D. W. Griffith since 1909 and appeared in numerous early Griffith shorts in Hollywood. Henderson also acted on a less prolific basis in the movies of producer Mack Sennett at Keystone Studios. In addition to acting, Henderson directed nearly 200 silent films between 1911 and 1928. Most of those films are forgotten or lost, but he also directed movies with silent stars like Harry Carey and Roscoe Arbuckle. Henderson also worked as a writer on numerous screenplays.
After retiring from directing in 1927, Henderson returned to acting full time and played important supporting roles in King Vidor's The Crowd and as General Marmaduke Pepper in Show People. The advent of sound film damaged Henderson's acting career, and he often had to play smaller roles. In the 1930s, he appeared on several occasions as a comic foil for such comedians as The Three Stooges, Charley Chase, W. C. Fields and Laurel and Hardy. He often played somewhat pompous figures like judges, businessmen, detectives or mayors. Modern audiences will remember Henderson as the annoyed hospital president Dr. Graves in The Three Stooges film Men in Black and the put-upon chaperone in the Our Gang film Choo-Choo!. He also appeared as a night court judge in Laurel and Hardy's Our Relations and as a friendly car salesman in Leo McCarey's drama Make Way for Tomorrow. Henderson ended his film career after numerous small roles in 1950. He did make one final appearance on NBC-TV's "This Is Your Life" on March 10, 1954, during a tribute to Mack Sennett.
Henderson died at the age of 79 of a heart attack in Hollywood. He was married to actress Florence Lee until his death. The couple made several silent films together.

Selected filmography

Monday Morning in a Coney Island Police Court The Two Brothers - ManuelA Romance of the Western Hills - TouristRamona - Man at BurialThe Unchanging Sea - The RescuerIn the Border States - Union Officer The Modern Prodigal His Trust - Colonel FrazierHis Trust Fulfilled Was He a Coward? - The ForemanThe Lonedale Operator - 1st TrampEnoch Arden - RescuerThe Primal Call - The CreditorThe Last Drop of Water - Minor RoleThe Making of a Man - The Leading ManLove in the Hills The Battle - A Union Officer