Wallace Worsley


Wallace A. Worsley, Sr. was an American stage actor who became a film director in the silent era. During his career, Worsley directed 29 films and acted in 7 films. He directed several motion pictures starring Lon Chaney Sr., and his professional relationship with the actor was the best Chaney had, second to his partnership with Tod Browning.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame, along with The Penalty. Worsley's 1922 horror film A Blind Bargain with Chaney is one of the most sought after lost films.

Personal life

Worsley married Indiana-born actress, Julia Marie Taylor, on September 18, 1904. Amongst Julia's film credits is the title role of Juliet in the 1911 short, Romeo and Juliet, directed by Barry O'Neil, considered to be the first attempt to distill the entire Shakespeare narrative into a single film. Together, they had two sons, Wallace Worsley, Jr., an assistant director and production manager whose career spanned nearly six decades and included The Wizard of Oz and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, and Paul Brackenride Worsley.

Selected filmography