Howard Hickman | |
Birthname: | Howard Close Hickman[1] |
Birth Date: | 9 February 1880 |
Birth Place: | Columbia, Missouri, U.S. |
Death Place: | San Anselmo, California, U.S. |
Resting Place: | Mount Tamalpais Cemetery |
Occupation: | Actor, director, writer |
Years Active: | 1912 - 1944 |
Children: | 1 |
Howard Close Hickman (February 9, 1880 – December 31, 1949[2]) was an American actor, director and writer. He was an accomplished stage leading man, who entered films through the auspices of producer Thomas H. Ince.
In 1900, Hickman debuted on stage as an extra in a production in San Francisco. He went on to act in repertory theater with the Alcazar Theatre,[3] Morosco, and Melborne MacDowell companies, among others.[4] On Broadway, Hickman wrote, and portrayed Gabby in, The Skirt (1921).[5]
Hickman's initial work in films was with the Lasky Pictures Company, after which he acted with the Triangle Company and later the Ince company.[4]
In 1918, Hickman debuted as a director, with The Rainbow (for Paralta studios) as his first film.[6] He directed 19 films.
With the rise of the sound film, Hickman returned to the film business but received mostly small roles, often as an authoritarian figure. In 1939, Hickman made a brief appearance as plantation owner John Wilkes, father of Ashley Wilkes, in Gone with the Wind. He ended his film career in 1944, after more than 270 films.
Hickman was married to actress Bessie Barriscale. He died of a heart attack at his home in San Anselmo on December 31, 1949, six weeks before his 69th birthday and was buried at Mount Tamalpais Cemetery in San Rafael.[6] [7]