Gareth Hughes | |
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| Born | William John Hughes (1894-08-23)23 August 1894 Dafen, Carmarthenshire, Wales |
| Died | 1 October 1965(1965-10-01) (aged 71) |
| Occupation(s) | Stage actor, silent screen actor, missionary |
| Years active | 1920s–1944 |
Gareth Hughes (23 August 1894 – 1 October 1965) was aWelsh stage and silent screen actor.[2] Usually cast as a callow, sensitive hero in Hollywoodsilent films, Hughes got his start on stage during childhood and continued to play youthful leads onBroadway.
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BornWilliam John Hughes into a working-class family inDafen, Carmarthenshire, after working with a number of UK touring companies he joined a group of Welsh players. The group took a tour to the United States, and although not successful Hughes was spotted in Chicago, and stayed in America to pursue his acting career. By the end of 1915, he had become successful onBroadway. This, in turn, led to his involvement in the motion picture business.
Hughes's earlier screen work was withClara Kimball Young inEyes of Youth (1919) and withMarguerite Clark inMrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1920). He was teamed withViola Dana inThe Chorus Girl's Romance (1920). He signed withMetro Pictures and was loaned to Famous Players Lasky forSentimental Tommy (1921), probably his best film role.[according to whom?]
Even though he had already appeared in many films before this, he regardedSentimental Tommy as his favourite and most successful. He made forty-five films from 1918 to 1931. He was also the Welsh dialect coach onThe Corn Is Green (1945) starringBette Davis.Cecil B. DeMille called him "a young idealist", andFulton Oursler described him as "the charm boy to end all charm boys".
In 1929, like many others, he lost his fortune in theWall Street crash and was left penniless, but he carried on making films until 1931 when he appeared inScareheads. He then decided to leave the world of film and return to theatre, which had always been his first love. His final role ran for 18 weeks at the Hollywood Playhouse in 1938, where he starred as Shylock inThe Merchant of Venice.
In the early 1940s, Hughes experienced a religious calling. Adopting the name of Brother David, in 1944, he became a Christian missionary to thePaiuteIndians on thePyramid Lake Reservation ofNevada. Hughes spent almost 14 years with his "children", as he called them.
In 1958, Hughes returned to Llanelli to spend his final years. But he longed for the sunshine of the West Coast, and after five months he returned to California. Later, Hughes moved into theMotion Picture Country Home inWoodland Hills where he had his own cottage. He baptised silent film actressClara Kimball Young prior to her death.
He died in 1965 of complications frombyssinosis, a lint-born respiratory disease he contracted from years of sorting donated clothing at Pyramid Lake, and hiscremated remains were buried at the Masonic Memorial Gardens cemetery inReno, Nevada.[3]
In 2000, the first TV documentary on Hughes's life was produced by Nant Films in collaboration with Stephen Lyons, Hughes's biographer. The programme, in Welsh, was broadcast on S4C. In 2008, his relative Kelvin Guy made a filmIn Search of Gareth Hughes, which has received only limited release. The film has been neither broadcast nor made available for public viewing.[4]
In 2000, a bronze plaque to Hughes's memory was mounted in Parc Howard Museum (Llanelli) by Stephen Lyons and Hughes's niece; later the same year, a blue plaque at Hughes's boyhood dwelling on Princess Street in Llanelli was unveiled by members of his family. Stephen Lyons, Llanelli Community Heritage also relative Kelvin Guy are responsible for these tributes to this star of the silent film.[5]
The National Library of Wales has designated biographer Stephen Lyons's web site as part of Wales's documentary heritage.[6]
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