Walter Long (actor)

Hooded Klansmen catch "Gus", portrayed in blackface by Long in The Birth of a Nation (1915)

Long (sixth from left) with other cast members of Kick In (1922)

Long debuted in films in 1909 with Broncho Billy Anderson.[1] He appeared in many D. W. Griffith films, notably The Birth of a Nation (1915), where he appeared as Gus, an African American, in blackface make-up, and Intolerance (1916).

Long also supported Rudolph Valentino in the films The Sheik, Moran of the Lady Letty, and Blood and Sand. He later appeared as a comic villain in four Laurel and Hardy films during the early 1930s.

In 1908, Long married Luray Grace Roblee, a stenographer from Wisconsin who later became an actress at Triangle/Fine Arts. She died in 1919 at age 29, due to the Spanish influenza epidemic. Walter re-married on the 16th October 1923 to Leta Amanda Held (1897-1967) in Los Angeles, California. They adopted a son who they called John Huntley Long (1923-2000) See the 1930 US Census for details.

Long and Carol Dempster in Scarlet Days (1919)

Walter Long served during World War I and World War II, attaining the rank of lieutenant colonel before receiving an honorable discharge at the end of World War II.

Although he was often called upon to play antagonists and villains because of his gravel voice and rugged appearance, many people reported that he was actually a warm, kindhearted man off-camera.

Long died of a heart attack on July 4, 1952 in Los Angeles, California, while watching the fireworks display at The Coliseum, during Fourth of July celebrations.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Walter Long (actor).

• Walter Long at IMDb
• Walter Long at the TCM Movie Database
• Walter Long at Find a Grave