Warner Baxter

Profession: Actor

Nationality:

Biography: Warner Baxter was best known for his Academy Award-winning performance in the film "In Old Arizona" (1928).

Baxter started his career as an extra in 1914. His first starring role was in the silent film "Sheltered Daughters" (1921). During the 1920s, he starred in 48 movies, including notable roles in "The Great Gatsby" (1926) and "West of Zanzibar" (1928) with Lon Chaney.

In 1928, Baxter played the Cisco Kid in "In Old Arizona" for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor at the 2nd Academy Awards. This made him a top romantic lead actor and by 1936 he was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood, making $284,000 that year.

Baxter married actress Winifred Bryson in 1918, and they remained married until his death in 1951.

In the early 1940s, he had a mental breakdown because of the stress of being a contract star at 20th Century Fox. After this, he only acted in lower-budget films like the Crime Doctor series in the 1940s.

Baxter lived in Malibu and was active in the community. He was named honorary mayor from 1946 to 1949 and was close friends with actors William Powell and Ronald Colman.

Baxter died at the age of 62 in 1951 after undergoing a lobotomy and suffering further illness.

Born: March 29, 1889
Birthplace: Columbus, Ohio, USA

Generation: Lost Generation
Star Sign: Aries

Died: May 7, 1951 (aged 62)
Cause of Death: Pneumonia