George W. Barbier

George W. Barbier (November 19, 1864 – July 19, 1945) was an American actor who built a career across stage and film, appearing in 88 films and performing on Broadway between 1900 and 1930. He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and at one point enrolled at the Crozer Theological Seminary in Upland, Pennsylvania, intending to pursue the ministry before abandoning that path in favor of the stage.

Barbier launched his performing career in light opera and spent a number of years working in repertory and stock companies before reaching Broadway. His Broadway credits include Ada Beats the Drum, Cortez, Beware of Dogs, That's Gratitude, and Box Seats, among other productions. Additional Broadway appearances during the 1920s included The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Front Page, and The Man Who Came Back, with seven productions credited to him between 1922 and 1930.

In 1929, Barbier signed a contract with Paramount Pictures, and his first film, The Big Pond, was released in 1930. He subsequently worked as a character actor for most of the major studios, frequently cast in supporting roles as pompous yet largely good-natured businessmen or patriarchs. He continued acting in films until his death in 1945, accumulating a total of 88 screen credits.

Barbier married Caroline "Carrie" Thatcher, a stage actress born in Pennsylvania in June 1868, who died on June 8, 1939. He was initially interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California, but was later disinterred and reburied in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city of his birth.