The son of an actress, and himself in amateur dramatics at Trinity College (Hartford, Conn.), he was discovered in 1916 by a friend of the family, screen star Alla Nazimova. Within several years he was one of Hollywood's leading stars, the hero of several prominent D.W. Griffith productions, notably BROKEN BLOSSOMS (1919) and WAY DOWN EAST (1920). Quietly handsome, both gentle and virile (he was described by co-star Lillian Gish as having "the most beautiful face of any man who ever went before the camera"), he proved to be an ideal Griffith hero. Their collaboration seemed to benefit both the director and the actor, but in 1920, Barthelmess left Griffith to form his own production company, Inspiration, with Henry King as director. The new association resulted almost immediately in a film role many consider to be Barthelmess' best -- a country lad in TOL'ABLE DAVID (1921). His popularity continued throughout the remainder of the silent era, and he remained popular in the early sound era, but his films and his roles were gradually diminishing in importance. Eventually he began playing character roles, often as the heavy. He quit films in 1942 to join the Naval Reserve, and never returned to Hollywood. He lived in prosperous retirement in Long Island until his death of cancer at 68.    Nominated for Actor 1927-8: THE NOOSE and THE PATENT LEATHER KID (co-nomination) 1 nomination