Born in Worcester, Mass. A matinee idol on Broadway, he made his film debut in 1915 (THE MAN WHO FOUND OUT, Essanay), but his career was soon interrupted by WW I service as a major in the cavalry. Returning to films after the Armistice, he soon developed into a popular leading man. During the silent era he played dignified, gentlemanly romantic heroes. Among his more notable screen parts in the 20s were the dual lead role of Rudolf Rassendyll and King Rudolf in Rex Ingram's THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1922), the adversary role to Ramon Novarro in Ingram's SCARAMOUCHE (1923), and one of the leads in the successful screen adaptation of Conan Doyle's THE LOST WORLD (1925). He was nominated for an Oscar as best actor for THE PATRIOT (1928). Although he was fifty at the advent of sound, he continued playing mature leads, notably in seven films opposite Greta Garbo, but gradually and gracefully eased into solid character parts. Later in his career he typically played genial senior citizens, memorably as Judge Hardy in the Andy Hardy film series. He spent his entire sound-film career with MGM. In all he appeared in nearly 200 films. He died of a heart attack at 73 while chasing vandals from his property. For a complete list of his films, see the Internet Movie Database.    Nominated for Actor 1928-29: THE PATRIOT 1 nomination