---
name: "Henry Travers"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/henry-travers"
fi1m_id: "henry-travers"
imdb_id: "nm0871287"
tmdb_id: 7666
wikidata_id: "Q960050"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "4 March 1874"
died: "18 October 1965"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-09-25T03:01:20.045573+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Henry Travers

## Identity

Henry Travers

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/henry-travers
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** henry-travers
- **IMDb ID:** nm0871287
- **TMDB ID:** 7666
- **Wikidata ID:** Q960050
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Travers, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q960050, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0871287/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/7666

Actor. Born 4 March 1874 in Prudhoe, Northumberland, England, UK. Died 18 October 1965.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 4 March 1874, Prudhoe, Northumberland, England, UK
- **Died:** 18 October 1965
- **Active:** 1939–1946
- **Also known as:** Travers John Hegarty, Генри Траверс, Генри Треверс
- **Frequently works with:** [Sidney Franklin](https://film.one/person/sidney-franklin.md), [Greer Garson](https://film.one/person/greer-garson.md), [Arthur Wimperis](https://film.one/person/arthur-wimperis.md), [Claudine West](https://film.one/person/claudine-west.md), [George Froeschel](https://film.one/person/george-froeschel.md), [Humphrey Bogart](https://film.one/person/humphrey-bogart.md), [Mervyn LeRoy](https://film.one/person/mervyn-leroy.md), [Paul Osborn](https://film.one/person/paul-osborn.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar nomination
- **Average Fi1m score:** 78, as actor, over 9 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1930s 79 (1), 1940s 78 (8)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 81 to 80 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 7 at 60–79, 0 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 9 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 8, Romance 4, Crime 2, Family 2, Thriller 2, Action 1
- **Screen time:** 18 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $54m across 5 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Travers, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q960050, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0871287/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/7666

## Streaming the US now

- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*It's a Wonderful Life*](https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life.md) (91)
- **HBO Max:** [*The Yearling*](https://film.one/film/the-yearling.md) (79)
- **Tubi:** [*Dark Victory*](https://film.one/film/dark-victory.md) (79)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*The Bells of St. Mary's*](https://film.one/film/the-bells-of-st-marys.md) (64)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Henry Travers

> Henry Travers makes kindly older men engaging company, with enough muddle to keep them human. We rate his warmth, especially when Hitchcock makes it unsettling; the reservation is how readily that grandfatherly manner tells us what to expect.

Clarence in *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946) is a guardian angel with the amiability of a familiar older neighbour. Henry Travers makes such figures easy to welcome, without asking us to mistake their muddle for stupidity. His value is in making a supporting part feel worth attending to. The grandfatherly manner does set limits: we can often guess rather quickly what sort of company he will be.

His film work began with *Reunion in Vienna* (1933), after years on stage, and settled largely into older supporting characters. Doctors, judges and fathers recur, parts which can give an actor authority before he has done anything to earn it. Mr Ballard in *Mrs. Miniver* (1942) is a station master who loves roses, a useful reminder that these men can have interests beyond helping the leading characters. The risk of such casting is that the audience recognises the kindly face and stops looking for anything else.

In *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943), Alfred Hitchcock makes a sharper use of that reassurance. Travers's Joseph Newton is the father who provides comic relief in a film where family affection makes danger harder to recognise. Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotten give the suspense its uncomfortable intimacy; Travers helps make the family seem like people whose company could be pleasant. The humour matters because the household must be worth caring about before distrust can hurt. We recommend the film despite a few convenient plot turns, and his warmth is part of what makes its unease work.

In *It's a Wonderful Life*, Frank Capra gives him Clarence and puts that same amiability to more openly sentimental use. We were moved by the film because James Stewart makes the exhaustion of being good feel real. Travers makes the angel approachable through the slight bumbling quality familiar from his earthly older men. The whimsy can be overinsistent, though, and the film is stronger when its kindness has Stewart's distress to contend with. Start with Clarence, but follow him with *Shadow of a Doubt* to see how much a director can change the effect of a reassuring actor.

## Biography

Henry Travers (born Travers John Heagerty) was an English stage and film character actor. Born on 5 March 1874 in Prudhoe, Northumberland, he trained initially as an architect before beginning his stage career in 1894. He emigrated to the United States in 1917 and gained further experience on Broadway, including productions with the Theatre Guild.

Travers made his film debut in Reunion in Vienna (1933) and appeared in numerous Hollywood films over the following two decades. He is known for roles in The Invisible Man (1933), Dark Victory (1939), High Sierra (1941), Ball of Fire (1941), Mrs. Miniver (1942), Shadow of a Doubt (1943), The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) and It's a Wonderful Life (1946), in which he played the angel Clarence. He received an Academy Award nomination for his performance in Mrs. Miniver. Travers retired from the screen after The Girl from Jones Beach (1949) and died in Hollywood on 18 October 1965.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (9)

- *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946), Fi1m 91, as Clarence — [page](https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life.md)
- *The Yearling* (1946), Fi1m 79, as Mr. Boyles — [page](https://film.one/film/the-yearling.md)
- *The Bells of St. Mary's* (1945), Fi1m 64, as Horace P. Bogardus — [page](https://film.one/film/the-bells-of-st-marys.md)
- *Madame Curie* (1943), Fi1m 72, as Eugene Curie — [page](https://film.one/film/madame-curie.md)
- *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943), Fi1m 88, as Joseph Newton — [page](https://film.one/film/shadow-of-a-doubt.md)
- *Mrs. Miniver* (1942), Fi1m 73, as Mr. Ballard — [page](https://film.one/film/mrs-miniver.md)
- *Random Harvest* (1942), Fi1m 76, as Dr. Sims — [page](https://film.one/film/random-harvest.md)
- *High Sierra* (1941), Fi1m 79, as Pa — [page](https://film.one/film/high-sierra.md)
- *Dark Victory* (1939), Fi1m 79, as Dr. Parsons — [page](https://film.one/film/dark-victory.md)

## Complete filmography (52)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Girl from Jones Beach* (1949), as Judge Bullfinch
- *The Accused* (1949), as Blakely - Romley's Assistant (uncredited)
- *Beyond Glory* (1948), as Pop Dewing
- *The Flame* (1947), as Dr. Mitchell
- *It's a Wonderful Life* (1946), as Clarence — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/its-a-wonderful-life.md)
- *The Yearling* (1946), as Mr. Boyles — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/the-yearling.md)
- *Gallant Journey* (1946), as Thomas Logan
- *The Bells of St. Mary's* (1945), as Horace P. Bogardus — Fi1m 64, [page](https://film.one/film/the-bells-of-st-marys.md)
- *The Naughty Nineties* (1945), as Capt. Sam Jackson
- *Thrill of a Romance* (1945), as Hobart Glenn
- *The Very Thought of You* (1944), as Pop Wheeler
- *Dragon Seed* (1944), as Third Cousin
- *None Shall Escape* (1944), as Father Warecki
- *Madame Curie* (1943), as Eugene Curie — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/madame-curie.md)
- *The Moon Is Down* (1943), as Mayor Orden
- *Shadow of a Doubt* (1943), as Joseph Newton — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/shadow-of-a-doubt.md)
- *Random Harvest* (1942), as Dr. Sims — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/random-harvest.md)
- *Pierre of the Plains* (1942), as Percival Wellsby
- *Mrs. Miniver* (1942), as Mr. Ballard — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/mrs-miniver.md)
- *Ball of Fire* (1941), as Prof. Jerome
- *I'll Wait for You* (1941), as Mr. Miller
- *The Bad Man* (1941), as Mr. Hardy
- *A Girl, a Guy, and a Gob* (1941), as Abel Martin
- *High Sierra* (1941), as Pa — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/high-sierra.md)
- *Wyoming* (1940), as Sheriff
- *Anne of Windy Poplars* (1940), as Matey
- *Edison, the Man* (1940), as Ben Els
- *Primrose Path* (1940), as Gramp
- *Remember?* (1939), as Judge Milliken
- *The Rains Came* (1939), as Rev. Homer Smiley
- *Stanley and Livingstone* (1939), as John Kingsley
- *On Borrowed Time* (1939), as Dr. Evans
- *Dark Victory* (1939), as Dr. Parsons — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/dark-victory.md)
- *Dodge City* (1939), as Dr. Irving
- *You Can't Get Away with Murder* (1939), as Pop
- *The Sisters* (1938), as Ned Elliott
- *Too Many Parents* (1936), as Wilkins
- *Seven Keys to Baldpate* (1935), as Lem Peters
- *Pursuit* (1935), as Tom Reynolds
- *Escapade* (1935), as Concierge
- *Four Hours to Kill!* (1935), as Mac Mason
- *Captain Hurricane* (1935), as Capt. Ben
- *After Office Hours* (1935), as Cap
- *Maybe It's Love* (1935), as Mr. Halevy
- *Ready for Love* (1934), as Judge Pickett
- *The Party's Over* (1934), as Theodore
- *Born to Be Bad* (1934), as Fuzzy
- *Death Takes a Holiday* (1934), as Baron Cesarea
- *The Invisible Man* (1933), as Dr. Cranley
- *My Weakness* (1933), as Ellery Gregory
- *Another Language* (1933), as Pop Hallam
- *Reunion in Vienna* (1933), as Father Krug

## Gallery

- ![Henry Travers](https://film.one/media/person/102336/gallery-288ba583ed22.jpg) Henry Travers — Trailer screenshot, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/HenryTraversTheBellsofSaintMarysTrailerScreenshot1945.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Lobby card for the American biographical film Edison, the Man (1940).](https://film.one/media/person/102336/gallery-5a90f835976c.jpg) Lobby card for the American biographical film Edison, the Man (1940). — Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Edison_the_Man_lobby_card.jpg/1280px-Edison_the_Man_lobby_card.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Photograph of the cast of George Bernard Shaw's Getting Married, produced by the Theatre Guild (1931)](https://film.one/media/person/102336/gallery-a98808cf7876.jpg) Photograph of the cast of George Bernard Shaw's Getting Married, produced by the Theatre Guild (1931) — Theatre Guild, photograph by Vandamm Studio, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/36/Getting-Married-Theatre-Guild.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Publicity photo for the film It's a Wonderful Life, featuring James Stewart as George Bailey and Henry Travers as his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody. (1945)](https://film.one/media/person/102336/gallery-3d2b75ce0636.jpg) Publicity photo for the film It's a Wonderful Life, featuring James Stewart as George Bailey and Henry Travers as his guardian angel, Clarence Odbody. (1945) — Liberty Films (Original holder of property rights), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3e/Guardian_angel_clarence.jpg/1280px-Guardian_angel_clarence.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Henry Travers](https://film.one/media/person/102336/gallery-43fdea4785a1.jpg) Henry Travers — Image via TMDB
- ![Henry Travers as the Burglar in the original Broadway production of Heartbreak House (1920) (1921)](https://film.one/media/person/102336/gallery-6487ac2970e5.jpg) Henry Travers as the Burglar in the original Broadway production of Heartbreak House (1920) (1921) — The Theatre Magazine Company, no photographer credited but likely to be Francis Bruguière, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f2/Henry_Travers_Heartbreak_House_1920.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Lobby card for the American drama film Primrose Path (1940).](https://film.one/media/person/102336/gallery-6838f219b01c.jpg) Lobby card for the American drama film Primrose Path (1940). — RKO Radio Pictures, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3d/Primrose_Path_lobby_card.jpg/1280px-Primrose_Path_lobby_card.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 0 won, 1 nominated

- 1943: Best Supporting Actor (nominated), for *Mrs. Miniver*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/henry-travers