Biography
Walter Hampden, born Walter Hampden Dougherty, was an American actor and theatre manager. He trained in England with Sir Frank Benson’s company before returning to the United States in 1907. On Broadway he was noted for classical roles, including multiple productions of Hamlet and Cyrano de Bergerac, and he managed Hampden’s Theatre from 1925.
Hampden appeared in silent films and began a sustained screen career in 1939 with the role of the Archdeacon in The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His later film parts included supporting roles in They Died with Their Boots On (1941), All This, and Heaven Too (1940), 5 Fingers (1952) and Sabrina (1954). He played the Aged Actor in All About Eve (1950). His final stage appearance was as Danforth in the original Broadway production of The Crucible (1953). He died in Los Angeles in 1955.
