Joseph Henabery
Joseph Henabery Omaha, Nebraska, was a film actor, screenplay writer, and director in the United States. He is best known for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in D.W. Griffith's controversial 1915 silent historical epic The Birth of a Nation.
Career
Henabery's acting career began in The Joke on Yellentown. From 1914 to 1917 he appeared in seventeen films, including his portrayal of Lincoln in The Birth of a Nation.Henabery also worked as a second-unit director on Griffith's Intolerance, and supervised the filming of at least one extended sequence that appeared in the film. Henabery also acted as Admiral de Coligny in the Renaissance French portion of the film depicting the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre. Throughout the rest of his career, he worked as a director. From the mid-1920s, and after professional disagreements with both Louis B. Mayer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Adolph Zukor at Paramount Pictures, Henabery found employment as a director for smaller Hollywood studios.
In 1931 he joined the Vitaphone studio in New York City, where he directed dozens of short subjects for the next 10 years. Most of them were musicals and comedies, featuring a host of popular singers in 20-minute sketches. Henabery remained with Vitaphone until the New York studio closed in 1940.
As Abraham Lincoln
Although Henabery's impersonation of Lincoln was a masterpiece of facial makeup, the 6'1" Henabery was three inches shorter than the 6'4" Lincoln. Kevin Brownlow's book The Parade's Gone By contains a photo of Henabery in costume and makeup as Lincoln, seated in a chair with planks placed on the floor under Henabery's feet so that his knees are raised several inches; this effect made Henabery's legs appear longer than they actually were.Death
Henabery died on February 18, 1976, aged 88, in Los Angeles, California.Filmography
Director
Actor
The Race War with Bessie Buskirk| Title | Year | Role | Notes |
| The Birth of a Nation | 1915 | Abraham Lincoln | |
| The Spell of the Poppy | 1915 | John Hale | |
| The Penitentes | 1915 | Minor Role | Uncredited |
| Intolerance | 1916 | L'amiral de Coligny / Defendant |