David Warfield

David Warfield (November 28, 1866 – June 27, 1951) was an American stage actor.

Warfield was born David Wohlfeld in San Francisco, California, to German-Jewish parents, Louise and Sigmund Wohlfeld. His first connection with the theatre was as an usher. He made his first stage appearance in 1888 in The Ticket-of-Leave Man. Two years later he went to New York City, where he appeared at the Casino Theatre and at Weber and Field's Music Hall. In 1901, he was discovered and promoted by David Belasco who starred him in The Auctioneer, in which he played 1,400 times, including a revival that extended over several seasons. He remained under the Belasco management.

Although he appeared in many productions, his fortune and success in theater centered on his playing four major roles over a 25-year period: Simon Levi in The Auctioneer (1901), Anton von Barwig in The Music Master (1904), Wes Bigelow in A Grand Army Man (1907) and the title role in The Return of Peter Grimm (1911).

One of his best-known roles was that of Anton von Barwig in The Music Master, which he played from 1904 to 1908, appearing in the part more than 1000 times. In 1908, Warfield and his company appeared at the Elitch Theatre in The Music Master and A Grand Army Man. Warfield's company included Denver-native and eponym of the Tony Awards, Antoinette Perry.

In 1911 Warfield created the title role in The Return of Peter Grimm, a play Cecil B. DeMille claimed that David Belasco stole from him.

Warfield's position as a leading American actor in comedy was established by the masterly style in which he portrayed, in each of these plays, a kindly old gentleman who is pathetic in misfortune and amusingly eccentric. In 1916 he appeared in Van der Decken, a play by Belasco, based on the legend of The Flying Dutchman.

The Warfield Theatre in Warfield's birthplace of San Francisco, California, is named in his honor.

Warfield, who at the time was one of the world's richest entertainers, died in New York City, at 84.