William Haines

Charles William Haines (January 2, 1900 – December 26, 1973) was an American actor and interior designer.

Haines was born on January 2, 1900 (he claimed he was born on January 1) in Staunton, Virginia, the third child of George Adam Haines, a cigar maker, and Laura Virginia Haines (née Matthews).

Two older siblings died in infancy.

He had four younger siblings: Lillian, born in 1902; Ann, born in 1907; George, Jr., born in 1908; and Henry, born in 1917.

He was baptized at the Trinity Episcopal Church in Staunton at the age of eight, where he later sang in the choir.

He became fascinated with stage performance and motion pictures at an early age, spending hours watching early silent films in local theatres.

Haines ran away from home at the age of 14, accompanied by an unidentified young man whom Haines referred to as his "boyfriend".

The pair went first to Richmond and then to Hopewell, which had a reputation for immorality.

They both got jobs working at the local DuPont factory, producing nitrocellulose for $50 a week.

To supplement their income, they opened a dance hall, which may have also served as a brothel.

Haines' parents, frantic over his disappearance, tracked him through the police to Hopewell.

Haines did not return home with them, remaining instead in Hopewell and sending money back home to help support the family.

The couple remained in Hopewell until most of the town was destroyed by fire in 1915.

Haines moved to New York City.

Whether his boyfriend accompanied him is unclear.

Following the bankruptcy of the family business and the mental breakdown of George Sr., the family moved to Richmond in 1916.

Haines moved there in 1917 to help support them.

With his father recovered and employed, Haines returned to New York City in 1919, settling into the burgeoning gay community of Greenwich Village.

He worked a variety of jobs and was for a time the kept man of an older woman before becoming a model.

By the end of the 1920s, Haines had appeared in a string of successful films and was a popular box-office draw.

Haines was discovered by a talent scout and signed with Goldwyn Pictures in 1922.

His career gained momentum when he received favorable reviews for his role in The Midnight Express.

Talent scout Bijou Fernandez discovered Haines as part of the Goldwyn Pictures' "New Faces of 1922" contest, and the studio signed him to a $40-a-week contract (~$700 in 2022 terms).

He traveled to Hollywood with fellow contest winner Eleanor Boardman in March of that year.

Haines' career began slowly, as he appeared in extra and bit parts, mostly uncredited.

His first significant role was in Three Wise Fools (1923).

He attracted positive critical attention and the studio began building him up as a new star.

However, he continued to play small, unimportant parts at Goldwyn.

When his home studio lent him to Fox in 1923 for The Desert Outlaw, he got the opportunity to play a significant role.

In 1924, MGM lent Haines to Columbia Pictures for a five-picture deal.

The first of these, The Midnight Express (1924), received excellent reviews, and Columbia offered to buy his contract.

The offer was refused and Haines continued in bit roles for Goldwyn.

He was cast in the 1926 film Brown of Harvard and his performance solidified his screen persona as a wisecracking, arrogant leading man.

Haines scored his first big personal success with Brown of Harvard (1926) opposite Jack Pickford and Mary Brian.

It was in Brown that he crystallized his screen image, a young arrogant man who is humbled by the last reel.

He returned repeatedly to that formula for the next several years.

On a trip to New York in 1926, Haines met James "Jimmie" Shields.

Haines' acting career was cut short by the studios in the 1930s due to his refusal to deny his homosexuality.

He quit acting in 1935 and started a successful interior design business with his life partner Jimmie Shields, and his work was widely patronized by friends in Hollywood.

Haines died of lung cancer in December 1973 at the age of 73.