Nearly 70 years after his death, the remains of It’s a Wonderful Life actor, Henry Byron (H.B.) Warner has been officially relocated.
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The actor, who appeared as Mr. Gower in the 1946 holiday classic, died on Dec. 21, 1958, at the age of 82. His remains were placed in the community vault at Chapel of the Pines in Los Angeles.
Decades after Byron’s death, Arthur Dark, the host of the YouTube channel Hollywood Graveyard, revealed that he had received permission from the late actor’s living relatives to retrieve the remains from the no public access vault and place them in a niche in the Chapel of the Pines Columbarium.
The remains’ move will allow the fans of the It’s a Wonderful Life actor to visit and pay their respects.
Dark also launched a GoFundMe to cover the cost of the new niche, the name tablet, and other associated cemetery fees. The fundraiser achieved its $5,500 goal with nearly 200 donations.
YouTube Channel Host Reveals Where the ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ Actor’s Remains Were Relocated
In a recent update, Dark further revealed that Warner’s remains have been successfully relocated and placed in his new niche in the Chapel Columbarium.
“His new niche is just temporarily marked for now, while the nameplate is being made,” Dark shared. “It should be marked early next year.”
He then thanked those who helped with the GoFundMe.
Born Henry Byron Lickfold in October 1976, H.B. Warner started acting at the age of 20. He made his stage debut in It’s Never Too Late to Mend when he was 21. Among his Broadway credits are Silence (1924), You and I (1922), Danger (1921), Sleeping Partners (1918), Out There (1917), and Blackbirds (1912).
Warner began his silent film career in 1914 with his debut appearance in The Lost Paradise. His most well-known role was Jesus in Cecil B. DeMille’s 1927 silent epic The King of Kings.
He then went on to appear in You Can’t Take It With You (1938), Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), The Rains Came (1939), and The Corsican Brothers (1941). He later had a cameo role in DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956).
His final film role was an uncredited cameo in Darby’s Rangers (1958). He died from a heart attack.
In terms of his personal life, Warner was married twice. His first wife, Fred R. Hamlin, passed away in 1913. He then married his second wife, Rita Stanwood, in 1915. However, the marriage ended in 1933.
Between his marriages, he had three children.
Amid his successful acting career, Warner also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located at 6600 Hollywood Boulevard.