George Waggner

Born George Waggoner in New York City on the 7th of September, 1894, George Waggner attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy before serving in World War I.

He began his career as an actor, playing tribal chieftain Yousaef alongside Rudolph Valentino in 1921’s The Sheik. Moving behind the camera, his skills as a writer, producer and director flourished, although he retained his penchant for westerns with movies such as The Phantom Stage (1939), which also featured future horror star Glenn Strange.

The end of 1941 saw George Waggner make arguably his most lasting contribution to the movie world, in the shape of The Wolf Man. In dual roles as producer and director, he brought Larry Talbot’s tragic story to life with the successful balance of pathos, action and humour which he had demonstrated elsewhere.

Later in his career, the growing popularity of television led George Waggner to move away from his cinematic roots, and he worked on episodes of notable series including Batman, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Green Hornet. Married to Danny Shannon, he had one daughter, Shy, who had a cameo role in The Fighting Kentuckian (1948). He passed away on the 11th of December, 1984.