Wallace A. Worsley Sr. (8 December 1878 in
Wappingers Falls,
New York, US – 26 March 1944 in
Hollywood,
California, US) was an American stage actor who became a director in the silent film era. Worsley directed 29 films during the years 1918-1928 and acted in 7 films. He directed several films starring
Lon Chaney Sr. and his professional relationship with the actor was the best Chaney had second to his partnership with
Tod Browning.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame from 1923 is one of his best-known works and along with
The Penalty (1920), enjoys good exposure on home video and DVD. Worsley's 1922 horror film
A Blind Bargain with Chaney is one of the most sought after
lost films. Worsley was married to actress Julia M. Taylor with whom he had two sons, Paul Worsley and the film director Wallace Worsley Jr.