Wich2 wrote:
"he is was also a bit broad and "Victorian" at times"

Well, the guy did start out as a stage actor, in the early 1900's.
Sure, but (and I know I over-use this term) he's very "tantrums and swoons" in some roles. To me he's a bit more mime than actor, and can come off rather cliched. I understand were talking Hollywood silent-film here, and that there is a great deal of stylization to most silent-film acting. I also know about the deaf parents and whatnot, yet I still think his work has not dated as well as some of his peers.

Maybe I just have this anguished back-of-the-hand-pressed-pressed-to-forehead image stuck in my head.