After the advent of talkies, his poor health (hemophilia) forced him to cut back on his work in motion pictures. In 1931 he disappeared from his Hollywood home and was found some 36 hours later, wandering in a confused state near Ventura, California.
He served with the British Royal Artillery in India and as a nurse with the U.S. army during the Spanish-American War. After returning to civilian life, he moved to Iowa and tried his hand at farming. He soon found the stage more appealing to him than the cornfields of Iowa and returned to the theater.