Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-50 of 408
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Ernest Lawrence Thayer was born on 14 August 1863 in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA. He was a writer, known for Casey at the Bat (1927), Casey at the Bat (1916) and Casey at the Bat (1899). He was married to Rosalind Buel Hammett. He died on 21 August 1940 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Lewis E. Jones was born on 8 February 1865 in Yates City, Illinois, USA. Lewis E. died on 1 September 1936 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Robert Livingston Beeckman was born on 15 April 1866 in New York City, New York, USA. He died on 20 January 1935 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- George Broadhurst was born on 3 June 1866 in Walsall, England, UK. He was a writer, known for Today (1930), The Call of the North (1914) and Rich Man, Poor Man (1918). He was married to Lillian Trimble Bradley and Ida Raymond. He died on 31 January 1952 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Actress
- Writer
- Director
Once you saw her, you would not forget her. Despite her age and weight, she became one of the top box office draws of the sound era. She was 14 when she joined a theater group and she went on to work on stage and in light opera. By 1892, she was on Broadway and she later became a star comedienne on the vaudeville circuit. In 1910, she had a hit with 'Tillie's Nightmare' which Mack Sennett adapted to film as Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914) with Charles Chaplin. Marie took top billing over a young Chaplin, but her film career never took off and by 1918, she was out of films and out of work. Her role in the chorus girls' strike of 1917 had her blacklisted from the theaters. In 1927, MGM screenwriter Frances Marion got her a small part in The Joy Girl (1927) and then a co-starring lead with Polly Moran in The Callahans and the Murphys (1927) (which was abruptly withdrawn from circulation thanks to objections of Irish-American groups over its depiction of gin-guzzling Irish). Her career stalled and the 59-year old actress found herself no longer in demand. In the late 1920s she had been largely forgotten and reduced to near-poverty. Despite her last film being a financial disaster, Irving Thalberg, somewhat incredibly, sensed her potential was determined to re-build her into a star. It was a slow return in films but her popularity continued to grow. But it was sound that made her a star again. Anna Christie (1930) was the movie where Garbo talks, but everyone noticed Marie as Marthy. In an era of Harlow, Garbo and Crawford, it was homely old Marie Dressler that won the coveted exhibitor's poll as the most popular actress for three consecutive years. In another film from the same year, Min and Bill (1930) she received a best actress Oscar for her dramatic performance. She received another Academy Award nomination for Emma (1932). She had more success with Dinner at Eight (1933) and Tugboat Annie (1933). In 1934, cancer claimed her life.- Actor
- Additional Crew
As a young boy in England, Lawrence Grant became a great admirer of the Native American peoples. He devoured every book or article he could get his hands on relating to their culture and history. Years later Grant got the opportunity to spend some months living with several Native American tribes in Wyoming and Montana. He filmed his experiences using an early motion picture color film process called Kinemacolor. Later, after editing the thousands of feet of film he shot, Grant embarked on a lecture tour that he named "Travels with Kinemacolor".
Grant first came to America in 1908 with a repertoire company that also starred Pauline Frederick. Within a few years he was able to launch a successful 25 year career as a Hollywood character actor.
Lawrence Grant died on 19 February 1952, in Santa Barbara, California, at the age of 81. His health began to fail him the previous year after four performances he gave at the Santa Barbara Lobero Theater during a major heat wave. Though married four times, the only immediate family he had at the time of his death was four nieces living in England.- Karl Eitel was born on 17 January 1871 in Stuttgart, Germany. He was married to Maria Boldenweck and Ann Schmidt. He died on 9 March 1954 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Emma Kluge was born on 8 May 1872 in Germany. She was an actress, known for Molly Go Get 'Em (1918), Powers That Prey (1918) and Annie-for-Spite (1917). She died on 16 August 1944 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
- Director
Rob Wagner moved to Santa Barbara from Detroit in 1906. He settled in Los Angeles about 1909. His first scenario for a film, "The Artist's Sons," was produced by Selig Studios in 1911. Between 1915 and 1918 he wrote a series of articles on the film industry for the Saturday Evening Post. Wagner was Charlie Chaplin's publicity man and confidant for many years. He was a director of Will Rogers film shorts. He was founder, editor and publisher of Rob Wagner's Script, a literary magazine for the film community. The magazine was published from 1929 to 1949.- Director
- Cinematographer
- Writer
David Smith was born on 28 October 1872 in Faversham, Kent, England, UK. He was a director and cinematographer, known for The Man from Brodney's (1923), The Woman in the Web (1918) and Captain Blood (1924). He was married to Emma Wilgers. He died on 25 April 1930 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- May Milloy was born on 25 January 1875 in Dublin, Ireland, UK [now Republic of Ireland]. She was an actress, known for The Man from Blankley's (1930), Dad's Day (1929) and Hurdy Gurdy (1929). She was married to Ford West. She died on 18 November 1967 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Cinematographer
Thomas B. Middleton was born on 8 June 1875 in Lafayette, Indiana, USA. He was a cinematographer, known for Damaged Goods (1914), The Old Maid's Baby (1919) and South Sea Adventures (1932). He died on 5 November 1945 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- S.K. Shilling was born on 15 October 1875 in New York, USA. He was an actor, known for A Broadway Scandal (1918) and The Wife He Bought (1918). He died on 9 March 1952 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Edward A. Salisbury was born on 1 December 1875 in California, USA. He was a director and producer, known for The Lost Empire (1929), Gow (1931) and Wild Life of America in Films (1915). He died on 17 July 1962 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Writer
- Actress
Grace Helen Bailey was born on 9 August 1876 in California, USA. She was a writer and actress, known for Polly Put the Kettle On (1917), His Return (1916) and Sirens of the Sea (1917). She died on 25 November 1946 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Daisy Prideaux was born on 19 February 1877 in Jackson, California, USA. She was an actress, known for Saved by Fire (1912), A Crucial Test (1912) and The Box Car Baby (1912). She was married to Edwin Bascomb Prideaux. She died on 27 November 1943 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
Perry Banks was born on 24 April 1877 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. He was an actor and writer, known for In Trust (1915), Competition (1915) and The Coming of the Padres (1914). He died on 10 October 1934 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Howard M. Ewing was born on 27 April 1878 in Canada. He is known for The River's End (1920) and Don't Ever Marry (1920). He died on 1 October 1958 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Art Director
- Production Designer
- Set Decorator
Carl Oscar Borg was born on 3 March 1879 in Sweden. Carl Oscar was an art director and production designer, known for The Night of Love (1927), Two Lovers (1928) and The Black Pirate (1926). Carl Oscar was married to Lily Lindstrom and Madeline Carriel. Carl Oscar died on 8 May 1947 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Lillian Trimble Bradley was born on 23 April 1879 in Milton, Kentucky, USA. Lillian Trimble was a writer, known for What Happened Then? (1934), The Woman on the Index (1919) and The Wonderful Thing (1921). Lillian Trimble was married to George Broadhurst and Daniel I. Bradley (broker). Lillian Trimble died on 7 January 1959 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Irene Outtrim was born on 17 February 1880 in Bright, Victoria, Australia. She was an actress, known for Salvation Nell (1915), The Unwritten Law (1916) and Heart of Juanita (1919). She was married to Andrew Jackson Shumate, Allen Bishop, Elmer Booth and Eric Vansittart Ernest Neil. She died on 10 April 1949 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Editor
American leading man of silent pictures. Born into affluence in Chicago, he attended the University of Chicago on scholarship and remained there as a professor of psychology and philosophy. A chance visit to the school by actor- manager Donald Robertson led to Sills abandoning his career and joining Robertson's stock company as an actor in 1905. Three years later he went to New York and was an immediate Broadway success. After nearly twenty productions, he was wooed into films by producer William A. Brady. Sills debuted in The Pit (1914) and was just as immediately a success in movies. His stalwart personality and handsome looks brought him a following, and his talent extended to a wide variety of roles in an equally wide variety of genres. Although he free-lanced for many years, working at almost every studio, he signed with First National in 1924 and made a couple dozen films there. Still popular at the advent of sound, he seemed assured of a continued career, but physical, emotional, and financial difficulties disrupted his life in the late 1920s. He died suddenly of a heart attack while playing tennis in 1930 at the age of 48. He was survived by his second wife, actress Doris Kenyon, and his two children.- Writer
- Director
- Actor
John Smith was born on 6 June 1882. He was a writer and director, known for Forward March (1923), The Chicken Parade (1922) and Tenderfoot Luck (1922). He died on 15 October 1953 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Writer
- Soundtrack
Herman Hagedorn was born on 18 July 1882 in New York City, New York, USA. He was a writer, known for The Rough Riders (1927) and Cairo (1942). He was married to Dorothy Hagedorn. He died on 27 July 1964 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Julius Berstl was born on 6 August 1883 in Bernburg, Germany. He was a writer, known for Nie wieder Liebe! (1931), Calais-Douvres (1931) and Mrs. Cheney's Ende (1965). He died on 8 December 1975 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- June Pickerell was born on 6 September 1883 in Lowell, Wisconsin, USA. She was an actress, known for Overland to Deadwood (1942) and Texas Masquerade (1944). She died on 19 February 1962 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Animation Department
Roy Forkum was born on 23 March 1884 in Pennsylvania, USA. He is known for Fantasia (1940) and Boy Meets Dog (1938). He died on 29 March 1955 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Art Director
- Director
Hugh Reticker was born on 19 November 1884 in Rock Island, Illinois, USA. He was an art director and director, known for Right Off the Bat (1915), Sergeant Murphy (1938) and Between Two Worlds (1944). He died on 3 December 1969 in Santa Barbara County, California, USA.- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
- Actor
Oscar W. Forster was born on 17 February 1885 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an assistant director and actor, known for Man of the Hour (1914), Vanity Fair (1915) and The Flight of the Duchess (1916). He died on 12 June 1951 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Leslie Swabacker was born on 31 March 1885 in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Leslie was a writer, known for Batman (1943), The Desert Hawk (1944) and The Phantom (1943). Leslie died on 11 June 1955 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Actor
- Additional Crew
- Soundtrack
Christian Rub was born on 13 April 1886 in Graz, Styria, Austria. He was an actor, known for You Can't Take It with You (1938), Peter Ibbetson (1935) and Girls' Dormitory (1936). He was married to Amy. He died on 14 April 1956 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Lilian Fontaine was born on 11 June 1886 in Reading, Berkshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Lost Weekend (1945), Ivy (1947) and The Locket (1946). She was married to George Milan Fontaine and Walter Augustus de Havilland. She died on 20 February 1975 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Director
- Actor
- Writer
Actor / director John Cromwell was born December 23, 1887, in Toledo, OH. He made his Broadway debut on October 14, 1912, in Marian De Forest's adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's "Little Women" at the Playhouse Theatre. The show was a hit, running for a total of 184 performances. Cromwell appeared in another 38 plays on Broadway between February 24, 1914--when he appeared in Frank Craven's "Too Many Cooks" at the 39th Street Theatre (a hit show he co-directed with Craven that ran for a total of 223 performances)--and October 31, 1971, when he closed with "Solitaire/Double Solitaire" at the John Golden Theatre after 36 performances. In addition to "Cooks", Cromwell directed or staged 11 plays and produced seven plays on Broadway. Among the highlights of his Broadway acting career were his multiple appearances as a Shavian actor. He was "Charles Lomax" in the original Broadway production of George Bernard Shaw's "Major Barbara" in 1915 (Guthrie McClintic, who married Katharine Cornell in 1921 and became a notable Broadway director, played a butler) and as "Capt. Kearney" in the revival of "Captain Brassbound's Conversion" the following year (McClintic played "Marzo"). He also appeared as "Brother Martin Ladvenu" in Katharine Cornell's 1936 "Saint Joan", directed by McClintic, and played "Freddy Eynsford Hill" in Cedric Hardwicke's 1945 revival of "Pygmalion", starring Gertrude Lawrence as "Eliza Doolittle" and Raymond Massey as "Henry Higgins".
As for William Shakespeare, he played "Paris" to Katharine Cornell's "Juliet" and Maurice Evans' "Romeo" in McClntic's "Rome and Juliet" in 1935, and appeared as "Rosenkrantz" in McClintic's 1936 Broadway staging of "Hamlet", with John Gielgud in the title role, Lillian Gish as "Ophelia" and Judith Anderson as "Gertrude". He also appeared as "Lennox" in the 1948 revival of Shakespeare's "Scottish Play", with Michael Redgrave as "Macbeth" and Flora Robson as "Lady Macbeth" (young actors also featured in the play who went on to renown were Julie Harris, Martin Balsam and Beatrice Straight). Cromwell won a Tony Award as Best Featured Actor in a Play in 1952 for "Point of No Return", in which he supported Henry Fonda, and appeared as the father, "Linus Larabee Sr.", in "Sabrina Fair" the next year.
With the advent of sound pictures, Cromwell went "Hollywood" in 1929, appearing in The Dummy (1929) in support of Ruth Chatterton and Fredric March. He also co-directed two talkies with A. Edward Sutherland that year, Close Harmony (1929) and The Dance of Life (1929) (he had a bit part as a doorman in the latter). After learning the craft of directing, he directed The Mighty (1929) with George Bancroft, in which he made innovative use of sound. He also directed Jackie Coogan in Tom Sawyer (1930) the next year. He made his name with Ann Vickers (1933) in 1933 and Of Human Bondage (1934) in 1934, two films he shot for RKO based on novels by the preeminent writers Sinclair Lewis and W. Somerset Maugham. Both movies ran into censorship trouble. Lewis' "Ann Vickers" featured Irene Dunne as a reformer and birth control advocate who has a torrid extramarital affair. The novel had been condemned by the Catholic Church, and the proposed movie adaptation proved controversial. The Studio Relations Committee, headed by James Wingate (whose deputy was future Production Code Administration head Joseph Breen, a Roman Catholic intellectual) condemned the script as "vulgarly offensive" before production began. The SRC, which oversaw the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors Association's Production Code, refused to approve the script without major modifications, but RKO production chief Merian C. Cooper balked over its excessive demands. Though studio head B.B. Kahane protested the SRC's actions to MPPDA President Will Hays, the studio agreed to make "Ann Vickers" an unmarried woman at the time of her affair, thus eliminating adultery as an issue, and the film received a Seal of Approval. The battle over "Ann Vickers" was one of the reasons the more powerful PCA was created in 1934 to take the place of the SRC.
Joseph Breen, now head of the PCA, warned that the script for W. Somerset Maugham's "Of Human Bondage" was "highly offensive" because the prostitute "Mildred", whom the protagonist, medical student "Philip Carey", falls in love with, comes down with syphilis. Breen demanded that Mildred be turned into less of a tramp, that she be afflicted with tuberculosis rather than syphilis and that she be married to Carey's friend whom she cheats on him with. RKO gave in on every point, as the PCA, unlike the SRC, had the ability to levy a $25,000 fine for violations of the Production Code. Despite the changes, chapters of the Catholic Church's Legion Of Deceny condemned the film in Chicago, Detroit, Omaha and Pittsburgh. Despite a picket line manned by local priests in Chicago, Cromwell's film broke all records at the Hippodrome Theater when it played there in August 1934. Five hundred people had to be turned away opening night. It seemed that wherever the Legion of Decency had condemned the film, it played to capacity crowds. In 1935 Breen ruled that "Of Human Bondage" would have to be changed if RKO wished to re-release it.
Other major films Cromwell directed include Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Algiers (1938), Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940), Since You Went Away (1944) and Anna and the King of Siam (1946). In 1951 he directed The Racket (1951) starring Robert Mitchum, Lizabeth Scott, and Robert Ryan; he had appeared in the original staging of the Broadway play by Bartlett Cormack on which the movie was based back in 1927.
Busy on Broadway in the 1950s, it was seven years before he directed another film, The Goddess (1958), with a screenplay by Paddy Chayefsky and starring Kim Stanley. He directed two more minor films before calling it quits as a movie director in 1961. As a director, Cromwell eschewed flashy camera work, as he felt it detracted from both the story and the actors' performances. Late in his life director Robert Altman cast Cromwell as an actor in two of his films, 3 Women (1977) and A Wedding (1978).
John Cromwell died on September 26, 1979, in Santa Barbara, CA.- Producer
- Editor
- Additional Crew
Harry L. Decker was born on 29 January 1887 in California, USA. He was a producer and editor, known for Motor Madness (1937), Shakedown (1936) and Dangerous Intrigue (1936). He was married to Edith Decker. He died on 14 October 1959 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Charles Nordhoff was born on 1 February 1887 in London, England, UK. He was a writer, known for The Hurricane (1937), Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) and Mutiny on the Bounty (1962). He was married to Laura Grainger Whiley and Christianne 'Vahine Tua' Tearae Smidt. He died on 10 April 1947 in Santa Barbara County, California, USA.
- Actor
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Will Morrissey was born on 19 June 1887 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an actor and writer, known for Look-Out Sister (1947) and The Morrissey & Miller Night Club Revue (1928). He died on 16 December 1957 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Madama Ganna Walska was born on 24 June 1887 in Poland. She was an actress, known for The Child of Destiny (1916). She was married to Harold McCormick, Theos Bernard and Doctor Fraenkel. She died on 2 March 1984 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- T. Jerome Lawler was born on 13 July 1887 in Canada. He was an actor, known for The Dazzling Miss Davison (1917), Slander (1916) and Wife Number Two (1917). He died on 6 January 1974 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Actress
- Writer
Bessie Banks was born on 18 August 1887 in Worthington, Minnesota, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for Youth's Endearing Charm (1916), Dulcie's Adventure (1916) and The House of a Thousand Scandals (1915). She was married to James Taylor, Jesse Lovell and Perry Banks. She died on 25 June 1969 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Jessie Glendinning was born on 14 September 1887 in Malton, Yorkshire, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Telephone Time (1956). She was married to Everett Butterfield, Gilbert Miller, Edward S. Beck and Ralph F. Baggs. She died on 12 April 1987 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Marcelle Hemphill was born on 17 January 1888 in Iowa, USA. She was an actress, known for Night of the Ghouls (1959). She died on 12 January 1981 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Lotte Lehmann was born on 27 February 1888 in Perleberg, Germany. She was an actress, known for Big City (1948), Wäsche - Waschen - Wohlergehen (1932) and The Day of the Locust (1975). She was married to Otto Krause-Jakobowitz. She died on 26 August 1976 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Allan Stone was born on 28 June 1888 in California, USA. He was an actor, known for Winsome Winnie (1914). He died on 12 June 1962 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Actor
- Soundtrack
Claud Allister was born on 3 October 1888 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1937), Bulldog Drummond (1929) and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949). He was married to Daisy Isabel Douglas Overend (aka Dorothy Overend, actress), Barbara Fay and Gwen Dowling. He died on 26 July 1970 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Director
- Writer
- Producer
F.W. Murnau was a German film director. He was greatly influenced by Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Shakespeare and Ibsen plays he had seen at the age of 12, and became a friend of director Max Reinhardt. During World War I he served as a company commander at the eastern front and was in the German air force, surviving several crashes without any severe injuries.
One of Murnau's acclaimed works is the 1922 film Nosferatu, an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Although not a commercial success due to copyright issues with Stoker's novel, the film is considered a masterpiece of Expressionist film.
He later emigrated to Hollywood in 1926, where he joined the Fox Studio and made three films: Sunrise (1927), 4 Devils (1928) and City Girl (1930). The first of these three is widely regarded as one of the greatest films ever made.
In 1931 Murnau travelled to Bora Bora to make the film Tabu (1931) with documentary film pioneer Robert J. Flaherty, who left after artistic disputes with Murnau, who had to finish the movie on his own. A week prior to the opening of the film Tabu, Murnau died in a Santa Barbara hospital from injuries he had received in an automobile accident that occurred along the Pacific Coast Highway near Rincon Beach, southeast of Santa Barbara. Only 11 people attended his funeral. Among them were Robert J. Flaherty, Emil Jannings, Greta Garbo and Fritz Lang, who delivered the eulogy.
Of the 21 films Murnau directed, eight are considered to be completely lost.
In July 2015 Murnau's grave was broken into, the remains disturbed and the skull removed by persons unknown. Wax residue was reportedly found at the site, leading some to speculate that candles had been lit, perhaps with an occult or ceremonial significance. As this disturbance was not an isolated incident, the cemetery managers are considering sealing the grave.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Murray Kinnell was born on 24 July 1889 in London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for The Public Enemy (1931), The Three Musketeers (1935) and Charlie Chan in Paris (1935). He was married to Henrietta Goodwin. He died on 11 August 1954 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- William K. Williamson was born on 5 August 1889 in Nottingham, England, UK. He was an actor. He died on 26 May 1975 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Mildred Cram was born on 17 October 1889 in Washington, District of Columbia, USA. She was a writer, known for An Affair to Remember (1957), Love Affair (1939) and Subway Sadie (1926). She was married to Clyde Stanley McDowell. She died on 4 April 1985 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.- Fred Ilenstine was born on 13 November 1889 in Santa Maria, California, USA. He was an actor, known for Method in His Madness (1910), Take Me Out to the Ball Game (1910) and Hank and Lank: As Sandwich Men (1910). He died on 16 February 1968 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.
- Mici Goty was born on 12 January 1890 in Budapest, Hungary. She was an actress, known for Voodoo Man (1944). She died on 24 July 1946 in Santa Barbara, California, USA.