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Wilfred Lucas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wilfred Lucas (January 30, 1871 – December 13, 1940) was a Canadian-born American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter.
Wilfred Lucas made his Broadway debut in 1904, playing in both the The Blue Grass Handicap and The Superstition of Sue. Following his 1906 role in the highly successful play The Chorus Lady, he was recruited to the fledgling Biograph Studios by D. W. Griffith.
At the time, the film business was still looked down upon by many members of the theatrical community. In her 1925 book titled When the Movies Were Young, Griffith's wife, actress Linda Arvidson, told the story of the early days at Biograph Studios. In it, she referred to Lucas as the "first real grand actor, democratic enough to work in Biograph movies." In 1908 Lucas made his motion picture debut in Griffith's The Greaser's Gauntlet, appearing in more than 50 of these short (usually 17 minutes) films over the next two years.
In 1910 while still acting, he wrote the script for Griffith's film Sunshine Sue, which was followed by many more scripts by 1924. Lucas also began directing in 1912 with Griffith on An Outcast Among Outcasts, and directed another 44 films over the next 20 years.
In early 1916 he starred as John Carter in Acquitted, about which Photoplay wrote, "No single performance in the records of active photography has surpassed his visualization of the humble book-keeper in Acquitted." Later in 1916 he appeared in D.W. Griffith's film Intolerance.
As director
The Unwritten Law
Her Sacrifice
The Fighting Breed
The Man from Kangaroo
The Shadow of Lightning Ridge
The Jackeroo of Coolabong
The Girl from Nowhere
The Romance of Tarzan
Morgan's Raiders
A Pair of Pink Pajamas
The Red, Red Heart
The Testing of Mildred Vane
The Return of Mary
Jim Bludso
Hands Up!
A Love Sublime
The Spanish Jade
The Severed Hand
A Misplaced Foot
The Trey o' Hearts
A Glimpse of Los Angeles
Pirate Gold
The Speed Kings
Fatty's Day Off
A Quiet Little Wedding
The Milk We Drink
Baby Day
A Sailor’s Heart
With the Enemy's Help
Blind Love
As actor
The Best of Laurel and Hardy
The Sea Wolf
Brother Orchid
A Chump at Oxford
Women in Hiding
The Fighting 69th
Legion of the Lawless
Edison, the Man
Santa Fe Trail
Virginia City
Triple Justice
Waterloo Bridge
A Dispatch from Reuters
They Drive by Night
Women Without Names
Tear Gas Squad
Zenobia
Dodge City
Almost a Gentleman
Women in the Wind
Each Dawn I Die
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Four Wives
Raffles
Nick Carter, Master Detective
The Marshal Of Mesa City
The Day the Bookies Wept
Freshman Year
The Baroness and the Butler
A Man to Remember