James Kirkwood Sr.
James Kirkwood Sr. | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 22, 1875 Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S. |
| Died | August 24, 1963 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Actor film director |
| Years active | 1909 - 1956 |
| Spouse | Lila Lee (1923 - 1931 (divorce)) |
James Kirkwood Sr. (February 22, 1875 – August 24, 1963) was an American actor and director.
Biography
Kirkwood debuted on screen in 1909 and was soon playing leads for D.W. Griffith. He started directing in 1912, and became a favorite of Mary Pickford. In 1923 he married actress Lila Lee; with her, he had a son, James Kirkwood Jr., who became a writer. He was George Melford's original choice for the starring role of Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan in The Sheik, which was later famously passed to Rudolph Valentino.[1][2] His directing career fizzled in 1920, but he continued acting well into the 1950s.
His film career would span more than two hundred films over nearly a half century. Many years later his son, James Jr., would become a successful writer, winning both a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize for A Chorus Line.[3][4]
Death
Following his death, he was interred at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City.
Partial filmography
- A Corner in Wheat (1909)
- At the Altar (1909)
- The Lonely Villa (1909)
- The Hessian Renegades (1909)
- Pippa Passes (1909)
- Fools of Fate (1909)
- Nursing a Viper (1909)
- The Death Disc: A Story of the Cromwellian Period (1909)
- The Red Man's View (1909)
- In Little Italy (1909)
- To Save Her Soul (1909)
- The Day After (1909)
- The Rocky Road (1910)
- The Woman from Mellon's (1910)
- The Bridal Room (1912)
- The Left-Handed Man (1913)
- The House of Discord (1913)
- The Green-Eyed Devil (1914)
- Home, Sweet Home (1914)
- Lord Chumley (1914)
- Behind the Scenes (1914)
- Cinderella (1914)
- Fanchon the Cricket (1915)
- The Lost Bridegroom (1916)
- Susie Snowflake (1916)
- The Uphill Path (1918)
- In the Heart of a Fool (1920)
- Love (1920)
- A Wise Fool (1921) (extant; Library of Congress)
- The Man from Home (1922)
- Pink Gods (1922)
- Under Two Flags (1922)
- Ebb Tide (1922)
- Human Wreckage (1923)
- Ponjola (1923)
- Love's Whirlpool (1924)
- Wandering Husbands (1924)
- Circe, the Enchantress (1924)
- That Royle Girl (1925)
- Million Dollar Mystery (1927)
- Someone to Love (1928)
- Hearts in Exile (1929)
- The Devil's Holiday (1930)
- Young Sinners (1931)
- Charlie Chan's Chance (1932)
- My Pal, the King (1932)
- Driftwood (1947)
- Red Stallion in the Rockies (1949)
- The Lone Ranger (1950 episode of the TV series entitled "Double Jeopardy")
- The Sun Shines Bright (1953)
References
- ^ "Greenroom Jottings (Page One)". Motion Picture Magazine. New York: Brewster Publications. October 1921. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ "Greenroom Jottings (Page Two)". Motion Picture Magazine. New York: Brewster Publications. October 1921. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
- ^ New York Times, “James Kirkwood, Actor, Dead at 80,” August 25, 1963, p. 82; Los Angeles Times, "Actor James Kirkwood Dies at 80”, August 25, 1963, p. K10
- ^ Whitfeld, Eileen, Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood, pp. 137–138
External links
- James Kirkwood Sr. at IMDb
- James Kirkwood Sr. at Internet Broadway Database, IBDb.com
- James Kirkwood Sr. at Find a Grave (NOTE: man in photo is not James Kirkwood Sr.)
- James Kirkwood Sr. profile at SilentGents.com (with correct photos of the correct James Kirkwood)[dead link]
- Kirkwood & Norma Shearer in Broken Barriers, 1924 (University of Washington's Sayre Collection)
- Kirkwood with Mrs. Wallace Reid(Dorothy) in Human Wreckage; 1923(Univ. of Washington, Sayre)
- portraits(University of Washington, Sayre)