Wilfred Lucas
Biography
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.
Part of the group of Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, Lucas became friends and sometimes starred with Mary Pickford, Sam De Grasse, and Marie Dressler. Canadian-born director Mack Sennett hired him to both direct and act in a large number of films at his Keystone Studios.
Lucas made the successful transition from silent film to sound. While working in Hollywood, in 1926 he returned to the stage, performing in several Broadway plays. He later appeared as a foil for Laurel and Hardy in their feature films Pardon Us and A Chump at Oxford.
During his long career, Wilfred Lucas appeared in more than 375 films. Although for a time he was cast in leading roles, he became very successful as secondary and minor characters, making a good living in the film industry for more than three decades.
Acting (236 movies)
One Night of Love
1934
Modern Times
1936
Homicide Squad
1931
Stormy
1935
The Hushed Hour
1919
A Broadway Butterfly
1925
Brother Orchid
1940
A Chump at Oxford
1940
Heroes of the Street
1922
Paid Back
1922
The Long Road
1911
A Temporary Truce
1912
The Goddess of Sagebrush Gulch
1912
The Fighting Sap
1924
Lightning Romance
1924
North of Nevada
1924
Soldiers of Fortune
1919
Convicted
1931
The Bad Lands
1925
The Dragon Murder Case
1934
The Unwritten Law
1932
Love Time
1934
Midnight Mary
1933
Stockholm ”Queen of the Baltic”
1932
Brute Force
1914
The Dark Horse
1932
Freshman Year
1938
The Return of Chandu
1934
The Mayor of Hell
1933
The House on 56th Street
1933
Angkor
1935
What Every Woman Wants
1919
Idol of the Crowds
1937
Frisco Kid
1935
The Girl and Her Trust
1912
The Sea Wolf
1941
Racing for Life
1924
Cross-Examination
1932
The Galloping Ghost
1931
His Trust
1911
Big City Blues
1932
Varsity Show
1937
Chandu on the Magic Island
1935
Enoch Arden: Part II
1911
Enoch Arden: Part I
1911
When a Man Loves
1911
The Transformation of Mike
1912
The Massacre
1912
Winning Back His Love
1910
The Moth
1934
Love on a Bet
1936
His Trust Fulfilled
1911
Mary Stevens, M.D.
1933
The Kentucky Derby
1922
Sister to Judas
1932
The Three Musketeers
1933
Criminal Lawyer
1937
The Lily and the Rose
1915
Cock o' the Walk
1930
The Age for Love
1931
A Terrible Discovery
1911
The Devil-Doll
1936
The Baroness and the Butler
1938
As No Man Has Loved
1925
Phantom Thunderbolt
1933
House of Mystery
1931
Macbeth
1916
Red Noses
1932
Swords and Hearts
1911
The Greatest Menace
1923
Man's Genesis
1912
The Taming of the Shrew
1908
Daughters of Pleasure
1924
The Intruder
1933
Riders of the Purple Sage
1925
Careless Lady
1932
Air Fright
1933
We Who Are About to Die
1937
A Man to Remember
1938
Brother Rat
1938
Night Spot
1938
Zenobia
1939
Kind Lady
1935
Beloved Enemy
1936
The White Angel
1936
The Primal Call
1911
You Said a Mouthful
1932
Dodge City
1939
Almost a Gentleman
1939
Women in the Wind
1939
Navy Blue and Gold
1937
Each Dawn I Die
1939
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
1939
The Daredevil Drivers
1938
Four Wives
1939
Raffles
1939
Nick Carter, Master Detective
1939
Looser Than Loose
1930
The Marshal Of Mesa City
1939
The Preview Murder Mystery
1936
Directing (24 movies)
Pirate Gold
1913
The Speed Kings
1913
The Severed Hand
1914
Fatty's Day Off
1913
A Quiet Little Wedding
1913
The Milk We Drink
1913
A Misplaced Foot
1914
The Romance of Tarzan
1918
The Spanish Jade
1915
A Sailor’s Heart
1912
Jim Bludso
1917
The Unwritten Law
1932
Hands Up!
1917
A Love Sublime
1917
Her Sacrifice
1926
With the Enemy's Help
1912
The Man from Kangaroo
1920
Morgan's Raiders
1918
The Fighting Breed
1921
The Trey o' Hearts
1914
Baby Day
1913
A Glimpse of Los Angeles
1914
A Pair of Pink Pajamas
1918
Blind Love
1912
| Title | Year | Job |
|---|---|---|
| Sunshine Sue | 1910 | Writer |
| When Kings Were the Law | 1912 | Writer |
| The Chief's Blanket | 1912 | Writer |
| A Sailor’s Heart | 1912 | Writer |
| A Love Sublime | 1917 | Writer |
| Hands Up! | 1917 | Writer |
| Morgan's Raiders | 1918 | Writer |
| The Fighting Breed | 1921 | Writer |
| Racing for Life | 1924 | Screenplay |
| Igloo | 1932 | Writer |