
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 |