Cast

Wilfred Lucas

Acting

Cast

Wilfred Lucas

Known for

Acting

Born

1871-01-29

From

Norfolk, Ontario, Canada

Died

1940-12-13

Also known as Wilfred Van Norman 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.

Wilfred Lucas

Wilfred Lucas

Biography

Modern Times

Mr. Smith Goes to Washington

Dishonored

Her Sacrifice

Hello Sister

Zenobia

The Westland Case

Jazzmania

Pardon Us

Dodge City

The Baroness and the Butler

The Nest

Burnt Fingers

Waterloo Bridge

The Devil's Brother

Through the Back Door

The Shadow of Lightning Ridge

Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages

Just Imagine

One Night of Love

Free Wheeling

Trilby

Gentleman Burglar

The Prisoner of Shark Island

Careless Lady

House of Mystery

They Drive by Night

Call Her Savage

Cleopatra

Santa Fe Trail

The Sea Wolf

Les Misérables

The Renunciation

Brother Orchid

Lucky Larrigan

The Mayor of Hell

Virginia City

The Spanish Jade

Over the Wall

The Devil-Doll

Women in Hiding

Those Who Dance

Naughty Marietta

Midnight Mary

Marked Woman

The Three Musketeers

The Failure

The Fatal Mistake

The Fighting 69th

What Price Hollywood?

Men Call It Love

Down on the Farm

The Blind Princess and the Poet

The Breaking Point

The Dark Horse

Criminal Lawyer

A Dispatch from Reuters

The Beautiful Liar

1776, or The Hessian Renegades

Cock o' the Walk

Four Daughters

Advice to the Lovelorn

The House on 56th Street

The Widow and the Widower

The Co-respondent

Flesh and Blood

Each Dawn I Die

Four Wives

Passion's Pathway

A Broadway Butterfly

Breakdowns of 1938

The Diamond Star

The Super Snooper

The White Angel

Frisco Kid

Madam Satan

The Dragon Murder Case