Ford Sterling
Encyclopedia
Ford Sterling was an American
comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios
. One of the 'Big 4' he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops.
, he began his career in silent film
s in 1911 with Biograph Studios
. When director Mack Sennett
left to set up Keystone Studios
, Sterling followed him. There, he performed what is probably his most remembered role as 'Chief Teeheezel' in the Keystone Cops series of slapstick
comedies in a successful career that spanned twenty-five years.
Making a smooth transition to talking films, Ford Sterling made the last of his more than two hundred and seventy film appearances in 1936. He died in 1939 of a heart attack
(following long standing diabetes) in Los Angeles, California
and is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ford Sterling has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6612 Hollywood Blvd.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios was an early movie studio founded in Edendale, California in 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. Bauman, owners of the New York Motion Picture Company...
. One of the 'Big 4' he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops.
Biography
Born George Franklin Stich in La Crosse, WisconsinLa Crosse, Wisconsin
La Crosse is a city in and the county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States. The city lies alongside the Mississippi River.The 2011 Census Bureau estimates the city had a population of 52,485...
, he began his career in silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
s in 1911 with Biograph Studios
Biograph Studios
Biograph Studios was a studio facility and film laboratory complex built in 1912 by the Biograph Company, formerly American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, at 807 E. 175th Street, in the Bronx, New York....
. When director Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett
Mack Sennett was a Canadian-born American director and was known as the innovator of slapstick comedy in film. During his lifetime he was known at times as the "King of Comedy"...
left to set up Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios
Keystone Studios was an early movie studio founded in Edendale, California in 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from Adam Kessel and Charles O. Bauman, owners of the New York Motion Picture Company...
, Sterling followed him. There, he performed what is probably his most remembered role as 'Chief Teeheezel' in the Keystone Cops series of slapstick
Slapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
comedies in a successful career that spanned twenty-five years.
Making a smooth transition to talking films, Ford Sterling made the last of his more than two hundred and seventy film appearances in 1936. He died in 1939 of a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
(following long standing diabetes) in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
.
For his contribution to the motion picture industry, Ford Sterling has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6612 Hollywood Blvd.
Selected filmography
- Safe in JailSafe in JailSafe in Jail is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Charles Avery* Edgar Kennedy* Hank Mann* Charles Murray* Ford Sterling...
(1913) - Murphy's I.O.U.Murphy's I.O.U.Murphy's I.O.U. is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Phyllis Allen* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Nick Cogley* Dot Farley* Henry Lehrman* Fred Mace - Murphy* Hank Mann* Charles Murray* Mack Sennett - Policeman* Ford Sterling...
(1913) - His Chum the BaronHis Chum the BaronHis Chum the Baron is a 1913 short comedy film. Harold Lloyd is said to have appeared in this film, but this is unconfirmed.-Cast:* Ford Sterling* Hank Mann* Edgar Kennedy* Betty Schade* Vernon Smith* Harold Lloyd...
(1913) - That Ragtime BandThat Ragtime BandThat Ragtime Band is a 1913 short comedy film directed by Mack Sennett and featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Ford Sterling - Prof. Smelts* Mabel Normand - Mabel* Nick Cogley - Rival musician* Alice Davenport* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Raymond Hatton...
(1913) - The Foreman of the JuryThe Foreman of the JuryThe Foreman of the Jury is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Mabel Normand.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Fred Mace* Hank Mann* Mabel Normand* Ford Sterling-See also:* List of American films of 1913* Fatty Arbuckle filmography* Jury foreman...
(1913) - The GangstersThe GangstersThe Gangsters is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle as one of the Keystone Cops.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Nick Cogley* Fred Mace* Hank Mann* Ford Sterling* Al St. John...
(1913) - Barney Oldfield's Race for a LifeBarney Oldfield's Race for a LifeBarney Oldfield's Race for a Life is a silent comedy short, directed and produced by Mack Sennett and starring Sennett, Mabel Normand, and Barney Oldfield as himself...
(1913) - The Waiters' PicnicThe Waiters' PicnicThe Waiters' Picnic is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, and Al St. John.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Mabel Normand* Al St. John* Hank Mann* Ford Sterling...
(1913) - Peeping PetePeeping PetePeeping Pete is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Phyllis Allen* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle - Pete's wife* Charles Avery* Viola Barry - * Nick Cogley - Sheriff* Dot Farley* Mack Sennett - Pete...
(1913) - A BanditA BanditA Bandit is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle. A print of the film survives.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Nick Cogley* Ford Sterling as The Bandit* Al St. John...
(1913) - For the Love of MabelFor the Love of MabelFor the Love of Mabel is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle....
(1913) - Love and CourageLove and CourageLove and Courage is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle....
(1913) - Professor Bean's RemovalProfessor Bean's RemovalProfessor Bean's Removal is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Charles Murray* Mabel Normand* Ford Sterling...
(1913) - The RiotThe RiotThe Riot is a 1913 short comedy film directed by Mack Sennett and starring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Phyllis Allen* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Alice Davenport* Hank Mann* Charles Murray* Mabel Normand* Ford Sterling* Al St. John...
(1913) - Mabel's Dramatic CareerMabel's Dramatic CareerMabel's Dramatic Career is a 1913 short comedy film starring Mabel Normand and featuring Roscoe Arbuckle.The film features a film within a film and uses multiple exposure to show a film being projected in a cinema.-Cast:...
(1913) - The Faithful TaxicabThe Faithful TaxicabThe Faithful Taxicab is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle....
(1913) - When Dreams Come TrueWhen Dreams Come TrueWhen Dreams Come True is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Fred Mace* Mabel Normand* Ford Sterling...
(1913) - Two Old TarsTwo Old TarsTwo Old Tars is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Phyllis Allen* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Nick Cogley* Charles Murray* Ford Sterling...
(1913) - The Speed KingsThe Speed KingsThe Speed Kings is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Ford Sterling - Papa* Mabel Normand - Mabel* Teddy Tetzlaff - Himself - a race car driver* Earl Cooper - Himself - a race car driver...
(1913) - Fatty at San DiegoFatty at San DiegoFatty at San Diego is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle and Mabel Normand.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle - Fatty* Mabel Normand - Mabel* Phyllis Allen* Minta Durfee* Henry Lehrman* Ford Sterling...
(1913) - Wine (1913)
- A Ride for a BrideA Ride for a BrideA Ride for a Bride is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Charles Avery* Alice Davenport* Edgar Kennedy* Ford Sterling...
(1913) - Fatty's FlirtationFatty's FlirtationFatty's Flirtation is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Minta Durfee* William Hauber* Hank Mann* Mabel Normand* Ford Sterling...
(1913) - Some NerveSome NerveSome Nerve is a 1913 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Cecile Arnold* Alice Davenport* Dot Farley* Edgar Kennedy* George Nichols* Ford Sterling...
(19131913 in filmThe year 1913 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* The Squaw Man, the first Hollywood feature film, is made.* December 29, Charlie Chaplin signs a contract with Mack Sennett to begin making films at Keystone Studios.* D. W...
) - Cohen Saves the FlagCohen Saves the FlagCohen Saves the Flag is a 1913 U.S. comedy film directed and produced by Mack Sennett, and starring Ford Sterling and Mabel Normand.-Plot:...
(1913) - A Game of Pool (1913)
- A Misplaced FootA Misplaced FootA Misplaced Foot is a 1914 short comedy film starring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Minta Durfee* Hank Mann* Mabel Normand* Ford Sterling* Al St. John...
(1914) - In the Clutches of the GangIn the Clutches of the GangIn the Clutches of the Gang is a 1914 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Charles Avery* Nick Cogley* George Jeske - Keystone Kop* Edgar Kennedy* Hank Mann* Harry McCoy* Rube Miller* George Nichols...
(1914) - A Robust RomeoA Robust RomeoA Robust Romeo is a 1914 short comedy film featuring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Phyllis Allen* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Alice Davenport* Ford Sterling* Mack Swain...
(1914) - Between ShowersBetween ShowersBetween Showers is a 1914 short film made by Keystone Studios and directed by Henry Lehrman. It starred Charlie Chaplin, Ford Sterling, Emma Bell Clifton, and Chester Conklin.-Plot:...
(1914) - Tango TanglesTango TanglesTango Tangles is a 1914 American-made motion picture starring Charlie Chaplin and Fatty Arbuckle. Chaplin appears with no moustache. The action takes place in a dance hall, with a drunken Chaplin, Ford Sterling, and the huge, menacing, and acrobatic Arbuckle fighting over a girl.-Cast:* Charles...
(1914) - That Minstrel ManThat Minstrel ManThat Minstrel Man is a 1914 short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle....
(1914) - The Sea NymphsThe Sea Nymphs (film)The Sea Nymphs is a 1914 short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Minta Durfee - Fatty's wife* Charles Avery - Mabel's father* Ford Sterling - Man on beach* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Alice Davenport - Fatty's mother in law...
(19141914 in filmThe year 1914 in film involved some significant events, including the debut of Cecil B. DeMille as a director.-Events:*The 3,300-seat Mark Strand Theatre opens in New York City....
) - Hogan's Romance UpsetHogan's Romance UpsetHogan's Romance Upset is a 1915 short comedy film directed by Charles Avery and featuring both Fatty Arbuckle and Harold Lloyd in uncredited roles as a spectators.-Cast:* Charles Murray - Hogan* Bobby Dunn - Weary Willie* Louise Fazenda* Ben Turpin...
(1915) - That Little Band of GoldThat Little Band of GoldThat Little Band of Gold is a 1915 short comedy film directed by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle and starring Arbuckle, Mabel Normand, and Ford Sterling.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle - Hubby* Mabel Normand - Wifey* Ford Sterling - Gassy Gotrox...
(1915) - Court House CrooksCourt House CrooksCourt House Crooks is a 1915 short comedy film. It features Harold Lloyd in an uncredited role.-Cast:* Ford Sterling - The District Attorney* Charles Arling - The Judge* Minta Durfee - The Judge's Wife* Doris Baker - Little Sister...
(1915) - Fatty and the Broadway StarsFatty and the Broadway StarsFatty and the Broadway Stars is a 1915 short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle* Ivy Crosthwaite* Mack Sennett* Joe Weber* Lew Fields* Sam Bernard* William Collier Sr.* Joe Jackson* Brett Clark...
(19151915 in filmThe year 1915 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 8 : D.W Griffith's The Birth of a Nation premieres at Clune's Auditorium Los Angeles and breaks box office and film length records, running at a total length of 3 hrs 10 minutes.* June 18 : The Motion Picture Directors...
) - The Day of FaithThe Day of FaithThe Day of Faith is a 1923 drama film directed by Tod Browning.-Cast:* Eleanor Boardman - Jane Maynard* Tyrone Power, Sr. - Michael Anstell * Raymond Griffith - Tom Barnett* Wallace MacDonald - John Anstell...
(19231923 in film-Events:*April 15 - Lee De Forest demonstrates the Phonofilm sound-on-film system at the Rivoli Theater in New York with a series of short musical films featuring vaudeville performers.-Top grossing films :-Films released in 1923:U.S.A...
) - HollywoodHollywood (1923 film)Hollywood was a silent comedy film directed by James Cruze, co-written by Frank Condon and Thomas J. Geraghty, and released by Paramount Pictures.The film has become famous as having featured cameos of more than thirty famous Hollywood stars...
(1923) cameo - Wild OrangesWild OrangesWild Oranges is a 1924 silent drama film directed by King Vidor. On January 12, 2010 the film had its first home video release, on the Warner Archive DVD series.-Plot:...
(1924) - He Who Gets SlappedHe Who Gets SlappedHe Who Gets Slapped is a 1924 film starring Lon Chaney, Norma Shearer, and John Gilbert. It was directed by Victor Sjöström. The film is based on the Russian play Тот, кто получает пощёчины by playwright Leonid Andreyev, which was published in 1914 and in English, as He Who Gets Slapped, in 1922...
(19241924 in film-Events:* Entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer Pictures to create Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer...
) - Stage StruckStage Struck (1925 film)Stage Struck is a silent comedy film starring Gloria Swanson, Lawrence Gray, Gertrude Astor, and Ford Sterling. The film was directed by Allan Dwan, and released by Paramount Pictures with sequences filmed in the early two-color Technicolor. The film, including its Technicolor sequences was...
(1925) - MantrapMantrap (film)Mantrap is a 1926 American black-and-white silent film based on the novel of the same name by Sinclair Lewis...
(19261926 in film-Events:*August - Warner Brothers debuts the first Vitaphone film, Don Juan. The Vitaphone system used multiple 33⅓ rpm disc records developed by Bell Telephone Laboratories and Western Electric to play back audio synchronized with film....
) - The Show OffThe Show OffThe Show Off is a 1926 silent film comedy produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Mal St. Clair and starred Ford Sterling, Lois Wilson and Louise Brooks. It is based on a 1924 Broadway play that had Lee Tracy in the cast...
(1926) - The American VenusThe American VenusThe American Venus is an American feature film directed by Frank Tuttle, and starring Esther Ralston, Ford Sterling, Edna May Oliver, Lawrence Gray, Fay Lanphier, Louise Brooks, Kenneth MacKenna, and Douglas Fairbanks Jr., and released by Paramount Pictures. Brooks appears, in her first credited...
(1926) - Casey at the BatCasey at the Bat (1927 film)Casey at the Bat is a 1927 silent film starring Wallace Beery, Ford Sterling, Zasu Pitts, and Sterling Holloway. The film was directed by Monte Brice and loosely based on the baseball poem "Casey at the Bat" written by Ernest Thayer.-Cast:...
(1927) - For the Love of MikeFor the Love of MikeFor the Love of Mike was a 1927 American silent romantic drama film. Directed by Frank Capra, the film starred Claudette Colbert and Ben Lyon. The film is now considered to be a lost film....
(19271927 in film-Events:*January 10 - Fritz Lang's science-fiction fantasy Metropolis premieres in Germany.*April 7 - Abel Gance's Napoleon often considered his best known and greatest masterpiece, premiers at the Paris Opéra and would demonstrate techniques and equipment that would not be used for years to...
) - Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (19281928 in film-Events:Although some movies released in 1928 had sound, most were still silent.* July 28 - Lights of New York is released by Warner Brothers. It is the first "100% Talkie" feature film, in that dialog is spoken throughout the film...
) - Sally (19291929 in film-Events:The days of the silent film are numbered. A mad scramble to provide synchronized sound is on.*January 20 - The movie In Old Arizona is released. The film is the first full-length talking film to be filmed outdoors....
) - Show Girl in HollywoodShow Girl in Hollywood__notoc__Show Girl In Hollywood is a musical comedy/drama film with Technicolor sequences, starring Alice White. It was adapted from the novel Hollywood Girl by J. P. McEvoy.The film only survives in black and white...
(19301930 in film-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
) - Bride of the Regiment (1930)
- Keystone HotelKeystone Hotel (film)Keystone Hotel is a 1935 2-reel comedy short subject, directed by Ralph Staub.The story follows the arrival of the cross-eyed Count Drewa Blank at a downtown hotel, to judge a beauty contest. While downstairs various parties try to sway the Count's decision, the house detective investigates...
(short subject) (1935)