Godfrey Cass
Encyclopedia
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...
. Between 1906 and 1935 he acted in nineteen film roles. He played Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
three times, and also had roles in a number of other bushranger
Bushranger
Bushrangers, or bush rangers, originally referred to runaway convicts in the early years of the British settlement of Australia who had the survival skills necessary to use the Australian bush as a refuge to hide from the authorities...
movies including A Tale of the Australian Bush
A Tale of the Australian Bush
A Tale of the Australian Bush is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Gaston Mervale. Louise Lovely appears in the cast....
(1911) and Moondyne
Moondyne
Moondyne is an 1879 novel by John Boyle O'Reilly, which was made into a film of the same name in 1913. It is very loosely based on the life of the Western Australian convict escapee and bushranger Moondyne Joe.-Background:...
(1913).
Biography
The son of the Governor of Melbourne GaolMelbourne Gaol
The Old Melbourne Gaol is a museum and former prison located in Russell Street, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It consists of a bluestone building and courtyard, and is located next to the old City Police Watch House and City Courts buildings...
, John Buckley Castieau (1855–1884), Godfrey Cass was born Godfrey Castieau in 1867, one of seven children. As a child he spent a lot of time around the gaol and met Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
just before Kelly was hung.
He began acting in late 1883 or 1884 for J.C. Williamson Ltd. He married Hilda Fraser, with whom he often appeared on stage, in 1894. His peak years as an actor were from 1903 to 1914, usually playing the villain in melodramas.
Cass appeared in his first film in 1911 for the Australian Life Biography Company, and followed it with two more movies for the same company. Two years later he partnered with W. J. Lincoln
W. J. Lincoln
W. J. Lincoln was an Australian playwright, theatre manager, film director and screenwriter in the silent era. He produced, directed and/or wrote 23 films between 1911 and 1916.-Life:...
to make films as Lincoln-Cass Films
Lincoln-Cass Films
Lincoln-Cass Films was a short-lived Australian film production company. Formed in 1913, its principal filmmakers were W.J. Lincoln and Godfrey Cass.-Filmography:*The Sick Stockrider *Moondyne *The Remittance Man...
. The company survived for only one year, but in that time it made eight films, with Cass playing roles in six of them. He then returned to the stage appearing in Sealed Orders for J.C. Williamson Ltd.
Cass enlisted in the Army for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
on 27 January 1915, dropping his age by eleven years, and was discharged on 25 August 1917.
He returned to theatre, working as an actor and director. He also appeared in several films, including playing as Ned Kelly
Ned Kelly
Edward "Ned" Kelly was an Irish Australian bushranger. He is considered by some to be merely a cold-blooded cop killer — others, however, consider him to be a folk hero and symbol of Irish Australian resistance against the Anglo-Australian ruling class.Kelly was born in Victoria to an Irish...
in Harry Southwell
Harry Southwell
Harry Southwell was an Australian actor and film director best known for making films about Ned Kelly.-Feature Films:*The Kelly Gang *The Hordern Mystery *When the Kellys Were Out *David...
's The Kelly Gang
The Kelly Gang
The Kelly Gang is an Australian feature length film about the Australian bush ranger, Ned Kelly. The film was released in 1920, and is the second film to be based on the life of Ned Kelly, the first being The Story of the Kelly Gang, released in 1906....
. He died in 1951.
Filmography
- A Tale of the Australian BushA Tale of the Australian BushA Tale of the Australian Bush is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Gaston Mervale. Louise Lovely appears in the cast....
(1911) - actor - One Hundred Years AgoOne Hundred Years AgoOne Hundred Years Ago is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Gaston Mervale. It features an early screen performance from Louise Lovely.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1911) - actor - A Ticket in TattsA Ticket in Tatts (1911 film)-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1911) - actor - The Sick StockriderThe Sick StockriderThe Sick Stockrider is a 1913 film directed by W.J. Lincoln based on the poem by Adam Lindsay Gordon. It was the first production from Lincoln-Cass Films.-External links:* at IMDB* at National Film and Sound Archive*...
(1913) - actor, producer - MoondyneMoondyneMoondyne is an 1879 novel by John Boyle O'Reilly, which was made into a film of the same name in 1913. It is very loosely based on the life of the Western Australian convict escapee and bushranger Moondyne Joe.-Background:...
(1913) - actor, producer - The Remittance ManThe Remittance ManThe Remittance Man is an Australian melodrama film directed by W.J. Lincoln about a thief's reformation. -External links:* at IMDB...
(1913) - actor, producer - TransportedTransported (1913 film)-External links:* at IMDB* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1913) - actor, producer - The Road to RuinThe Road to Ruin (1913 film)The Road to Ruin is an Australian melodrama film directed by W.J. Lincoln. -Cast:*Roy Redgrave*Godfrey Cass*George Bryant*Tom Cannan*Beryl Bryant*Marion Willis-External links:* at IMDB...
(1913) - actor, producer - The CrisisThe Crisis (1913 film)The Crisis is an Australian melodrama film directed by W.J. Lincoln. It was inspired by a painting, The Crisis by Frank Dicksee.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive* at IMDB...
(1913) - actor, producer - The ReprieveThe Reprieve (1913 film)The Reprieve is a 1913 Australian melodrama film directed by W.J. Lincoln about a man on trial for killing his unfaithful wife. -External links:* at IMDB* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1913) - actor, producer - The WreckThe Wreck (1913 film)The Wreck is an Australian film directed by W.J. Lincoln based on a poem by Adam Lindsay Gordon about the ride to help by a farmhand who has witnessed a shipwreck. It was made in 1913 but not released until 1915. W.J. Lincoln later made a film of Gordon's life, The Life's Romance of Adam Lindsay...
(1913) - actor, producer - The Kelly GangThe Kelly GangThe Kelly Gang is an Australian feature length film about the Australian bush ranger, Ned Kelly. The film was released in 1920, and is the second film to be based on the life of Ned Kelly, the first being The Story of the Kelly Gang, released in 1906....
(1920) - actor - The Hordern MysteryThe Hordern MysteryThe Hordern Mystery is an Australian feature length film directed by Harry Southwell about a man who pretends to be his own evil brother for the purpose of betraying his wife and marrying an heiress.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1920) - actor - The DingoThe Dingo (1923 film)The Dingo is a 1923 Australian silent film directed by Kenneth Brampton. It is a melodrama about a drunken scoundrel who causes trouble. It is considered a lost film.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1923) - actor - When the Kellys Were OutWhen the Kellys Were OutWhen the Kellys Were Out is an Australian feature length film directed by Harry Southwell about Ned Kelly.-External links:* at National Film and Sound Archive...
(1923) - actor - Jewelled NightsJewelled NightsJewelled Nights is a 1925 Australian silent film directed by the film star Louise Lovely in collaboration with her husband Wilton Welch.-Production:...
(1925) - actor - Jungle WomanJungle WomanJungle Woman is a 1944 horror film released by Universal Pictures. The movie features Evelyn Ankers, J. Carrol Naish, Samuel S. Hinds, Lois Collier, Milburn Stone, Douglass Dumbrille, and Acquanetta...
(1926) - actor - The Mystery of a Hansom CabThe Mystery of a Hansom Cab (1925 film)The Mystery of a Hansom Cab is a 1925 Australian silent film directed by and starring Arthur Shirley based on the popular novel which had already been filmed in 1911....
(1925) - actor - The Rushing TideThe Rushing TideThe Rushing Tide is a 1927 Australian silent film about the search for a hoard of diamonds. It was not a success athe box office and is considered a lost film....
(1927) - actor - Tiger IslandTiger Island (1930 film)Tiger Island is a 1930 silent Australian film about a father and daughter living on an island off the Victorian coast who become involved in drug running.-External links:* in the Internet Movie Database...
(1930) - actor - HeritageHeritage (film)Heritage is a 1935 Australian historical film directed by Charles Chauvel.-Production:Heritage was originally conceived in 1933, while Charles Chauvel was organising publicity for his previous film, In the Wake of the Bounty. The Australian government, in a bid to encourage the local film industry,...
(1935) - actor