James Young (director)
Encyclopedia
James Young was an American film director
, actor and screenwriter
of the silent era
. Before films Young had a successful career as a stage actor appearing on Broadway and throughout the country. His first wife was librettist Rida Johnson Young
who often composed with Victor Herbert
. Turning to silent films he directed 93 films between 1912
and 1928
. He also appeared as an actor in 62 films between 1909
and 1917
.
He was born in Baltimore, Maryland and died in New York, New York. His second wife was film actress Clara Kimball Young
, who kept his surname after they divorced.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, actor and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
of the silent era
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...
. Before films Young had a successful career as a stage actor appearing on Broadway and throughout the country. His first wife was librettist Rida Johnson Young
Rida Johnson Young
Rida Johnson Young was an American playwright, songwriter and librettist. In her career, Young wrote over thirty plays and musicals, and over 500 songs. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1970...
who often composed with Victor Herbert
Victor Herbert
Victor August Herbert was an Irish-born, German-raised American composer, cellist and conductor. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is best known for composing many successful operettas that premiered on Broadway from the 1890s to World War I...
. Turning to silent films he directed 93 films between 1912
1912 in film
The year 1912 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Mack Sennett, who had previously worked as an actor and comedy director with D. W. Griffith, formed a new company with New York City entrepreneur Adam Kessel called Keystone Studios...
and 1928
1928 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...
. He also appeared as an actor in 62 films between 1909
1909 in film
The year 1909 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Matsunosuke Onoe, who would become the first superstar of Japanese cinema, appears in his first film, Goban Tadanobu.*James Joyce opens the Volta, the first cinema in Dublin....
and 1917
1917 in film
The year 1917 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*Foundation of Universum Film AG , as a propaganda film company, in Berlin.*Technicolor System 1, a two-color process, is introduced...
.
He was born in Baltimore, Maryland and died in New York, New York. His second wife was film actress Clara Kimball Young
Clara Kimball Young
Clara Kimball Young was an American film actress, who was highly regarded and publicly popular in the early silent film era.-Early life:...
, who kept his surname after they divorced.
Selected filmography
- The Wishing RingThe Wishing RingThe Wishing Ring is a 1914 silent film directed by Maurice Tourneur. It's full title is The Wishing Ring: An Idyll of Old England. The film is based on a 1910 play by Owen Davis that starred Marguerite Clark. It was filmed at Fort Lee, New Jersey by the World Film Corporation. -Cast:*Vivian Martin...
(1914) - Without Benefit of ClergyWithout Benefit of ClergyWithout Benefit of Clergy is a 1921 drama film directed by James Young and featuring Boris Karloff. It is based on the story by Rudyard Kipling.-Cast:* Nigel De Brulier - Pir Khan* Virginia Brown Faire - Ameera* Boris Karloff - Ahmed Khan...
(1921) - The Infidel (1922)
- Omar the TentmakerOmar the Tentmaker (film)Omar the Tentmaker is a 1922 drama film directed by James Young and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Guy Bates Post - Omar the tentmaker* Virginia Brown Faire - Shireen* Nigel De Brulier - Nizam ul Mulk* Noah Beery - The shah of shahs...
(1922) - PonjolaPonjolaPonjola is a 1923 silent film melodrama based on a novel by Cynthia Stockley, distributed by First National Pictures and directed by either Donald Crisp or James Young or both. A print survives in the possession of a private collector. This film stars Anna Q. Nilsson in a role in which she...
(1924) (*co-directed with Donald Crisp) - The BellsThe Bells (1926 film)The Bells is a 1926 crime film directed by James Young, starring Lionel Barrymore and featuring Boris Karloff. The story had been performed on the stage in the 19th century by Sir Henry Irving as The Bells.-Cast:* Lionel Barrymore - Mathias...
(1926)