Philippe De Lacy
Encyclopedia
Philippe De Lacy a.k.a. Philippe deLacy (July 25, 1917 - July 29, 1995) was a former silent film
era child actor.
, the already fatherless Philippe lost his mother and five siblings when a German shell devastated the family home. Only two days old at the time of tragedy, the boy was kept alive, but barely, in the basement of his grandmother's house. He was adopted by Mrs. Edith De Lacy, who was associated with the U.S. Woman's Overseas Hospital. After the war ended, Mrs. De Lacy brought Philippe to America, where his stunning looks soon created opportunities for him as a model for magazine advertisements. His modeling assignments brought him to the attention of Hollywood, and he appeared in his first film in a bit part at the age of four.
Phillipe's childhood story was used as the subject of a fictional children's book, "Little Philippe of Belgium", written by Madeline Brandeis as part of her 'Children of the World' series.
. In 1924 he played the role of Michael Darling in the classic silent version of Peter Pan
, with Betty Bronson
. He played the young Don Juan
at ten years of age in John Barrymore
's Don Juan
(1926), and in 1927 he played the young prince Karl Franz in Ernst Lubitsch
's memorable The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
, which also starred Ramon Novarro
and Norma Shearer
. Also in 1927 he starred with Greta Garbo
and John Gilbert
in Love, an updated version of the Tolstoy
novel Anna Karenina
in which he played the young son of Anna, Serezha Karenin. When the sound era arrived De Lacy's acting career was declining, and he never made the transition from child actor to adult. Apart from his films, De Lacy also did some work in the theatre. However he had lost his boyish charm by his early teens and retired from the screen in the early 1930s .
provided the narration for the documentary, which was effectively a full-length fighting feature. In 1944 De Lacy was involved in another documentary, this time for the US Navy, filmed aboard the carrier Yorktown
. The narrators in this documentary were actors Robert Taylor
(who was actually a lieutenant in the navy at the time) and Charles Boyer
who supplied the French narration. De Lacy was the cinematographer in The Fighting Lady and had three real life naval commanders to assist him. This film won the 1945 Oscar
for Best Documentary. De Lacy then turned his hand to directing a television series in 1950, and in addition, he also became manager of a local Hollywood television station
.
of the colon
, his cremated remains were scattered at sea.
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...
era child actor.
Early life
Born during World War IWorld 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...
, the already fatherless Philippe lost his mother and five siblings when a German shell devastated the family home. Only two days old at the time of tragedy, the boy was kept alive, but barely, in the basement of his grandmother's house. He was adopted by Mrs. Edith De Lacy, who was associated with the U.S. Woman's Overseas Hospital. After the war ended, Mrs. De Lacy brought Philippe to America, where his stunning looks soon created opportunities for him as a model for magazine advertisements. His modeling assignments brought him to the attention of Hollywood, and he appeared in his first film in a bit part at the age of four.
Phillipe's childhood story was used as the subject of a fictional children's book, "Little Philippe of Belgium", written by Madeline Brandeis as part of her 'Children of the World' series.
Early career
De Lacy freelanced for several studios in the 1920's, but mostly for ParamountParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. In 1924 he played the role of Michael Darling in the classic silent version of Peter Pan
Peter Pan (1924 film)
Peter Pan is a 1924 adventure silent film released by Paramount Pictures, the first film adaptation of the play by J. M. Barrie. It was directed by Herbert Brenon and starred Betty Bronson as Peter Pan, Ernest Torrence as Captain Hook, Mary Brian as Wendy, and Virginia Browne Faire as Tinker Bell...
, with Betty Bronson
Betty Bronson
Betty Bronson was an American television and film actress who began her career during the silent film era. She was a famous actress in silent and sound films.-Film career:...
. He played the young Don Juan
Don Juan
Don Juan is a legendary, fictional libertine whose story has been told many times by many authors. El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra by Tirso de Molina is a play set in the fourteenth century that was published in Spain around 1630...
at ten years of age in John Barrymore
John Barrymore
John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
's Don Juan
Don Juan (1926 film)
Don Juan is a Warner Brothers film, directed by Alan Crosland. It was the first feature-length film with synchronized Vitaphone sound effects and musical soundtrack, though it has no spoken dialogue...
(1926), and in 1927 he played the young prince Karl Franz in Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch
Ernst Lubitsch was a German-born film director. His urbane comedies of manners gave him the reputation of being Hollywood's most elegant and sophisticated director; as his prestige grew, his films were promoted as having "the Lubitsch touch."In 1947 he received an Honorary Academy Award for his...
's memorable The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, also known as The Student Prince and Old Heidelberg, is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1927 silent film based on a novel by Wilhelm Meyer-Förster. Ernst Lubitsch directed the picture...
, which also starred Ramon Novarro
Ramón Novarro
Ramón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
and Norma Shearer
Norma Shearer
Edith Norma Shearer was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s...
. Also in 1927 he starred with Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
and John Gilbert
John Gilbert (actor)
John Gilbert was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw...
in Love, an updated version of the Tolstoy
Leo Tolstoy
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy was a Russian writer who primarily wrote novels and short stories. Later in life, he also wrote plays and essays. His two most famous works, the novels War and Peace and Anna Karenina, are acknowledged as two of the greatest novels of all time and a pinnacle of realist...
novel Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina
Anna Karenina is a novel by the Russian writer Leo Tolstoy, published in serial installments from 1873 to 1877 in the periodical The Russian Messenger...
in which he played the young son of Anna, Serezha Karenin. When the sound era arrived De Lacy's acting career was declining, and he never made the transition from child actor to adult. Apart from his films, De Lacy also did some work in the theatre. However he had lost his boyish charm by his early teens and retired from the screen in the early 1930s .
Later career
De Lacy concentrated on the production end of films as a producer, director and cinematographer. He became an assistant to director Louis De Rochemont and worked with him in the 1940 film The Ramparts We Watch. Eventually he became an executive with the J. Walter Thompson advertising agency, a position he held for over 25 years. De Lacy’s first credit was in 1942 as an editorial associate for the US armed forces propaganda film We Are The Marines. Radio and television announcer Westbrook Van VoorhisWestbrook Van Voorhis
Cornelius Westbrook Van Voorhis was a narrator for television programs and movies. He is perhaps best known for his work on the March of Time radio and newsreel series, where he became known as the "Voice of Doom", as well as for the catchphrase, "Time...marches on!"...
provided the narration for the documentary, which was effectively a full-length fighting feature. In 1944 De Lacy was involved in another documentary, this time for the US Navy, filmed aboard the carrier Yorktown
USS Yorktown (CV-10)
USS Yorktown is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She is named after the Battle of Yorktown of the American Revolutionary War, and is the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name...
. The narrators in this documentary were actors Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
(who was actually a lieutenant in the navy at the time) and Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer
Charles Boyer was a French actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found success in movies during the 1930s. His memorable performances were among the era's most highly praised romantic dramas,...
who supplied the French narration. De Lacy was the cinematographer in The Fighting Lady and had three real life naval commanders to assist him. This film won the 1945 Oscar
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Documentary. De Lacy then turned his hand to directing a television series in 1950, and in addition, he also became manager of a local Hollywood television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
.
Filmography
- 1930 - The Sins of the ChildrenThe Sins of the ChildrenThe Sins of the Children a.k.a. Father's Day, a.k.a. The Richest Man in the World, is a 1930 MGM early sound drama/film, produced and directed by Sam Wood.-Synopsis:...
- 1930 - One Romantic NightOne Romantic NightOne Romantic Night is the title given to the first sound film version of Ferenc Molnár's play The Swan, and was silent screen star Lillian Gish's talking film debut. She starred as Princess Alexandra, with Conrad Nagel as the tutor who falls in love with her, and Rod La Rocque as Crown Prince Albert...
- 1930 - Sarah and Son
- 1930 - General CrackGeneral CrackGeneral Crack is an all-talking historical costume drama film with Technicolor sequences which was produced by Warner Bros. in 1929 and released early in 1930...
- 1929 - The Marriage Playground
- 1929 - The Four Feathers
- 1929 - Square Shoulders
- 1929 - The Royal Rider
- 1929 - The Redeeming SinThe Redeeming SinThe Redeeming Sin is a 1929 crime drama part-talking silent film with Vitaphone music and sound effects. It was produced and distributed by Warner Brothers and starred Dolores Costello. This film is currently a lost film.-Cast:...
- 1928 - Napoleon's BarberNapoleon's BarberNapoleon's Barber is a 1928 short drama film directed by John Ford, and filmed in the Fox Movietone sound-on-film system.The film, Ford's first talkie, is now considered to be a lost film.-Cast:* Otto Matieson - Napoleon...
- 1928 - 4 Devils4 Devils4 Devils was a 1928 American silent drama film directed by German film director F. W. Murnau.-Preservation status:...
- 1928 - Mother MachreeMother MachreeMother Machree is a 1928 silent film, directed by John Ford, based on a novel by Rida Johnson Young about a poor Irish immigrant in America. John Wayne had a minor role in the film.-Cast:* Belle Bennett as Mother Machree...
- 1928 - The Broken Mask
- 1927 - LoveLove (film)Love is a 1991 Indian Hindi film directed by Suresh Krishna. The film stars Salman Khan, Revathi Menon in leading roles. The film is the remake of Telugu blockbuster Prema starring Venkatesh and Revathi, could not repeat the success of original version and ended up as an average...
- 1927 - The Tigress
- 1927 - The Student Prince in Old HeidelbergThe Student Prince in Old HeidelbergThe Student Prince in Old Heidelberg, also known as The Student Prince and Old Heidelberg, is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer 1927 silent film based on a novel by Wilhelm Meyer-Förster. Ernst Lubitsch directed the picture...
- 1927 - The Elegy
- 1927 - The Magic Garden
- 1927 - The Way of All FleshThe Way of All Flesh (film)The Way of All Flesh is a drama film directed by Victor Fleming, written by Lajos Biró, Jules Furthman and Julian Johnson from a story by Perley Poore Sheehan. The film is unrelated to Samuel Butler's novel The Way of All Flesh, and is now considered a lost film.-Cast:*Emil Jannings - August...
- Is Zat So?
- 1926 - Faithful Wives
- 1926 - The Blue Boy
- 1926 - Beau Geste
- 1926 - Don Juan
- 1925 - A Lover's Oath
- 1925 - The Happy Warrior
- 1925 - My Neighbor's Wife
- 1924 - Peter PanPeter PanPeter Pan is a character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie . A mischievous boy who can fly and magically refuses to grow up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood adventuring on the small island of Neverland as the leader of his gang the Lost Boys, interacting with...
- The Shooting of Dan McGrew
- 1923 - RositaRosita (film)Rosita is a 1923 silent film directed by Ernst Lubitsch. The film is based upon a 1872 opera Don César de Bazan.-Synopsis:The film takes place in Seville, in a period where the city has sunk into the depths of depravity and sin...
- 1923 - Divorce
- 1923 - Christmas
- 1923 - Wasted Lives
- 1922 - A Doll's HouseA Doll's HouseA Doll's House is a three-act play in prose by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. It premièred at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 21 December 1879, having been published earlier that month....
- 1921 - 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...
Death
De Lacy died from carcinomaCarcinoma
Carcinoma is the medical term for the most common type of cancer occurring in humans. Put simply, a carcinoma is a cancer that begins in a tissue that lines the inner or outer surfaces of the body, and that generally arises from cells originating in the endodermal or ectodermal germ layer during...
of the colon
Colon (anatomy)
The colon is the last part of the digestive system in most vertebrates; it extracts water and salt from solid wastes before they are eliminated from the body, and is the site in which flora-aided fermentation of unabsorbed material occurs. Unlike the small intestine, the colon does not play a...
, his cremated remains were scattered at sea.