Wilfred Lucas
Encyclopedia
Wilfred Lucas was a Canadian stage and film actor, film director, and screenwriter.
to work in the theater, making his Broadway
acting debut in 1904 at the Savoy Theater in the production of The Superstition of Sue. Following his 1906 role in the highly successful play, The Chorus Lady, Lucas 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 production, The Greaser's Gauntlet. He appeared in more than 50 of these short films (usually 17 minutes) over the next two years and in 1910, while still acting, he wrote the script for Griffith's film Sunshine Sue which was followed by many more scripts between then and 1924. Lucas also began directing in 1912, first with Griffith on An Outcast Among Outcasts
, and during the ensuing twenty years directed another 44 films. In 1916, Lucas appeared in Griffith’s film, Intolerance, a monumental project regarded by many as the most spectacular film of all time.
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
.
Wilfred 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. His grave is located at Chapel of the Pines Crematory
(1890–1969) with whom he had a son. John Meredyth Lucas
(1919–2002) became a successful writer and director including a number of episodes of Mannix
and Star Trek
. The divorce was a bitter one and through what is now known as Parental Alienation Syndrome
(PAS), Wilfred Lucas became estranged from his son.
Career
A native of Ontario, Canada, Lucas headed to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to work in the theater, making his Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
acting debut in 1904 at the Savoy Theater in the production of The Superstition of Sue. Following his 1906 role in the highly successful play, The Chorus Lady, Lucas was recruited to the fledgling 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....
by D. W. Griffith
D. W. Griffith
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance .Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera...
. 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
Linda Arvidson
-Biography:Linda Arvidson was the first wife of film director D.W. Griffith . She played lead roles in many of his earliest films. While acting, she was sometimes credited as Linda Griffith...
, 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 production, The Greaser's Gauntlet. He appeared in more than 50 of these short films (usually 17 minutes) over the next two years and in 1910, while still acting, he wrote the script for Griffith's film Sunshine Sue which was followed by many more scripts between then and 1924. Lucas also began directing in 1912, first with Griffith on An Outcast Among Outcasts
An Outcast Among Outcasts
An Outcast Among Outcasts is a 1912 short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and Wilfred Lucas. It was Lucas' debut film as a director. The film starred Blanche Sweet.-Cast:* Frank Opperman - The Blanket Tramp* Blanche Sweet - The Young Woman...
, and during the ensuing twenty years directed another 44 films. In 1916, Lucas appeared in Griffith’s film, Intolerance, a monumental project regarded by many as the most spectacular film of all time.
Part of the group of Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood
Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood
Motion pictures have been a part of the culture of Canada since the beginning.-History:Around 1910, the East Coast filmmakers began to take advantage of California winters and after Nestor Studios, run by Canadian Al Christie, built the first permanent movie studio in Hollywood a number of the...
, Lucas became friends and sometimes starred with Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
, Sam De Grasse
Sam De Grasse
Samuel Alfred De Grasse was a Canadian actor. Born in Bathurst, New Brunswick, he trained to be a dentist....
, and Marie Dressler
Marie Dressler
Marie Dressler was a Canadian-American actress and Depression-era film star. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1930-31 in Min and Bill.-Early life and stage career:...
. Canadian born 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"...
hired him to both direct and act in a large number of films at his 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...
.
Wilfred Lucas made the successful transition from 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...
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
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
,in their feature films Pardon Us
Pardon Us
Pardon Us is Laurel and Hardy's first feature length comedy film. It was produced by Hal Roach and Stan Laurel, directed by James Parrott, and originally distributed by MGM in 1931.- Plot :...
and A Chump at Oxford
A Chump at Oxford
A Chump at Oxford, directed by Alfred J. Goulding and released in 1940 by United Artists, was the penultimate Laurel and Hardy film made at the Hal Roach studios. Originally released as a streamliner featurette at forty minutes long, twenty minutes of footage largely unrelated to the main plot...
.
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. His grave is located at Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Chapel of the Pines Crematory
Chapel of the Pines Crematory is a crematory and columbarium located at 1605 South Catalina Street Los Angeles, California, in the historic West Adams District a short distance southwest of Downtown...
Personal life
While working at Biograph Studios, Wilfred Lucas met and ultimately married actress/screenwriter Bess MeredythBess Meredyth
Bess Meredyth was a film writer and silent film actress. The wife of the Casablanca director Michael Curtiz, Meredyth wrote The Affairs of Cellini and adapted The Unsuspected . She was one of the 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
(1890–1969) with whom he had a son. John Meredyth Lucas
John Meredyth Lucas
John Meredyth Lucas was an American writer, primarily for television.He was the son of screenwriter Bess Meredyth and writer/director Wilfred Lucas, and the adopted son of director Michael Curtiz.-Career:...
(1919–2002) became a successful writer and director including a number of episodes of Mannix
Mannix
Mannix is an American television detective series that ran from 1967 through 1975 on CBS. Created by Richard Levinson and William Link and developed by executive producer Bruce Geller, the title character, Joe Mannix, is a private investigator. He is played by Mike Connors...
and Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
. The divorce was a bitter one and through what is now known as Parental Alienation Syndrome
Parental alienation syndrome
Parental alienation syndrome is term coined by Richard A. Gardner in the early 1980s to refer to what he describes as a disorder in which a child, on an ongoing basis, belittles and insults one parent without justification, due to a combination of factors, including indoctrination by the other...
(PAS), Wilfred Lucas became estranged from his son.