Donald Crisp
from the trailer for the film The Gay Sisters (1942).
Birth name	George William Crisp
Born	July 27, 1882(1882-07-27) London, England
Died	May 25, 1974 (aged 91) Van Nuys, California, U.S.

Donald Crisp (July 27, 1882 – May 25, 1974) was an Academy Award winning English film actor. He was also an early motion picture scriptwriter, producer and director. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... The Gay Sisters is a 1942 film starring Barbara Stanwyck, George Brent, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Donald Crisp and Gig Young, which was based on a novel by Stephen Longstreet. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Image File history File links Flag_of_England. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Van Nuys is a district within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. ... Although he never won an Oscar for any of his movie performances, the comedian Bob Hope received two honorary Oscars for his contributions to cinema. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... “Moving picture” redirects here. ... Actors in period costume sharing a joke whilst waiting between takes during location filming. ... This list is poorly defined, permanently incomplete, or has become unverifiable or an indiscriminate list or repository of loosely associated topics. ... A film producer creates the conditions for making movies. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ...

Early Life and Coming to America

Donald Crisp was born George William Crisp in London, England, at the family home in Bow (historically known as Stratford) on July 27, 1882. He was one of eight children (4 boys and 4 girls) born to James and Elizabeth Crisp. He was educated at the University of Oxford and allegedly at Eton College although the college archivist denies this, saying, “Donald Crisp did not attend Eton College—though he may have said he did, as judging by previous experience this seemed to go down quite well in early Hollywood!”. London — containing the City of London — is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England and a major world city. With over seven million inhabitants (Londoners) in Greater London area, it is amongst the most densely populated areas in Western Europe. ... Bow is an area of East London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. ... is the 208th day of the year (209th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... The University of Oxford (usually abbreviated as Oxon. ... The Kings College of Our Lady of Eton beside Windsor, commonly known as Eton College or just Eton, is a public school (privately funded and independent) for boys, founded in 1440 by King Henry VI. It is located in Eton, near Windsor in England, north of Windsor Castle, and...

Prior to graduation, Crisp served as a trooper in the 10th Hussars in the Boer War. This experience, among other things, allowed him to cross paths with a young Winston Churchill just at the start of Churchill's long political career. According to family memories, Donald's brother-in-law James Needham provided him with the fare to travel to America in 1906. Trooper can refer to: Canadian rock band Trooper the rank of Trooper in Canadian and British army groups. ... The 10th Royal Hussars (Prince of Waless Own) was a cavalry regiment of the British Army from 1715 to 1969. ... Combatants British Empire Orange Free State South African Republic Commanders Sir Redvers Buller Lord Kitchener Lord Roberts Paul Kruger Louis Botha Koos de la Rey Martinus Steyn Christiaan de Wet Casualties 6,000 - 7,000 (A further ~14,000 from disease) 6,000 - 8,000 (Unknown number from disease) Civilians... “Churchill” redirects here. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

Early career

While on the boat coming to America, Crisp's singing talents during a ship's concert caught the attention of opera impresario John C. Fisher who immediately offered him a job with his company. It was while touring with the company in the United States and Cuba that Crisp first became interested in the pursuing a career in the theatre. By 1910 Crisp was working as a stage manager for the renowned entertainer, composer, playwright, and director George M. Cohan. It was during this time he met and became friends with soon-to-be legendary director D.W. Griffith, himself a former stage actor who was now looking to direct films. When Griffith went to seek his fortune in Hollywood in 1912 Crisp accompanied him. Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... George Michael Cohan (July 3, 1878 – November 5, 1942) was a United States entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, director, and producer of Irish descent. ... David Lewelyn Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 - July 23, 1948) was an American film director (commonly known as D. W. Griffith) probably best known for his film The Birth of a Nation. ...

From 1908 to 1930 Crisp, in addition to directing dozens of films, would also appear in nearly 100 silent films, many in bit or small parts. One notable exception was his casting by Griffith as General Ulysses S. Grant in Griffith's landmark film Birth of a Nation in 1915. Another was his acclaimed role in the 1919 film Broken Blossoms as the brutal and abusive father "Battling Burrows" opposite Lillian Gish. Ulysses S. Grant[2] (born Hiram Ulysses Grant, April 27, 1822 – July 23, 1885) was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States (1869–1877). ... The Birth of a Nation is a controversial silent film directed by D.W. Griffith, based on the play The Clansmen and the book The Leopards Spots, both by Thomas Dixon. ... Broken Blossoms (also called The Chink and the Child, Scarlet Blossoms and The Yellow Man and the Girl) is a 1919 film which tells the story of a Chinese man who goes to England to enlighten Christians about the teachings of Buddha. ... Lillian Diana de Guiche (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993), was an Oscar-nominated American actress, better known as Lillian Gish. ...

Career as a Director

Crisp worked as an assistant to Griffith for several years and learned much during this time from Griffith, an early master of movie story telling who was influential in advancing a number early techniques such as cross cutting in editing his films. This experience fostered a similar passion in Crisp to become a director in his own right. His first directing credit was Little Country Mouse made in 1914. Owing to the assembly line manner in which films were made in the early years of movie making, many directors (and actors) would find themselves turning out a dozen or more films in a single year. Over the next fifteen years Crisp would direct some 70 films in all, among the most notable are The Navigator (1924) with Buster Keaton and Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925) with Douglas Fairbanks. Cross-cutting refers to a technique of film editing in which consecutive shots alternate between two or more actions. ... The Navigator, A Medieval Odyssey is a science fiction film released in 1988, directed by Vincent Ward. ... Year 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Buster Keaton (born Joseph Frank Keaton, October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American silent film comic actor and filmmaker. ... Don Q, Son of Zorro is the 1925 sequel to the 1920 silent film The Mark of Zorro. ... Year 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Douglas Fairbanks (May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer, who became noted for his swashbuckling roles in silent movies such as The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Three Musketeers (1921), Robin Hood (1922), The Thief of Bagdad (1924) and The Black Pirate (1926). ...

When asked later by an interviewer on why he eventually gave up directing and returned full time to an acting career, Crisp commented that directing had become extremely wearisome because he was so often called upon, if not forced, to do favors for studio chiefs by agreeing to employ their relatives in his films. His final directorial effort was the 1930 film The Runaway Bride starring Mary Astor. A runaway bride is a bride who runs away from the wedding chapel, usually shortly before the ceremony, often due to so-called cold feet. ... Mary Astor (May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an Academy Award-winning American actress. ...

Simultaneous Pursuits: Military Career

While pursuing a dual career in acting and directing Crisp managed to serve in the war effort against Germany and her allies during the First World War (1914-1918). In between working for Griffith, other producers, and his many acting roles, Crisp managed to return to England where he served in the army intelligence section. During the Second World War (1939-1945) Crisp again answered the call to duty at a time when his acting career was at its peak. This time he served in U.S. Army Reserves where he rose to the rank of colonel. Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ...

Return to Acting and Movie Stardom

With the advent of sound in films, coupled with his acknowledged weariness for directing any longer, Crisp moved entirely to acting after 1930 where he became a much sought after character actor. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s he appeared in a wide range of roles along side some of the era's biggest stars including Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights (1939), and Gregory Peck in Valley of Decision (1945). A character actor is an actor, especially in motion pictures, who predominantly performs in similar roles throughout the course of a career. ... Face The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901 – November 16, 1960) was an Academy Award-winning American film actor. ... Mutiny on the Bounty, based on the 1932 novel by Charles Nordhoff, is a 1935 film starring Charles Laughton, Clark Gable and Franchot Tone. ... Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM, (IPA: ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an Academy Award, Golden Globe, BAFTA and four-time Emmy winning English actor, director, and producer. ... Wuthering Heights is an 1847 novel by Emily Brontë. Wuthering Heights may also refer to: Wuthering Heights (1939 film), a film adaptation of the novel starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon Wuthering Heights (1953 film), a BBC film adaptation of the novel Wuthering Heights (1970 film), a film adaptation of... Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an Oscar-winning American film actor. ... The Valley of Decision is a 1945 film which tells the story of a young house maid who falls in love with the son of the local coal mine owner. ...

A versatile supporting actor, Crisp could be equally good in either lovable or sinister roles. For example, during the same period he was playing loving father figures or charming old codgers in classic films like National Velvet and Lassie Come Home he turned in an acclaimed performance as Commander Beach, the tormented presumptive grandfather in Lewis Allen's The Uninvited released in 1944. Undoubtedly, however, Crisp's most memorable role was as the taciturn but loving father in How Green Was My Valley directed by John Ford. The film received ten Oscar nominations, winning five, including Best Picture with Crisp winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1941. National Velvet is a novel by Enid Bagnold, first published in 1935. ... Lassie Come Home is a 1943 film which tells the story of a poor boys dog who, when sold to a rich nobleman, makes a difficult journey to return home to her original owner. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... How Green Was My Valley is a novel of 1939, by Richard Llewellyn. ... John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an American film director famous for westerns such as Stagecoach and The Searchers and adaptations of such classic 20th century American novels as The Grapes of Wrath. ... Academy Award The Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are the most prominent and most watched film awards ceremony in the world. ... The Academy Award for Best Picture is one of the awards given to people working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; the awards are voted on by other people within the industry. ... Best Supporting Actor or Best Supporting Actress is an accolade given by a group of film or theatre professionals in recognition of the work of supporting and character actors. ...

A Behind the Scenes Hollywood Powerbroker

While widely known to audiences as a talented actor and director, few outside the movie community realized, then or now, that beyond this work, Crisp was one of the most influential people in Hollywood, wielding more power than most directors and even more than many producers or studio executives.

Crisp was one of Hollywood's gatekeepers, one of individuals who played an important role in ensuring that the business side of the industry worked. Crisp's extensive business, military, and entertainment experiences, including being a production and studio executive lent themselves well to this task. He would become a highly valued advisor whose clear-headedness and forward thinking proved invaluable to the Bank of America, which was one of the leading sources of working capital for the movie industry for many years (an industry whose life blood was loans). Crisp would serve on the bank's advisory board for several decades, including a stint as its chairman. In this role he had the ear of its board of directors, and many of the movies eventually financed by the bank during the 1930s and 1940s got their most important approval from Crisp. Bank of America (NYSE: BAC TYO: 8648 ) is the largest commercial bank in the United States in terms of deposits, and the largest company of its kind in the world. ... Face The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Later Years and Place in Film History

Not surprisingly, Crisp eventually became one of the more well-off members of the film industry. His "banker's sobriety", extensive contacts, and clear-headedness allowed him to make good investments, particularly in the real estate market. He continued to appear in films throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s. During his more than half century as an actor in both the early silent and later the sound era, he may have appeared in as many 400 short reel and feature length productions. His final screen role was as Grandpa Spencer opposite Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara in the 1963 film Spencer's Mountain. This film, adapted from the novel by Earl Hamner was the basis for the popular television series The Waltons which would premier a decade later in 1972. Henry Jaynes Fonda (May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was a highly acclaimed Academy Award-winning American film actor, best known for his roles as plain-speaking idealists. ... Maureen OHara Maureen OHara (born Maureen FitzSimons) on August 17, 1920 is an Irish film actress. ... Spencers Mountain is a 1963 family film written, directed, and produced by Delmer Daves from a novel by Earl Hamner. ... Earl Hamner Jr. ... Cover art for the DVD release of The Waltons first season. ...

Crisp was in his eighties by the time he quit acting entirely, continuing to work long after he needed to financially simply because he enjoyed it. He was married twice, divorced from his first wife in 1919. He later married film screenwriter Jane Murfin, whom he divorced in 1944. Crisp died in 1974 a few months short of his 92th birthday due to complications following a series of strokes. Crisp can rightly be called a motion picture pioneer. In addition to being one of the premier character actors of his era, he left behind an extensive list of contributions to the film industry he worked to promote for more than fifty years. The Strokes are an American rock and roll band who formed in New York City and gained fame for their live shows. ...

Walter Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was a three time Academy Award winning American actor. ... The Westerner is a 1940 film with Walter Brennan. ... The Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor is one of the awards given to male actors working in the motion picture industry by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; nominations are made by Academy members who are actors and actresses. ... How Green Was My Valley is a novel of 1939, by Richard Llewellyn. ... Actors Arlene Dahl and Van Heflin in Womans World Emmett Evan Heflin Jr. ... Johnny Eager is a 1942 film noir. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Donald Crisp

• Donald Crisp at the Internet Movie Database
• Find-A-Grave profile for Donald Crisp