George Melford, 1920

George H. Melford (February 19, 1877 – April 25, 1961) was an American stage and film actor and film director. Image File history File linksMetadata GeorgeMelford1920. ... Image File history File linksMetadata GeorgeMelford1920. ... February 19 is the 50th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1877 (MDCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... April 25 is the 115th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (116th in leap years). ... 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1961 calendar). ... Serge Sudeikins poster for the Bat Theatre (1922). ... Film is a term that encompasses motion pictures as individual projects, as well as the field in general. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ...

Born in Rochester, New York, as George Henry Knauff, son of German immigrant Henrietta Knauff, the name Melford was an adopted stage name. George Knauff Melford had four sisters: Mary Knauff (Mrs. Godfrey Willis Wainwright); Henrietta Knauff; Alice Irene Knauff (Mrs. Edmond Francois Bernoudy) - all of of Los Angeles, CA and Mrs. Frederick Kells/Keils of Ottawa, Canada. Melford graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. He was an accomplished stage actor working in Cincinnati, Ohio before joining the Kalem Company motion picture business in New York City in 1909. Hired by Sidney Olcott for character actor roles, in the fall of 1910 he was sent to work with a film crew on the West Coast. In 1911, with Robert Vignola, he co-directed Ruth Roland in his first short film titled "Arizona Bill" based on a script he had written. From there, Melford went on to direct another thirty films for Kalem Studios until 1915 when he was hired by Jesse L. Lasky to direct feature-length films for his Feature Play Company. That same year, Melford became one of the founding members of the Motion Picture Directors Association. Nickname: The Flour City, The Flower City, The Worlds Image Center Motto: Rochester: Made for Living Location of Rochester in New York State Country United States State New York County Monroe Mayor Robert Duffy Area    - City 37. ... McGill University is a publicly funded, non-denominational, co-educational research university located in the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... This article needs cleanup. ... Nickname: The Queen City Location in Hamilton County, Ohio, USA Coordinates: Country United States State Ohio County Hamilton Founded 1788 Incorporated 1819 Mayor Mark L. Mallory (D) Area    - City 206. ... Kalem Studios and Hollywood staff, 1915 The Kalem Company was an American film studio founded in New York City in 1907 by Frank J. Marion, Samuel Long, and George Kleine. ... For other uses see film (disambiguation) Film refers to the celluliod media on which movies are printed Film — also called movies, the cinema, the silver screen, moving pictures, photoplays, picture shows, flicks, or motion pictures, — is a field that encompasses motion pictures as an art form or as... Nickname: Big Apple, City that never Sleeps, Gotham Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Manhattan Queens Brooklyn Staten Island Settled 1613 Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area    - City 1,214. ... Sidney Olcott (September 20, 1873 - December 16, 1949) was a Canadian producer, director, actor and writer. ... A character actor is an actor who predominantly performs supporting parts, often in similar roles throughout the course of a career. ... Regional definitions vary from source to source. ... Robert G. Vignola (August 5, 1882 – October 25, 1953 was an Italian-born actor, screenwriter and film director in American cinema. ... Ruth Roland (August 26, 1892 - September 22, 1937) was an American stage and film actress and film producer. ... Jesse Louis Lasky (September 13, 1880 - January 13, 1958) was a pioneer Hollywood film producer. ... The Paramount Pictures logo used from 1988 to 1989. ... The Motion Picture Directors Association (MPDA) was an American non-profit fraternal organization formed by twenty-six film directors on June 18, 1915 in Los Angeles, California. ...

In 1916, George Melford directed "To Have and to Hold," a film based on the Mary Johnston novel that had been the bestselling novel in the United States for the year 1900. In 1921, he directed what is probably his most famous silent film"The Sheik", starring Rudolph Valentino . To Have and to Hold is a 1900 novel by American author, Mary Johnston. ... Mary Johnston Mary Johnston (November 21, 1870 - May 9, 1936) was an American novelist and womens rights advocate. ... A novel (from French nouvelle Italian novella, new) is an extended, generally fictional narrative in prose. ... This is a list of bestselling novels in the United States, as determined by Publishers Weekly. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... The Sheik was a 1921 silent movie produced by Paramount, directed by George Melford and starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres and Adolphe Menjou. ... Rudolph Valentino (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926) was an Italian actor. ...

Melford remained with Lasky's company for ten years then joined Universal Studios where he directed his first talkie in 1929. The following year, because he could speak the language, he co-directed four Spanish language films including the 1931 acclaimed Spanish version of Drácula. Melford filmed it simultaneously with the English version on the same sets at night using a different cast and crew. The current Universal Studios logo Universal Studios (sometimes called Universal Pictures or Universal City Studios), a subsidiary of NBC Universal, is one of the major American film studios that has production studios and offices located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, an unincorporated area of Los... A sound film (or talkie) is a motion picture with synchronized sound, as opposed to a silent movie. ... This article is about the international language known as Spanish. ... Dracula is a 1931 horror film produced by Universal Pictures Co. ...

His last major work as a director came in 1937 when he and Harry L. Fraser co-directed Columbia Pictures' first serial, a 15 episode, five hour long adventure film titled "Jungle Menace" and starring Frank Buck. At age sixty, the workaholic Melford needed to slow down and decided to give up the stressful job of directing to take on simple character actor roles. However, in 1946 Harry L. Fraser convinced him to co-direct "Jungle Terror," a feature-length sequel to their successful "Jungle Menace" serial. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... The quintessential adventure film. ... Rep. ... A workaholic is a person addicted to work. ... A character actor is an actor who predominantly performs supporting parts, often in similar roles throughout the course of a career. ... A sequel is a work of fiction in literature, film, and other creative works that is produced after a completed work, and is set in the same universe but at a later time. ...

George Melford married Louise Marsland (daughter of Clarence Marsland of Ossining NY & Mary LaFrance of Brooklyn NY) in 1904. Louise brought into the marraige her son from a previous marraige to Albert W. LeRoy of Brooklyn NY (Louise was a widow), named Judson Calkins LeRoy, born 11/03/1900, New York City. Judson took the name Melford from his adoptive father. As Judson Melford, he appeared with his father in several films between 1911 and 1913, including "On the Warpath" (1911). A minor child celebrity, a cigarette collectors card of Judson was issued as part of the 96 card Major Drapkin, Cinematograph Actors series in 1913. George Melford subsequently had an affair with actress Jacqueline Logan and after a scandalous divorce trial reported in the newspapers, Louise was granted a divorce on January 10, 1924. Although Melford was reported to have begged Louise subsequently to take him back, she refused. Louise died on November 15, 1941 and is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park. Judson dropped the name Melford and later worked for thiry years as an electrician for Paramount Studios using his real name of LeRoy, dying childless in Santa Clara, CA in 1978. Judson is buried in Santa Paula Cemetery. Melford's next marriage, which lasted two years, was to actress Diana Miller who died of tuberculocous on December 19, 1927, at the age of 25.

Melford loved the film business, and although financially independent, he never stopped working. Having directed more than one hundred and thirty films, he continued to work in small character roles, notably making an appearance in the 1956 epic The Ten Commandments. He appeared in his last film in 1960 at the age of eighty-three, passing away in Hollywood the following year of heart failure. He is interred in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery in North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California. This article is about the 1956 film. ... Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, California. ... North Hollywood is a district in the San Fernando Valley section of Los Angeles, California. ...

Selected directorial works:

• Arizona Bill (1911)
• The Boer War (1914)
• Young Romance (1915)
• To Have and to Hold (1916)
• The Sea Wolf (1920)
• Behold My Wife (1920)
• The Sheik (1921)
• Burning Sands (1922)
• Going Crooked (1926)
• La Voluntad del muerto (The Cat and the Canary) (1930)
• Drácula (1931)
• The Viking (1931)
• The Penal Code (1933)
• Jungle Menace (serial) (1937)
• Jungle Terror (1946)

The Boer War was a film made in 1914 and directed by George Melford about the Second Boer War. ... To Have and to Hold is a 1900 novel by American author, Mary Johnston. ... The Sea-Wolf is a novel written in 1904 by American author Jack London. ... The Sheik was a 1921 silent movie produced by Paramount, directed by George Melford and starring Rudolph Valentino, Agnes Ayres and Adolphe Menjou. ... Dracula is a 1931 horror film produced by Universal Pictures Co. ... The Viking (1928) was the first sound feature film made in color. ...

External link

• George Melford at the Internet Movie Database