Charles Albert Browning, Jr. (July 12, 1880 - October 5, 1962), better known as Tod Browning, was an American film actor and director whose career spanned the silent and talkie eras. Best known as the director of Dracula (1931) with Bela Lugosi and the cult classic Freaks (1932), he directed many movies in a wide range of genres. July 12 is the 193rd day (194th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 172 days remaining. ... 1880 (MDCCCLXXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... October 5 is the 278th day of the year (279th in Leap years). ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ... Film refers to the celluloid media on which movies are printed. ... 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. ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ... A sound film (or talkie) is a motion picture with synchronized sound, as opposed to a silent movie. ... This DVD cover for the film shows Lugosi in the role which would type-cast him for the rest of his career. ... Bela Lugosi as Dracula United States stamp. ... Freaks is a 1932 horror film from the Pre-Code era about sideshow performers, directed by Tod Browning. ...

Early life

Tod Browning was born in Louisville, Kentucky, the second son of Charles and Lydia Browning. As a young boy, he put on amateur plays in his backyard. He was fascinated by the circus and carnival life, and at the age of 16 he ran away from his well-to-do family to become a performer. Louisville redirects here; for other uses, see Louisville (disambiguation). ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

Changing his name to "Tod", he travelled extensively with sideshows, carnivals, and circuses. His jobs included working as a talker (barker, as the term is also known isn't correct) for the Wild Man of Borneo, performing a live burial act in which he was billed as "The Living Corpse", and performing as a clown with the Ringling Brothers Circus. He would draw on this experience as inspiration for some of his film work. In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction. ... Swabian-Alemannic carnival clowns in Wolfach, Germany Carnival is a noun. ... The classic American clown partnership of neat whiteface Mike Snyder and grotesque auguste Billy Vaughn pictured here with Ringmaster Danny McCallum. ... Ringling Brothers were the founders of what eventually became the Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus. ...

He performed in vaudeville as an actor, magician, dancer, etc. He appeared in the Mutt and Jeff and The Lizard and the Coon acts, and in a blackface act titled The Wheel of Mirth alongside comedian Charles Murray. Vaudeville is a style of multi-act theatre which flourished in North America from the 1880s through the 1920s. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Magic, including the arts of prestidigitation and conjuring, is the art of entertaining an audience by performing illusions that baffle and amaze, often by giving the impression that something impossible has been achieved, almost as if the performer had magic or supernatural powers. ... A contemporary dancer rehearsing in a dance studio Dance generally refers to human movement either used as a form of expression or presented in a social, spiritual or performance setting. ... Mutt and Jeff comic book from 1919. ... This reproduction of a 1900 minstrel show poster, originally published by the Strobridge Litho Co. ... Charles Chic Murray (1919 - 1985) was a comedian and actor. ...

Beginnings of a film career

Later, while Browning was working as director of a variety theater in New York, he met D. W. Griffith. He began acting along with Murray on single-reel nickelodeon comedies for Griffith and the Biograph company. Official language(s) None, English de facto Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  Ranked 27th  - Total 54,520 sq. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Nickelodeon is an early 20th century form of small, neighborhood movie theaters in which admission was obtained for a nickel. ...

In 1913 Griffith split from Biograph and moved to California. Browning followed and continued to act in Griffith's films, now for Reliance-Majestic Studios, including a stint as an extra in the epic Intolerance. Around that time he began directing, eventually directing 11 short films for Reliance-Majestic. 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq. ... Intolerance is a silent film directed by D.W. Griffith in 1916. ...

In June of 1915, he crashed his car at full speed into a moving train. His passengers were actor Elmer Booth and George A. Seigmann. Booth was killed instantly, while Seigmann and Browning suffered serious injuries, including in Browning's case a shattered right leg and the loss of his front teeth. During his convalescence, Browning wrote scripts, and did not return to active film work until 1917. 1915 (MCMXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

Silent feature films

Browning's feature film debut was Jim Bludso (1917), about a riverboat captain who sacrifices himself to save his passengers from a fire. It was well-received. 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... A first class tourist riverboat High speed planing riverboat High speed hydrofoil riverboat Local passenger transport craft Riverboat specialized for cargo truck transport Self propelled gravel barge M.V. Splendid China layout A riverboat is a specialized watercraft (vessel) designed for operating on inland waterways. ...

Browning moved back to New York in 1917. He directed two films for Metro Studios: Peggy, the Will o' the Wisp and The Jury of Fate, both starring Mabel Taliaferro, the latter in a dual role achieved with double exposure techniques that were groundbreaking for the time. He moved back to California in 1918 and produced two more films for Metro: The Eyes of Mystery and Revenge. 1917 (MCMXVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Mabel Taliaferro Mabel Taliaferro (Maybelle Evelyn Taliaferro) alias Nell (May 21, 1887 New York, NY - January 24, 1979 Honolulu, HI) was an Italian-American stage and a silent screen actress, known as the Sweetheart of American Movies. ... In film and photography, double exposure is a technique in which a piece of film is exposed twice, to two different images. ... 1918 (MCMXVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar (see link for calendar) or a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. ...

In the spring of 1918 he left Metro and joined Bluebird Productions, a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, where he met Irving Thalberg. Thalberg paired Browning with Lon Chaney, Sr. for the first time for the film The Wicked Darling (1919), a melodrama in which Chaney played a thief who forces a poor girl from the slums into a life of crime. The current Universal Studios logo Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal, has production studios and offices located at 100 Universal City Plaza Drive in Universal City, California, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County between Los Angeles and Burbank. ... Irving Grant Thalberg (May 30, 1899 - September 14, 1936) was an American film producer during the early years of motion pictures. ... Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera Lon Chaney, Sr. ...

The death of his father sent Browning into a depression that led to alcoholism. He was laid off by Universal and his wife left him. However, he recovered, reconciled with his wife, and got a one-picture contract with Metro Goldwyn Mayer. The film he produced for MGM, The Day of Faith, was a moderate success, putting his career back on track. Leo the Lion in the MGM logo used since 1924, although the version here (with web address) has been in use since 2001. ...

Thalberg reunited Browning with Lon Chaney for The Unholy Three (1925), the story of three circus performers who concoct a scheme to con and steal jewels from rich people using disguises. Browning's circus experience shows in his sympathetic portrayal of the antiheroes. The film was a resounding success, so much so that it was later remade in 1930 as Lon Chaney's first (and only) talkie. Browning and Chaney embarked on a series of popular collaborations, including The Blackbird and The Road to Mandalay. The Unknown (1927), featuring Chaney as an armless knife thrower and Joan Crawford as his scantily clad carnival girl obsession, was originally titled Alonzo the Armless and could be considered a precursor to Freaks in that it concerns a love triangle involving a circus freak, a beauty, and a strongman. London After Midnight (1927), from this period, was Browning's first foray into vampire film and is a highly sought-after lost film. Their final collaboration was Where East is East (1929), of which only incomplete prints have survived. Browning's first talkie was The Thirteenth Chair (1929), which was also released as a silent and starred Bela Lugosi. Originally made by MGM in 1925 as a silent film and then remade in 1930 as a talkie, The Unholy Three is a melodrama involving a crime spree. ... In literature and film, an anti-hero is a central or supporting character that has some of the personality flaws and ultimate fortune traditionally assigned to villains but nonetheless also have enough heroic qualities or intentions to gain the sympathy of readers or viewers. ... The Unknown (1927) was a silent horror film directed by Tod Browning and featuring Lon Chaney, Sr. ... Joan Crawford, photographed by Yousuf Karsh, 1948 Joan Crawford (March 23, 1905 – May 10, 1977) was an acclaimed Academy Award winning American actress. ... Freaks is a 1932 horror film from the Pre-Code era about sideshow performers, directed by Tod Browning. ... London After Midnight is a 1927 silent horror film, starring Lon Chaney, Sr. ... Of the various fictional monsters to be depicted in movies and television throughout the 20th and 21st centuries, the vampire has been one of the most popular. ... 1929 (MCMXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Bela Lugosi as Dracula United States stamp. ...

Talkies

After Chaney's death in 1930, Browning was hired by Universal Pictures to direct Dracula (1931). Although Browning wanted to hire an unknown European actor for the title role and have him be mostly offscreen as a sinister presence, budget constraints and studio interference necessitated the casting of Bela Lugosi and a more straightforward approach. Although the film is now considered a classic, at the time Universal was unhappy with it and preferred the Spanish-language version filmed on the same sets at night. 1930 (MCMXXX) is a common year starting on Wednesday. ... This DVD cover for the film shows Lugosi in the role which would type-cast him for the rest of his career. ... 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ...

After directing the boxing melodrama The Iron Man (1931), he began work on Freaks (1932). Based on a short story by the screenwriter of The Unholy Three, it concerns a love triangle between a wealthy dwarf, a gold-digging aerialist, and a strongman, a murder plot, and the vengeance dealt out by the dwarf and his fellow circus freaks. The film was highly controversial, even after heavy editing to remove many disturbing scenes, and was a commercial failure. Browning's career was derailed. 1931 (MCMXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday (link is to a full 1931 calendar). ... Freaks is a 1932 horror film from the Pre-Code era about sideshow performers, directed by Tod Browning. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ...

Browning found himself unable to get his requested projects greenlighted. After directing the drama Fast Workers (1933) starring John Gilbert, who was also not in good standing with the studio, he was allowed to direct a remake of London After Midnight, originally titled Vampires of Prague but later retitled Mark of the Vampire (1935). In the remake, the roles played by Lon Chaney in the original were split between Lionel Barrymore and Bela Lugosi (spoofing his Dracula image). After that he directed The Devil Doll (1936), originally titled The Witch of Timbuctoo, from a script he wrote himself. It starred Lionel Barrymore as an escapee from an island prison who avenges himself on the people who imprisoned him using magically animated dolls. His final film was the murder mystery Miracles for Sale (1939). 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... John Gilbert may refer to several people: John Gilbert (actor) John Gilbert (naturalist) John Gilbert (painter) John William Gilbert (British, Labour Party politician) John Gilbert (Canadian politician) (NDP) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Mark of the Vampire is a 1935 horror film, starring Lionel Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan, Bela Lugosi, and Lionel Atwill, and directed by Tod Browning. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, radio and film. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1939 (MCMXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Retirement

After Miracles for Sale, Browning did some scenario work for MGM. In 1942 he retired and moved to Malibu. He became such a recluse that soon after his wife died in 1944, Variety accidentally published an obituary for him. Even his neighbors rarely saw him. In the late 1950s he developed throat cancer, necessitating tongue surgery. When his brother Avery died in 1959, he attended the funeral from a private room and would not let family members see him. On October 6, 1962, he was found dead in the bathroom of some friends. This article is about the year. ... The Malibu pier near the famous Surfrider Beach The Pacific Coast Highway in central Malibu The Paradise Cove pier in Malibu Malibu is a city located in western Los Angeles County, California. ... 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1944 calendar). ... Variety is a daily magazine for the entertainment industry. ... October 6 is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years). ... 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar). ...

There is a biography, Dark Carnival (1995) (ISBN 0385474067) by David J. Skal and Elias Savada.

See also

• List of famous Louisvillians

This is a list of famous people and celebrities that were either born in or have lived in Louisville, Kentucky. ...

External links

• Tod Browning at The Internet Movie Database