WL
Wilfred Lucas
Actor, Director, Writer
Died December 13, 1940 (69 years)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wilfred Lucas (January 30, 1871 – December 13, 1940) was a Canadian-born American stage actor who found success in film as an actor, director, and screenwriter.
Wilfred Lucas made his Broadway debut in 1904, playing in both the The Blue Grass Handicap and The Superstition of Sue. Following his 1906 role in the highly successful play The Chorus Lady, he 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 The Greaser's Gauntlet, appearing in more than 50 of these short (usually 17 minutes) films over the next two years.
In 1910 while still acting, he wrote the script for Griffith's film Sunshine Sue, which was followed by many more scripts by 1924. Lucas also began directing in 1912 with Griffith on An Outcast Among Outcasts, and directed another 44 films over the next 20 years.
In early 1916 he starred as John Carter in Acquitted, about which Photoplay wrote, "No single performance in the records of active photography has surpassed his visualization of the humble book-keeper in Acquitted." Later in 1916 he appeared in D.W. Griffith's film Intolerance.
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.
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.
Filmography
| 1990 | Dick Tracy · as Mr. Vance |
| 1986 | Laurel & Hardy (TV Series) · as Warden |
| 1976 | Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch · as Marshal Andy |
| 1968 | The Best of Laurel and Hardy · as The Warden |
| 1941 | The Sea Wolf · as Unknown |
| 1940 | Santa Fe Trail · as Weiner (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Virginia City · as Southerner (uncredited) |
| 1940 | Brother Orchid · as Brother MacDonald |
| 1940 | A Chump at Oxford · as Dean Williams |
| 1940 | Edison, the Man · as Broker |
| 1940 | Waterloo Bridge · as Elderly Huntsman at Estate Dance (uncredited) |
| 1940 | The Fighting 69th · as Eye Doctor (uncredited) |
| 1940 | They Drive by Night · as Bailiff (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Each Dawn I Die · as Bailiff (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Zenobia · as Undetermined Role |
| 1939 | Raffles · as Bobby |
| 1939 | Almost a Gentleman · as Dog Show Director |
| 1939 | Mr. Smith Goes to Washington · as Pompous Man (uncredited) |
| 1939 | Dodge City · as Bartender (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Angels with Dirty Faces · as Police Sergeant |
| 1938 | Four Daughters · as Doctor (uncredited) |
| 1938 | Down on the Farm · as Wheeler |
| 1937 | Marked Woman · as 1st Jury Foreman (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Conquest · as Major Domo |
| 1937 | Black Legion · as Bailiff (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Dick Tracy · as Mr. Vance |
| 1937 | Varsity Show · as Police Commissioner (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Navy Blue and Gold · as Ship's Captain (uncredited) |
| 1937 | Checkers · as Race Judge |
| 1936 | Modern Times · as Juvenile Officer |
| 1936 | The Devil-Doll · as Off-Screen Voice |
| 1936 | Dimples · as Creditor |
| 1936 | Beloved Enemy · as Doctor (Uncredited) |
| 1936 | The Charge of the Light Brigade · as Captain |
| 1936 | Mary of Scotland · as Lexington |
| 1936 | The Story of Louis Pasteur · as Reporter |
| 1936 | The Prisoner of Shark Island · as Testifying Colonel |
| 1936 | Love on a Bet · as Man at Hutchinson's Meeting |
| 1935 | Les Misérables · as Onlooker |
| 1935 | Frisco Kid · as First Policeman (uncredited) |
| 1935 | Chandu on the Magic Island · as Capt. Walker |
| 1935 | Rip Roaring Riley · as Chief Martin |
| 1934 | The Count of Monte Cristo · as Detective |
| 1934 | One Night of Love · as Metropolitan Operagoer |
| 1934 | Operator 13 · as Judge |
| 1934 | Peck's Bad Boy · as actor |
| 1934 | Cleopatra · as Roman Greeting Antony (uncredited) |
| 1934 | The Return of Chandu · as Capt. Wilson [Chs. 4-12] |
| 1934 | The Lost Jungle · as Circus Ring Announcer [Ch. 1] |
| 1933 | I Cover the Waterfront · as Randall |
| 1933 | The Devil's Brother · as Unknown |
| 1933 | The Sphinx · as Prosecuting Attorney |
| 1933 | Midnight Mary · as Nightclub Bouncer (uncredited) |
| 1933 | The Mayor of Hell · as Bill (uncredited) |
| 1933 | The Three Musketeers · as El Shaitan |
| 1933 | Gallant Lady · as Phelps - the Butler |
| 1933 | Phantom Thunderbolt · as Eaton - Railroad President |
| 1933 | From Headquarters · as Intake Offcer |
| 1933 | The Intruder · as Mr. Wayne |
| 1932 | What Price Hollywood? · as Bill the Replacement Director (uncredited) |
| 1932 | Lawyer Man · as Second Jury Foreman |
| 1932 | Two Against the World · as Jury Foreman |
| 1932 | Stranger in Town · as J.P. Walker |
| 1932 | The Secrets of Wu Sin · as Pharmacist |
| 1932 | The Sign of the Cross · as actor |
| 1932 | The Midnight Patrol · as Unknown |
| 1932 | Lucky Larrigan · as John Larrigan |
| 1931 | Convicted · as Capt. Hammond |
| 1931 | Dishonored · as Unknown |
| 1931 | Millie · as Millie's Elderly Escort (uncredited) |
| 1931 | The Phantom · as Dist. Atty. John Hampton |
| 1931 | Graft · as Candidate Louis |
| 1931 | Pardon Us · as Warden |
| 1930 | Madam Satan · as Roman Senator |
| 1924 | Girls Men Forget · as Michael Shayne |
| 1922 | Flesh and Blood · as The Policeman |
| 1921 | Through the Back Door · as Elton Reeves |
| 1916 | Intolerance · as Extra (uncredited) |
| 1916 | The Microscope Mystery · as Doc Arnold |
| 1914 | Gentleman Burglar · as Baffles |
| 1913 | Cohen's Outing · as Kelly |
| 1913 | At Midnight · as The Father |
| 1913 | The Honor of the Regiment · as The Colonel |
| 1913 | Bred in the Bone · as actor |
| 1913 | Fiddler Pete · as Fiddler Pete |
| 1913 | Billy Dodges Bills · as Billy |
| 1911 | The Rose of Kentucky · as The planter |
| 1911 | The Making of a Man · as In Second Audience |
| 1911 | As in a Looking Glass · as The Husband |
| 1911 | Conscience · as actor |