Web Quotableonline.com Frasescelebres.org Greatbookscollection.org

Wilfred Lucas, born January 30, 1871 in the
Province of Ontario, Canada - died December 5,
1940 in Los Angeles, California, United States,
was a stage and film actor, a film director, and a
screenwriter.


A handsome and sophisticated young man, Wilfred
Lucas headed to New York City 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
the still struggling D. W. Griffith. At the time,
the film business was still looked down upon by
many members of the theatrical community who
refused to "lower" themselves and work in film or
to help an industry that was seen as a competitive
threat. 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 Wilfred
Lucas as the "first real grand actor, democratic
enough to work in Biograph movies."

In 1908, Wilfred Lucas made his motion picture
debut in Griffith's production, The Greaser's
Gauntlet. He appeared in more than fifty 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 (movie)|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.

While working at Biograph Studios, Wilfred Lucas
met and ultimately married actress/screenwriter
Bess Meredyth (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 the famous Mannix and Star Trek
television shows. The divorce was a bitter one and
through what is now known as Parental Alienation
Syndrome (PAS), Wilfred Lucas became estranged
from his son.

Wilfred Lucas was one of the fortunate ones whose
skills and voice allowed him to make the
successful transition from silent film to sound. 
While working in Hollywood, in 1926 he returned to
the stage, performing in several Broadway plays.

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.