Fred LeRoy Granville


Fred LeRoy Granville was born in Warrnambool, Victoria, Australia, in 1896, and educated in New Zealand. The 1 February 1922, issue of American Cinematographer stated that he was "a bloody Britisher by birth" and "first saw the light at Worton Hall, Isleworth, Middlesex, England." Granville became interested in photography as a boy. His first experience with cinematography came in 1913 under the guidance of James Crosby at the Selig Polyscope studio in Edendale, near downtown Los Angeles. Granville photographed the documentary Rescue of the Stefansson Expedition and a number of features and serials for Universal, including Liberty, A Daughter of the USA and The Heart of Humanity. He also shot several of cowboy actor Tom Mix's early Fox features. The last two films he directed were produced in France.
While married to Mary J., he had two sons, George E., born about 1908 and Roy F., born about 1911.
In 1920, Granville went to England, where he worked as a cinematographer and director into the mid-1920s. Here he met and married the actress Peggy Hyland in 1923. The marriage was later dissolved. He died in London on 14 November 1932, from complications related to Bright's disease.

Selected filmography