Wilfrid North


Wilfrid North, also spelled Wilfred North, was an Anglo-American film director, actor, and writer of the silent film era. He directed 102 films, including short films; acted in 43 films; and wrote the story for three films.

Biography

Wilfrid North was born in London on 16 January 1863. A stage actor long before entering films, North had appeared on Broadway in 1899 with Mrs. Fiske and Maurice Barrymore in Becky Sharp and with Julia Marlowe in 1901 in When Knighthood was in Flower.
North joined Vitagraph Studios as a director in 1912. Vitagraph appointed him the director of films of its comedy star, John Bunny. North directed several films of the Bunny series like Bunny's Honeymoon, Bunny Versus Cutey, Bunny and the Bunny Hug, Bunny's Birthday Surprise, Bunny as a Reporter, Bunny's Dilemma and Bunny for the Cause, earning him popularity in the Vitagraph Studios, which led to his appointment as the supervising director of the company's studio in Brooklyn in 1917.
Actress Anita Stewart, who had started her acting career at Vitagraph and had acted in several films directed by her brother-in-law Ralph Ince, felt that the new director, North, was incompetent in his work, and went on strike during the production of two films. However, when Stewart had set up her own production company called Anita Stewart Productions, she acted in the 1919 film Human Desire, directed by North.
In September 1913 North was temporarily blinded as a result of a yacht-cannon that exploded prematurely during the principal photography of the film Miss Tomboy and Freckles. The incident happened at the Atlantic Yacht Club in Sea Gate, New York when the film crew was preparing for the filming of a yacht race. It was believed that spark from one of the actor's cigarettes had caused the explosion. North's face was badly burnt as he was pouring flour into the cannon. He recovered and returned to work on the film on 15 October.
Along with J. Stuart Blackton he directed Vitagraph's controversial 1915 war film The Battle Cry of Peace, based on the book Defenseless America by Hudson Maxim, which called on the United States to enter World War I against Germany.
In 1920 another film production studio, Select Pictures, signed him as director. North worked for Select Pictures for a short period of time but eventually returned to Vitagraph, which made him the company's production manager. Among the most famous of North's later films was His Brother's Keeper, a crime horror film, now considered lost, starring Martha Mansfield and Albert Barrett in the lead roles. After the introduction of talkies, North started playing supporting roles in films, especially the characters of judges, which he played in Port of Dreams, No More Children, The Trial of Mary Dugan, Girl Overboard, Red-Headed Woman, The Washington Masquerade, Unashamed, The Penguin Pool Murder, and The Defense Rests. His last film was Diamond Jim, in which he played a stockbroker.
North also acted in and directed various plays for theatre. He directed the 1917 stageplay Daybreak, written by Jane Cowl and Jane Murfin, and produced by Selwyn & Co. The play was staged in Harris Theatre from 14 August 1917 to October 1917.

Personal

North married actress Marian F. Gragg. He died on 3 June 1935 in Hollywood.
His 1931 film was screened at the 13th LDS Film Festival in 2014.

Selected filmography

Director