Famous Film & Theater Personalities Of The 19th Century
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The 19th century, especially the later part, saw the development of several exciting aspects in the theater industry. A wide range of movements—Romanticism, melodrama, Naturalism, and Realism, among others—swept across Europe and the US. Playwright Alexandre Dumas and dramatist Augustin Eugène Scribe were among the pioneers who greatly influenced theatrical productions in the 19th century. English stage actor Henry Irving was a prominent figure in European theater and became the first actor to be awarded a knighthood, indicating full acceptance into the higher circles of British society. Several innovations were introduced in theatrical productions during this era, and William Charles Macready was one of the main innovators. The later part of the 19th century saw the development of photography and films, with the inventor Thomas Edison playing a major role in the progress of early cinema. An associate of Edison, Alfred Clark was the first to make moving pictures with innovations like continuity, plot, trained actors and special effects in the later years of the century. Another film pioneer, William Kennedy-Laurie Dickson—also associated with Edison—devised an early motion picture camera. This section provides you information about the life and works of Famous Film & Theater Personalities of the 19th Century.
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1
Charlie Chaplin(The Greatest Comic Artist Ever & One of the Most Important Figures in Motion-Picture History)
Birthdate: April 16, 1889
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Walworth, London, England
Died: December 25, 1977
Cinema lovers around the world hold Charlie Chaplin in high esteem. One of the biggest stars of the silent film era and an icon, he left the audience in splits with his comedic performances. Even today, his performances in movies like Modern Times and The Gold Rush are considered classic. The legendary actor was also a writer, director and producer.
2
Jesse James
(Reality Television Star)
Birthdate: April 19, 1969
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Long Beach, California, United States
3
D. W. Griffith(American Director Who is One of the Most Influential Figures in the History of the Motion Picture)
Birthdate: January 22, 1875
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Crestwood, Kentucky, United States
Died: July 23, 1948
4
John Barrymore(Best Known for His Silent Films: ‘Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’, ‘Sherlock Holmes’ and ‘The Sea Beast’)
Birthdate: February 15, 1882
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: May 29, 1942
John Barrymore, father of actor Drew Barrymore, began his career as a stage actor, appearing in plays such as Hamlet. He was nicknamed “the Great Profile” and starred in films such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Sherlock Holmes. He struggled with alcoholism throughout his life.
Birthdate: June 27, 1989
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Leeds, West Yorkshire, England
6
Lionel Barrymore(Actor & Director Best Known for His Role as ‘Mr. Potter’ in the Film ‘It's a Wonderful Life’)
Birthdate: April 28, 1878
Sun Sign: Taurus
Birthplace: Philadelphia
Died: November 15, 1954
One of the earliest members of the famous Barrymore family of actors, Lionel Barrymore remains best known for his portrayal of Mr. Potter in the 1946 film It's a Wonderful Life. Unlike many of his descendants, Barrymore also composed music. For his contribution to motion picture and radio, Barrymore was honored with two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Birthdate: November 4, 1879
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Oologah, Indian Territory (now Oklahoma)
Died: August 15, 1935
Birthdate: September 21, 1879
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Glendive, Montana, United States
Died: July 4, 1954
Birthdate: August 15, 1879
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Died: June 18, 1959
10
Esme Creed-Miles
(Actress)
Birthdate: February 5, 2000
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: London Borough of Barnet Barnet, England
Birthdate: July 7, 1899
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Manhattan, New York, U.S.
Died: January 24, 1983
Birthdate: August 17, 1879
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Warsaw
Died: January 31, 1974
Birthdate: August 7, 1884
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Washington, District of Columbia, USA
Died: May 14, 1970
14
Theodore Roosevelt Jr.
(Military Leader)
Birthdate: September 13, 1887
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Oyster Bay, Long Island, New York, USA
Died: July 12, 1944
Birthdate: May 23, 1883
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Denver, Colorado, United States
Died: December 12, 1939
Birthdate: August 10, 1897
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Died: June 6, 1979
17
F. W. Murnau
(Film director)
Birthdate: December 28, 1888
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bielefeld, Germany
Died: March 11, 1931
F. W. Murnau was a German film director best remembered for directing the 1922 silent horror film Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror, which is widely regarded as a masterpiece of German Expressionist cinema. He also made Hollywood films like Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, which is often counted among the best movies ever made by critics and film directors.
18
Sarah Bernhardt(One of the Most Popular French Actresses of the Late 19th and Early 20th Century)
Birthdate: October 23, 1844
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: March 26, 1923
Sarah Bernhardt was a French actress known for playing important roles in popular French plays of the early-20th century. Her decision to play Hamlet inspired Theresa Rebeck's play Bernhardt/Hamlet, in which Janet McTeer portrayed Sarah Bernhardt. In 1960, Bernhardt became the earliest born person to be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
19
Georges Méliès
(One of the First Filmmakers to Use Storyboards & Fictional Narratives in Movies)
Birthdate: December 8, 1861
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Paris, France
Died: January 21, 1938
Initially a professional illusionist and later a film director, Georges Méliès became interested in motion pictures after watching the first real film made by Lumière brothers. Realizing the potential of film-making as an art, he soon started experimenting, making technical and narrative developments. Among the 400 films he made were Christ Walking on Water, A Trip to the Moon etc
20
Duke of Windsor
(Former King of the United Kingdom)
Birthdate: June 23, 1894
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Richmond Park, England
Died: May 28, 1972
Birthdate: October 2, 1897
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States
Died: April 24, 1974
Birthdate: November 9, 1886
Sun Sign: Scorpio
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Died: June 19, 1966
Birthdate: June 1, 1890
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Died: September 18, 1949
24
Louis B. Mayer
(Canadian-American Film Producer Who Co-Founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer)
Birthdate: July 12, 1884
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Dymer, Kiev Governorate, Russian Empire [now Vyshhorod Raion, Kiev Oblast, Ukraine]
Died: October 29, 1957
25
Preston Sturges
(Playwright, Director)
Birthdate: August 29, 1898
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, United States
Died: August 6, 1959
Birthdate: August 13, 1895
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Died: December 4, 1967
27
George Halas
(American football player)
Birthdate: February 2, 1895
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Chicago, Illinois, USA
Died: October 31, 1983
Birthdate: May 28, 1883
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Bhagur
Died: February 26, 1966
Vinayak Damodar Savarkar was an Indian politician and independence activist. He formulated the Hindu nationalist philosophy of Hindutva and was a leading figure in the Hindu Mahasabha. He was known for his strong oratory skills and was an eloquent writer. He was initially charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi but was later acquitted.
Birthdate: February 28, 1893
Sun Sign: Pisces
Birthplace: New York City, U.S.
Died: April 18, 1964
Birthdate: November 25, 1893
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Died: October 21, 1959
Birthdate: March 22, 1887
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Died: October 11, 1961
32
George M. Cohan(Entertainer, Playwright and Composer Who is Considered to be ‘The Father of American Musical Comedy’)
Birthdate: July 3, 1878
Sun Sign: Cancer
Birthplace: Providence, Rhode Island, United States
Died: November 5, 1942
33
Walter Pidgeon
(Former Actor who starred in The Bad and the Beautiful and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Birthdate: September 23, 1897
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Saint John, Canada
Died: September 25, 1984
34
Rose Wilder Lane
(Journalists)
Birthdate: December 5, 1886
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: De Smet, South Dakota, USA
Died: October 30, 1968
Birthdate: November 22, 1965
Sun Sign: Sagittarius
Birthplace: New York, New York, United States
36
Maria Goretti
(Regarded as a Roman Catholic saint and martyr)
Birthdate: October 16, 1890
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Corinaldo, Italy
Died: July 6, 1902
Birthdate: August 28, 1899
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Taishan, Guangdong, China
Died: July 12, 1976
Chinese-American James Wong Howe Known, known as The Poet of the Camera, had aspired to be a boxer but then earned his living as a bellboy and a cleaner, before stepping into cinematography. The Oscar-winning cinematographer used innovative techniques with the camera, such as roller-skating to film fighting scenes.
38
Konstantin Stanislavski
(Co-founder of ‘Moscow Art Theatre’ and Developer of Stanislavski's System of Acting)
Birthdate: January 17, 1863
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Moscow, Russia
Died: August 7, 1938
Legendary Soviet and Russian theatre-practitioner Konstantin Stanislavski, who played an instrumental role in promoting new Russian drama of his time, is best-known for co-founding the world-renowned Moscow Art Theatre and developing the Stanislavski's system of training and preparing actors. Sergeyevich was considered one of the prominent theatre directors of his day and also earned repute as a remarkable character actor.
Birthdate: October 13, 1853
Sun Sign: Libra
Birthplace: Jersey
Died: February 12, 1929
40
Sydney Greenstreet
(Actor)
Birthdate: December 27, 1879
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Sandwich, Kent, England
Died: January 18, 1954
41
John Rogan
(Second tallest person in history)
Birthdate: February 16, 1868
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Hendersonville, Tennessee, United States
Died: September 12, 1905
42
Sessue Hayakawa
(Actor, Novelist, Screenwriter, Film director)
Birthdate: June 10, 1889
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Chiba
Died: November 23, 1973
Sessue Hayakawa was a Japanese actor who became a popular Hollywood star during the silent film era. He was the first Asian actor to achieve stardom in Europe and the United States of America. Renowned for portraying sexually dominant villains, Sessue Hayakawa became a heartthrob among American women; he was also one of Hollywood's first male sex symbols.
Birthdate: April 1, 1885
Sun Sign: Aries
Birthplace: Clay County
Died: April 15, 1949
44
Irving Thalberg
(Film producer)
Birthdate: May 30, 1899
Sun Sign: Gemini
Birthplace: Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died: September 14, 1936
Birthdate: January 6, 1880
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Mix Run, Pennsylvania, USA
Died: October 12, 1940
Birthdate: February 9, 1891
Sun Sign: Aquarius
Birthplace: Richmond, Surrey, England
Died: May 19, 1958
Birthdate: September 6, 1879
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Died: February 20, 1936
Birthdate: January 7, 1896
Sun Sign: Capricorn
Birthplace: Bath, Somerset, England, UK [now Bath and North East Somerset, England, UK]
Died: March 12, 1984
49
Robert A. Taft
(Politician)
Birthdate: September 8, 1889
Sun Sign: Virgo
Birthplace: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
Died: July 31, 1953
Birthdate: August 6, 1882
Sun Sign: Leo
Birthplace: Pennsylvania, United States
Died: July 8, 1962