Wilfred Lucas
Biography
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.
Known For
Metropolitan Operagoer
One Night of Love
Juvenile Officer
Modern Times
Love Your Neighbor
Homicide Squad
Mack's Horse Trainer (uncredited)
Stormy
Robert Appleton Jr.
The Hushed Hour
Stage Manager
A Broadway Butterfly
Brother MacDonald
Brother Orchid
Dean Williams
A Chump at Oxford
Heroes of the Street
Ship Captain
Paid Back
A Policeman
The Long Road
An Indian (uncredited)
A Temporary Truce
Minor Role (uncredited)
The Goddess of Sagebrush Gulch
Charles Richmond
The Fighting Sap
Richard Wade
Lightning Romance
The Super Snooper
C. Hanaford
North of Nevada
President Alvarez
Soldiers of Fortune
Capt. Hammond
Convicted
Col. Owen
The Bad Lands
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
The Dragon Murder Case
Captain Kane
The Unwritten Law
Dignitary (uncredited)
Love Time
Nightclub Bouncer (uncredited)
Midnight Mary
Stockholm ”Queen of the Baltic”
Brute Force
Brute Force
Debate Chairman
The Dark Horse
Professor Ullrich
Freshman Year
Capt. Wilson [Chs. 4-12]
The Return of Chandu
Bill (uncredited)
The Mayor of Hell
Prosecuting Attorney (uncredited)
The House on 56th Street
Wilfred Lucas, game hunter
Angkor
Horace Lennon
What Every Woman Wants
Doctor (uncredited)
Idol of the Crowds
First Policeman (uncredited)
Frisco Kid
The Girl and Her Trust
The Sea Wolf
Hudford
Racing for Life
Judge Hollister
Cross-Examination
Sportscaster
The Galloping Ghost
George
His Trust
Policeman (uncredited)
Big City Blues
Police Commissioner (uncredited)
Varsity Show
Capt. Walker
Chandu on the Magic Island
Enoch Arden: Part II
Enoch Arden: Part I
When a Man Loves
Mike
The Transformation of Mike
Stephen
The Massacre
Frederick Wallace
Winning Back His Love
John Gale
The Moth
Man at Hutchinson's Meeting
Love on a Bet
George
His Trust Fulfilled
Andrews' Lawyer Barry (uncredited)
Mary Stevens, M.D.
Capt. Wolff
The Kentucky Derby
Mike O'Flanagan
Sister to Judas
El Shaitan
The Three Musketeers
Brandon's Assistant
Criminal Lawyer
Jack Van Norman
The Lily and the Rose
Señor Vallejo
Cock o' the Walk
Undetermined Role
The Age for Love
The District Attorney
A Terrible Discovery
Off-Screen Voice (voice / uncredited)
The Devil-Doll
Member of Parliament
The Baroness and the Butler
Maj. Bissell
As No Man Has Loved
Eaton - Railroad President
Phantom Thunderbolt
Sheriff Franklin
House of Mystery
Macduff
Macbeth
Osmund Manvers
The Spanish Jade
Mr. Lucas
Red Noses
Hugh Frazier
Swords and Hearts
Charles W. Wright
The Greatest Menace
Bruteforce
Man's Genesis
The Taming of the Shrew
Mark Hadley
Daughters of Pleasure
Mr. Wayne
The Intruder
Jim Bludso
Jim Bludso
Oldring
Riders of the Purple Sage
Ship's Purser
Careless Lady
Mr. Lucas, Airline Superintendent
Air Fright
Prison Yard Captain (uncredited)
We Who Are About to Die
Man at Hospital Dedication (uncredited)
A Man to Remember
Ballfield Doctor
Brother Rat
Police Lieutenant
Night Spot
Undetermined Role
Zenobia
First Scotland Yard Man (uncredited)
Kind Lady
Doctor (Uncredited)
Beloved Enemy
Raglan Staff Officer (uncredited)
The White Angel
The Fisherman
The Primal Call
Official (uncredited)
You Said a Mouthful
Bartender (uncredited)
Dodge City
Dog Show Director
Almost a Gentleman
Burbank Offical (uncredited)
Women in the Wind
Ship's Captain (uncredited)
Navy Blue and Gold
Bailiff (uncredited)
Each Dawn I Die
Pompous Man (uncredited)
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Race Judge
The Daredevil Drivers
Stationmaster (uncredited)
Four Wives
Bobby
Raffles
Police Detective Randall
Nick Carter, Master Detective
Mr. Gillstrom, Charley's Boss
Looser Than Loose
Marshal Andy Thompson (uncredited)
The Marshal Of Mesa City
Director (Uncredited)
The Preview Murder Mystery
Bill, Man Outside Racetrack (uncredited)
The Day the Bookies Wept
Fire Tug Captain
She Loved a Fireman
Joe
Under Burning Skies
Policeman (uncredited)
Women in Hiding
Sam Ellery (uncredited)
Men Call It Love
John Davis
Strange People
Old Jim Darley
The Valley of Hate
Judge in Wagner Case (uncredited)
Missing Witnesses
Pharmacist
The Secrets of Wu Sin
Proprietor (uncredited)
The Country Doctor
Sheriff Tom
Blazing Sixes
Police Commissioner
Varsity Show
Baffles
Gentleman Burglar
The Sailor
A Sailor’s Heart
John Ware
Empty Holsters
Big Ben Benson
Those Who Dance
Chief Martin
Rip Roaring Riley
Druggist (uncredited)
Show Them No Mercy!
Eye Doctor (uncredited)
The Fighting 69th
Businessman
High Tension
The Girl and the Outlaw
East Ivestown Leader (uncredited)
Legion of the Lawless
Broker
Edison, the Man
A Strange Meeting
Whitney [Ch. 1] (uncredited)
The Devil Horse
Drexel
Mile a Minute Love
Randall
I Cover the Waterfront
Weiner (uncredited)
Santa Fe Trail
Southerner (uncredited)
Virginia City
Constable Herb at Tule Mesa
Triple Justice
Nate Temple
Prairie Thunder
The Policeman
Flesh and Blood
Billy's Father
Billy's Stratagem
Extra (uncredited)
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
The planter
The Rose of Kentucky
Townsman with Mayor
The Arizonian
Manager
The Arizona Kid
Sheriff
California Mail
Jim Blake (uncredited)
Land Beyond the Law
Director of Screen Test (uncredited)
Talent Scout
Elderly Huntsman at Estate Dance (uncredited)
Waterloo Bridge
The Honor of Thieves
The Warden (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Best of Laurel and Hardy
Board Member (uncredited)
A Dispatch from Reuters
Bailiff (uncredited)
They Drive by Night
Roomer
Women Without Names
Sir John Thornbull
A Woman of Pleasure
Gaston Allegretti
The Beautiful Liar
The Lover
Heart Beats of Long Ago
His Daughter
Candidate Louis
Graft
Cell Block Keeper
Over the Wall
Sheriff's Deputy
The Tabasco Kid
Professor Edwin Millstone (uncredited)
Midnight Blunders
Robert Powers
Souls Triumphant
John Houston
Hands Up!
Philip
A Love Sublime
Elton Reeves
Through the Back Door
Earl of Rutland
Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall
The Specialist
Free Wheeling
Mr. Wade
Shrimps for a Day
Himself (uncredited)
Chatterbox
Hugh Clayton
Cyclone Cavalier
In Second Audience
The Making of a Man
Edwin Ramsey
Her Sacrifice
Fred Arnold
The Wood Nymph
Enoch Arden
Enoch Arden: Part I
Bill the Replacement Director (uncredited)
What Price Hollywood?
The Indian Girl's Great Brother
A Pueblo Legend
The Wealthy Friend
Just Like a Woman
The Blacksmith
Home Folks
The American
Fate's Interception
Race Judge (archive footage) (uncredited)
Breakdowns of 1938
Red Jack Braggan
The Man from Kangaroo
Gun Dealer
The Westland Case
Police Chief
Human Cargo
Steve Hardester
Fisher Folks
Policeman
Tear Gas Squad
Minister (uncredited)
The Sorrows of Satan
Duryea
Young Donovan's Kid
Lord Cumberly
Burnt Fingers
Rich Man's Folly
Julius Furman
Jazzmania
Dist. Atty. John Hampton
The Phantom
Pat, a Welfare Worker (uncredited)
Stranded
Dr. Saltus
Hello Sister
Warden
Pardon Us
The Fireman
The Lonedale Operator
Jose
The Greaser's Gauntlet
Customer in Drugstore (uncredited)
Hot Water
Wheeler
Down on the Farm
Councilman
Safety in Numbers
John Dickinson (uncredited)
The Declaration of Independence
Lincoln's Secretary (uncredited)
The Man Without a Country
Richard Manning
The Co-respondent
The Diamond Star
The Two Paths
Andrew Maxwell
Sins of Ambition
The Doctor
A Woman Scorned
The Clerk
The Failure
The Manley Suitor
Love in the Hills
John MacDonald
The Fighting Breed
J.P. Walker
Stranger in Town
Ashby
The Girl of the Golden West
Millie's Elderly Escort (uncredited)
Millie
Jury Foreman #1 (uncredited)
Marked Woman
Bailiff (uncredited)
Black Legion
Old Jim Darley
Valley of Hate
The Laird
Trilby
His Excellency Permitting Henry's Arrest (uncredited)
Give Me Liberty
Prosecutor (uncredited)
One a Minute
Announcer (uncredited)
Naughty Marietta
Mr. Ryan
Racetrack
Chairman of the Board
Apples to You!
Doc Arnold
The Microscope Mystery
Child Welfare Official (Uncredited)
Call Her Savage
John Carter
Acquitted
Hell-to-Pay Austin
Hell-to-Pay Austin
1776, or The Hessian Renegades
The Devil's Brother
The Renunciation
A Tender-Hearted Crook
The King of Romanda
When Kings Were the Law
The Rocky Road
Doctor (uncredited)
Four Daughters
Bob Mills
The Big Cage
Violent Jailbird
What Shall We Do with Our Old?
Dishonored
Pure Gold and Dross
Aaron Kidder
Across the Dead-Line
Roman Greeting Antony (uncredited)
Cleopatra
The Midnight Patrol
John Larrigan
Lucky Larrigan
First Crook
The Miser's Heart
Prosecuting Attorney
The Sphinx
Doctor
Big Ears
Onlooker
Les Misérables
The Widower
The Widow and the Widower
Dock Official (uncredited)
Vagabond Lady
Rudyard Byng
The Judgment House
R.S. Falk
How Baxter Butted In
Roman Senator
Madam Satan
James Presbury
The Price She Paid
Testifying Colonel (uncredited)
The Prisoner of Shark Island
The Girls and Daddy
Advice to the Lovelorn
Richard Stanton
Passion's Pathway
Court Martial Judge (uncredited)
Devil and the Deep
Boat Captain (uncredited)
Upperworld
Second Jury Foreman (uncredited)
Lawyer Man
Mortimer Davidson
The Breaking Point
Richard O'Neil
The Mask of Lopez
Jim Hamilton
A Wild Girl of the Sierras
Judge Bledsoe
The Wife Who Wasn't Wanted
Jim Buckley
The Westerners
The Fatal Mistake
Franklyn Chase
Can a Woman Love Twice?
X-10
Just Imagine
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
262
Gender
Male
Birthday
1871-01-29
Place of Birth
Norfolk, Ontario, Canada
Also Known As
Wilfred Van Norman Lucas