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Frank Powell is a Actor, Director, Scriptwriter, Producer and Presenter Canadien born on 8 may 1887 at Hamilton (Canada)

Frank Powell

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Nationality Canada
Birth 8 may 1887 at Hamilton (Canada)
Death 10 april 1964 (at 76 years) at New York City (USA)

Frank E. Powell was a stage and silent film actor, screenwriter, and director in the United States. He was born in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Starting as a stage director for Augustus Thomas, he later joined playwright Kirk LaShelle, and afterwards for some years directed productions in Europe for Ellen Terry. He returned to America and made his Broadway theatre debut in 1904 and began his career in film in 1909 as an actor and scriptwriter at Biograph Studios. There, he also co-directed his first film with D.W. Griffith and demonstrated an adeptness at directing Biograph-style comedies.

After directing sixty-three short films for Biograph, Powell returned to Europe in 1914 and joined Pathé Frères as a producer of historical and romantic dramas. Ill health necessitated his resting for a while but he used the opportunity to travel around Europe, studying costumes and types. On his return from Europe, he was engaged by the Powers Motion Picture Company, and after being with them for some time, rejoined Pathé as a director of Special Features. Later he was freelancing, directing the first film made by the George Kleine film production company. Hired by William Fox, he made a number of films for Fox Film Corporation then became part of the World Film Corporation studios.

In 1914, the film The Taint required buying a steam-engine and then destroying it in a staged derailment. The stunt did not go as planned and the train overturned close to the actors who could have been killed. No one was hurt however.

Powell is best remembered for discovering Theda Bara, directing her in A Fool There Was (1915), the film that made her an international star and gave her the nickname "The Vamp". A year earlier, he directed Bara in her onscreen debut, The Stain. He also directed Mary Pickford in sixteen films, as well as other early stars such as Florence Lawrence, Robert Harron, Kate Bruce, Blanche Sweet, Donald Crisp, Henry B. Walthall, and Mabel Normand.

In late 1916 he set up his own production company Frank Powell Productions Inc. One of his films Charity? (1916), billed as a "sociological photo-drama" was a purported exposé of appalling conditions in New York orphanages. After being screened to a private audience who were appalled at the exaggerations in it, the studio decided to make changes. At the time, the Governor of New York, Charles S. Whitman, had commissioned a report on the conditions in private child-caring institutions and the film would seem to have been an opportunity to cash in on public concern.

In the early 1920s, Powell wrote a number of scripts for British films. Powell directed his last film for Mack Sennett Comedies in 1921.

Biography

Frank Powell fait ses débuts comme assistant d'Augustus Thomas, puis comme assistant de Kirke La Shelle , puis il part à Londres en tant que réalisateur pour diriger des films ayant pour vedette Ellen Terry. Il retourne aux États-Unis où il est engagé par la Biograph Company. Il repart à nouveau à Londres pour rejoindre la succursale britannique de la compagnie Pathe Frères où il dirige des films historiques et romanesques. Pour des raisons de santé il retourne aux États-Unis, il travaille pour la Powers Motion Picture Company.

En tant qu'acteur, il tourne avec Blanche Sweet dans le film Le spéculateur en grains / A Corner in Wheat (1909) de David W. Griffith. Il se fait remarquer en 1915 par la réalisation du film Embrasse-moi, idiot / A Fool There Was avec Theda Bara et Edward José.