James Kirkwood Sr.


James Kirkwood Sr. was an American actor and director.

Biography

Kirkwood debuted on screen in 1909 and was soon playing leads for D. W. Griffith. He started directing in 1912, and became a favorite of Mary Pickford. In 1923 he married actress Lila Lee; with her, he had a son, James Kirkwood Jr., who became a successful writer, winning both a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize for A Chorus Line.. He was George Melford's original choice for the starring role of Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan in The Sheik, which was later famously passed to Rudolph Valentino. His directing career fizzled in 1920, but he continued acting well into the 1950s. His film career would span more than two hundred films over nearly a half century.
He died at the Motion Picture Country House and Hospital.

Selected filmography