Ralph Waldo Ince (January 16, 1887 â€" April 10, 1937) was an American
pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter whose career began near
the dawn of the silent film era. Ralph Ince was the brother of John
Ince and Thomas H. Ince.Ralph Ince was born in Boston, Massachusetts,
the younger of three sons and a daughter raised by English immigrants,
John and Emma Ince. Sometime after his birth Ince moved to Manhattan
where his entire family was engaged in theater work; his father as a
musical agent and mother, sister Bertha and brothers, John and Thomas
as actors. Ralph Ince studied art with cartoonist Dan McCarthy and for
a while worked as a newspaper cartoonist for the New York World and
later magazine illustrator for the New York Mirror and The Evening
Telegram. At times over his acting and directing career Ince would
continue to contribute cartoons to popular magazines of the day. Early
on in his career Ince, who had done some stage acting as a child, was
a member of Richard Mansfield's stock company playing parts in The
College Widow and Ben Hur.Around 1906 Ince became an animator in the
fledgling film industry working for Winsor McCay, but soon turned to
acting and joined Vitagraph Studios where he became known for his
portrayals of Abraham Lincoln in a series of one reel films. Ince
began directing at Vitagraph around 1910 and was officially advanced
to the director's chair in 1912, though he still continued to act in
many of his films and throughout his career. Ince would go on to
direct some 171 films between 1910 and 1937 and appear in
approximately 110 films over nearly the same time period.
pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter whose career began near
the dawn of the silent film era. Ralph Ince was the brother of John
Ince and Thomas H. Ince.Ralph Ince was born in Boston, Massachusetts,
the younger of three sons and a daughter raised by English immigrants,
John and Emma Ince. Sometime after his birth Ince moved to Manhattan
where his entire family was engaged in theater work; his father as a
musical agent and mother, sister Bertha and brothers, John and Thomas
as actors. Ralph Ince studied art with cartoonist Dan McCarthy and for
a while worked as a newspaper cartoonist for the New York World and
later magazine illustrator for the New York Mirror and The Evening
Telegram. At times over his acting and directing career Ince would
continue to contribute cartoons to popular magazines of the day. Early
on in his career Ince, who had done some stage acting as a child, was
a member of Richard Mansfield's stock company playing parts in The
College Widow and Ben Hur.Around 1906 Ince became an animator in the
fledgling film industry working for Winsor McCay, but soon turned to
acting and joined Vitagraph Studios where he became known for his
portrayals of Abraham Lincoln in a series of one reel films. Ince
began directing at Vitagraph around 1910 and was officially advanced
to the director's chair in 1912, though he still continued to act in
many of his films and throughout his career. Ince would go on to
direct some 171 films between 1910 and 1937 and appear in
approximately 110 films over nearly the same time period.
Share this
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
SUBSCRIBE OUR NEWSLETTER
Join us for free and get valuable content delivered right through your inbox.