George H. Melford (born George Henry Knauff, February 19, 1877 â€"
April 25, 1961) was an American stage and film actor, director,
producer, and screenwriter. Often taken for granted as a director
today, the stalwart Melford's name by the 1920s was, like Cecil B.
DeMille's, appearing in big bold letters above the title of his
films.Born in Rochester, New York, in 1877 (though older sources state
1888), he was the son of German immigrant Henrietta Knauff. Melford
had four sisters: Mary Knauff (Mrs. Godfrey Willis Wainwright);
Henrietta Knauff; Alice Irene Knauff (Mrs. Edmond Francois Bernoudy)
â€" all of Los Angeles â€" and Mrs. Frederick Kells/Keils of Ottawa,
Canada. Melford graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec,
Canada.[citation needed]He was an accomplished stage actor working in
Cincinnati, Ohio, before joining the Kalem Company motion picture
studio in New York City in 1909. Hired by director Sidney Olcott for
character actor roles, in the fall of 1910 he was sent to work with a
film crew on the West Coast. In 1911, with Robert Vignola, he
co-directed Ruth Roland in his first short film, Arizona Bill based on
a script he had written. From there, Melford went on to direct another
30 films for Kalem Studios until 1915, when he was hired by Jesse L.
Lasky to direct feature-length films for Lasky's Feature Play Company.
That same year, Melford became one of the founding members of the
Motion Picture Directors Association.
April 25, 1961) was an American stage and film actor, director,
producer, and screenwriter. Often taken for granted as a director
today, the stalwart Melford's name by the 1920s was, like Cecil B.
DeMille's, appearing in big bold letters above the title of his
films.Born in Rochester, New York, in 1877 (though older sources state
1888), he was the son of German immigrant Henrietta Knauff. Melford
had four sisters: Mary Knauff (Mrs. Godfrey Willis Wainwright);
Henrietta Knauff; Alice Irene Knauff (Mrs. Edmond Francois Bernoudy)
â€" all of Los Angeles â€" and Mrs. Frederick Kells/Keils of Ottawa,
Canada. Melford graduated from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec,
Canada.[citation needed]He was an accomplished stage actor working in
Cincinnati, Ohio, before joining the Kalem Company motion picture
studio in New York City in 1909. Hired by director Sidney Olcott for
character actor roles, in the fall of 1910 he was sent to work with a
film crew on the West Coast. In 1911, with Robert Vignola, he
co-directed Ruth Roland in his first short film, Arizona Bill based on
a script he had written. From there, Melford went on to direct another
30 films for Kalem Studios until 1915, when he was hired by Jesse L.
Lasky to direct feature-length films for Lasky's Feature Play Company.
That same year, Melford became one of the founding members of the
Motion Picture Directors Association.
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