Henry Lehrman (March 30, 1881 â€" November 7, 1946) was an American
actor, screenwriter, director and producer. Lehrman was a very
prominent figure of Hollywood's silent film era, working with such
cinematic pioneers as D. W. Griffith and Mack Sennett. However, he is
primarily remembered today not for his own achievements, but for three
biographical facts: he directed, as well as co-starred in, Charlie
Chaplin's very first film, Making a Living (though Chaplin and he
didn't get along); he was notoriously careless of the safety of the
actors who worked for him; and he was the lover of the actress
Virginia Rappe, for whose death Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle (whom Lehrman
had directed in about a dozen films in the early 1920s), in a
highly-publicized series of trials, was accused, and later acquitted,
of manslaughter.Born in Sambir, Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine), Lehrman
emigrated to the United States in December 1906 and although he is
best remembered as a film director, he began his career as an actor in
a 1909 Biograph Studios production directed by D. W. Griffith. He
gained the nickname "Pathé", reportedly because he told an executive
at Biograph he had been sent there from Europe by France's Pathé
Frères to get a job. While the executive may not have believed him,
Biograph gave him his first acting work in film, appearing as one of
many in a mob scene with another aspiring actor named Mack Sennett. A
few years later Lehrman was a successful actor, and made his
directorial debut, co-directing a 1911 Biograph production with
Sennett. When Sennett left to found Keystone Studios, Henry Lehrman
joined him, working as an actor, a screenwriter, and as the first
director of Charlie Chaplin.In 1915, Lehrman established his own film
company called the L-KO Kompany to make two-reel comedies for
Universal Studios. He was notorious for his low regard for actors,
such as for Charlie Chaplin in the actor's earliest films, and his
willingness to place his actors in dangerous situations earned him the
nickname "Mr. Suicide". Author Kalton C. Lahue noted that bit players
and extras actually refused calls from L-KO.
actor, screenwriter, director and producer. Lehrman was a very
prominent figure of Hollywood's silent film era, working with such
cinematic pioneers as D. W. Griffith and Mack Sennett. However, he is
primarily remembered today not for his own achievements, but for three
biographical facts: he directed, as well as co-starred in, Charlie
Chaplin's very first film, Making a Living (though Chaplin and he
didn't get along); he was notoriously careless of the safety of the
actors who worked for him; and he was the lover of the actress
Virginia Rappe, for whose death Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle (whom Lehrman
had directed in about a dozen films in the early 1920s), in a
highly-publicized series of trials, was accused, and later acquitted,
of manslaughter.Born in Sambir, Austria-Hungary (now Ukraine), Lehrman
emigrated to the United States in December 1906 and although he is
best remembered as a film director, he began his career as an actor in
a 1909 Biograph Studios production directed by D. W. Griffith. He
gained the nickname "Pathé", reportedly because he told an executive
at Biograph he had been sent there from Europe by France's Pathé
Frères to get a job. While the executive may not have believed him,
Biograph gave him his first acting work in film, appearing as one of
many in a mob scene with another aspiring actor named Mack Sennett. A
few years later Lehrman was a successful actor, and made his
directorial debut, co-directing a 1911 Biograph production with
Sennett. When Sennett left to found Keystone Studios, Henry Lehrman
joined him, working as an actor, a screenwriter, and as the first
director of Charlie Chaplin.In 1915, Lehrman established his own film
company called the L-KO Kompany to make two-reel comedies for
Universal Studios. He was notorious for his low regard for actors,
such as for Charlie Chaplin in the actor's earliest films, and his
willingness to place his actors in dangerous situations earned him the
nickname "Mr. Suicide". Author Kalton C. Lahue noted that bit players
and extras actually refused calls from L-KO.
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