Robert G. Vignola (born Rocco Giuseppe Vignola, August 5, 1882 â€"
October 25, 1953) was an Italian-American actor, screenwriter and film
director. A former stage actor, he appeared in many motion pictures
produced by Kalem Company and later moved to directing, becoming one
of the silent screen's most prolific directors. He directed a handful
of films in the early years of talkies but his career essentially
ended in the silent era.Robert G. Vignola was born in Trivigno, a
village in the province of Potenza, Basilicata, to Donato Gaetano
Vignola, a stone mason, and Anna Rosa Rago. He had three brothers and
one sister. Travelling with them, he left Italy in May 1886, at the
age of three. He was raised in Albany, New York. Because of his
Christian name of Rocco he was nicknamed "Rocky" on the family’s
first census in New York. His name Rocco was later changed to Robert.
Trained as a barber in the beginning, at 14 he became interested in
the circus, practicing contortion and slackwire, but found his true
love was acting at 17, and a year later he founded the "Empire
Dramatic Club" in Albany.In 1901 he started acting on stage
professionally and joined the "American Stock Company" in New York. He
made his stage debut in "Romeo and Juliet", performing with Eleanor
Robson Belmont and Kyrle Bellew. In the following years he played
leads and became a character actor. Vignola's motion picture career
began in 1906 with the short film The Black Hand, directed by Wallace
McCutcheon and produced by Biograph Company, generally considered the
film that launched the mafia genre.In 1907 he joined Kalem Studios,
starring in numerous movies directed by his long-time friend Sidney
Olcott often dealing with Irish culture such as The Lad from Old
Ireland (1910), The Colleen Bawn (1911), and Arrah-na-Pogue (1911).
Olcott would later promote him to assistant director. The Kalem
Company traveled across Europe and Middle East, where Vignola did one
of his most notable roles as Judas Iscariot in From the Manger to the
Cross (1912), among the most acclaimed films of the silent years.
According to Moving Picture World, he was the first actor who was
placed upon a permanent salary by Kalem.
October 25, 1953) was an Italian-American actor, screenwriter and film
director. A former stage actor, he appeared in many motion pictures
produced by Kalem Company and later moved to directing, becoming one
of the silent screen's most prolific directors. He directed a handful
of films in the early years of talkies but his career essentially
ended in the silent era.Robert G. Vignola was born in Trivigno, a
village in the province of Potenza, Basilicata, to Donato Gaetano
Vignola, a stone mason, and Anna Rosa Rago. He had three brothers and
one sister. Travelling with them, he left Italy in May 1886, at the
age of three. He was raised in Albany, New York. Because of his
Christian name of Rocco he was nicknamed "Rocky" on the family’s
first census in New York. His name Rocco was later changed to Robert.
Trained as a barber in the beginning, at 14 he became interested in
the circus, practicing contortion and slackwire, but found his true
love was acting at 17, and a year later he founded the "Empire
Dramatic Club" in Albany.In 1901 he started acting on stage
professionally and joined the "American Stock Company" in New York. He
made his stage debut in "Romeo and Juliet", performing with Eleanor
Robson Belmont and Kyrle Bellew. In the following years he played
leads and became a character actor. Vignola's motion picture career
began in 1906 with the short film The Black Hand, directed by Wallace
McCutcheon and produced by Biograph Company, generally considered the
film that launched the mafia genre.In 1907 he joined Kalem Studios,
starring in numerous movies directed by his long-time friend Sidney
Olcott often dealing with Irish culture such as The Lad from Old
Ireland (1910), The Colleen Bawn (1911), and Arrah-na-Pogue (1911).
Olcott would later promote him to assistant director. The Kalem
Company traveled across Europe and Middle East, where Vignola did one
of his most notable roles as Judas Iscariot in From the Manger to the
Cross (1912), among the most acclaimed films of the silent years.
According to Moving Picture World, he was the first actor who was
placed upon a permanent salary by Kalem.
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