Cullen Landis

Cullen Landis
Born	James Cullen Landis 9 July 1896(1896-07-09), Nashville, Tennessee
Died	26 August 1975(1975-08-26) (aged 79) Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
Other names	J. Cullen Landis

Cullen Landis (July 9, 1896 – August 26, 1975) was an American motion picture actor and director whose career began in the early years of the silent film era.

Biography

James Cullen Landis was the middle of two sons and a daughter raised by Lulan and Margaret (née Cullen) Landis. He was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, ^[1] where his father supported his family as a stock broker. ^[2] Landis began working in the fledgling film industry at the age of eighteen around the time his older sister, Margaret Landis, appeared in her first film. ^[3]

Landis with his model train locomotive, ca. 1920

In 1928 Cullen Landis starred in the first ‘all talking’ motion picture, Lights of New York. He once confided in a friend that talkies were perfect for musicals and that he was no "song and dance man". He left Hollywood for Detroit in 1930 to produce and direct industrial films for automobile companies. Landis began as a movie director, only turning to acting after his lead player broke a leg and it was discovered that the actor’s costumes fit him. Landis went on to become one of the more popular lead actors of the silent era, appearing in some one hundred films over fourteen years.^[4][5][6]

As a boy Landis was a train enthusiast and dreamed to be an railroad engineer. Though the ambition eventually faded, his interest in railroads did not, and some years later he helped design for himself a model train set powered by steam (left).^[7]

During World War II Landis served as a captain with US Army Signal Corps producing training films in the South Pacific. By war’s end he was twice decorated and promoted to major. In the post war years he made documentaries for the US State Department that took him to the far corners of the world. ^[8][9]

James Cullen Landis passed away on August 28, 1975 at a nursing home in Bloomfield, Michigan, some three moths after the death of his wife, Jane (née Greiner) Landis.^[10][11]

Source

1. ^ US World War One Draft Registratin
2. ^ 1900-1910 US Census Records
3. ^ Margaret Landis, IMDb.com
4. ^ Cullen Landis, IMDb.com
5. ^ Silent Screen Star Dies - Ironwood Daily Globe 28 Aug 1975 pg 6
6. ^ Actor - Long Beach Independent 28 Aug 1975 pg 6
7. ^ The Santa Fe magazine, Volume 15 1920 – pg. 48
8. ^ Silent Screen Star Dies - Ironwood Daily Globe 28 Aug 1975 pg 6
9. ^ Actor - Long Beach Independent 28 Aug 1975 pg 6
10. ^ Silent Screen Star Dies - Ironwood Daily Globe 28 Aug 1975 pg 6
11. ^ Actor - Long Beach Independent 28 Aug 1975 pg 6

Selected filmography

• The Little Wild Girl (1928)
• Lights of New York (1928)
• The Crimson Flash (1927)
• On Guard (1927)
• Crashin' Thru (1923)
• The Famous Mrs. Fair (1923)
• The Outcasts of Poker Flat (1919)

External links

Biography portal

• Cullen Landis at the Internet Movie Database
• Cullen Landis at Find a Grave
• Cullen Landis at AllRovi

Persondata
Name	Landis, Cullen
Alternative names	Landis, J. Cullen
Short description	Actor
Date of birth	1895-07-09
Place of birth	Nashville, Tennessee
Date of death	1975-08-26
Place of death	Bloomfield Hills, Michigan