- Gordon Griffith
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Gordon S. Griffith (July 4, 1907, Chicago – October 12, 1958) was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors in the American movie industry. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in over 60 films, and surviving the transition from silent films to talkies—films with sound. During his acting career, he worked with Charlie Chaplin, and was the first actor to portray both Tom Sawyer[1] and Tarzan on film.[2][3]
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Film actor
Griffith was born on July 4, 1907 in Chicago, Illinois to actors Harry Sutherland Griffith [4] and Katherine Kiemar Griffith.[5] He had two siblings, an older sister Gertrude, and a younger brother Graham—also an actor.[6] Griffith was already an experienced actor when, at age seven, he got his first acting role as a regular character in the Little Billy series of films. Mack Sennett of Keystone Studios cast Griffith in many of his slapstick features, where he eventually earned supporting roles in Charlie Chaplin films, including Tillie's Punctured Romance.
His big break came with the role of young Tarzan, in the 1918 film Tarzan of the Apes. He was required to do his own stunts, such as climbing trees, swinging from vines, and interacting closely with a chimpanzee. Griffith also has several nude scenes in the first half of the film. Griffith appears before the actor portraying the adult Tarzan—Elmo Lincoln—making him the first actor to portray Tarzan in film. After seeing the movie, a critic described Griffith as "a youthful actor of uncommon gifts."[3]
Gordon Griffith (bottom) and Florence Morrison (top) in a detail of a publicity picture for the 1922 film, Penrod.
Griffith received the role of Tom Sawyer in Huckleberry Finn. Later he was again cast in the first Tarzan serial as Tarzan's son, Korak, a role that has been described as "anticipating John Sheffield's 'Boy' roles [in later Tarzan films]."[2] Both of his parents died in the 1920s—his mother in 1921[5] and his father in 1926.[4] At the time of the 1930 census, he and his brother were living with his sister and her family in Pasadena, California.[7]
Other film work
Although his career survived the transition from silent films to sound, Griffith received smaller and smaller roles—occasionally not even being credited for his performances. As his acting career cooled, Griffith moved into other areas of the film industry. At the age of twenty-three he got his first job as an assistant director.[8] His final acting credit came six years later in 1936's Outlaws of the Range.[8] Griffith continued to work in the film industry until his death. Between 1931 and 1940 he worked as Second Unit Director or Assistant Director in over 20 films, including those at Monogram Pictures.
Between 1937 and 1956 he produced five films.[8] He was an associate producer under Robert Sherwood, and a director and then an associate producer for Gregory Ratoff Productions. In 1941, Griffith became production manager at Columbia Pictures, and later served as an associate producer for RKO, eventually becoming executive producer for films such as 1956's Alexander the Great.
In 1958, Griffith died of a heart attack in Hollywood. He was survived by his sister.[2]
Selected filmography
- Little Billy's Triumph (1914)
- Little Billy's Strategy (1914)
- Little Billy's City Cousin (1914)
- Chicken Chaser (1914)
- Those Country Kids (1914)
- Tillie's Punctured Romance (1914)
- Kid Auto Races at Venice (1914)
- Little Sunset (1915)
- Billy's Cupidity (1915)
- If My Country Should Call (1916)
- Tarzan of the Apes (1918)
- The Romance of Tarzan (1918)
- Cupid Forecloses (1919)
- The Son of Tarzan (1920)
- Huckleberry Finn (1920)
- The Adventures of Tarzan (1921)
- Penrod (1922)
- The Village Blacksmith (1922)
- Little Annie Rooney (1925)
- The Cat's Pajamas (1926)
- Bars of Hate (1935)
- Gun Play (1935)
- Speed Limited (1935)
- Blazing Justice (1936)
- Outlaws of the Range (1936)
References
- ^ Huckleberry Finn (1920) at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ a b c IMDb Gordon Griffith mini-biography by Ed Stephan
- ^ a b New York Times citing Hans J. Wollstein, Allmovie
- ^ a b Harry Griffith at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ a b Katherine Griffith at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ ancestry.com citing the 1920 United States Federal Census, Los Angeles Assembly District 63, Los Angeles California; Roll: T625_106; Page: 18B; Enumeration District: 169; Image: 1019.
- ^ ancestry.com citing the 1930 United States Federal Census, Pasadena Los Angeles California; Roll: 169; Page: 14B; Enumeration District: 1246; Image: 241.0.
- ^ a b c Gordon Griffith at the Internet Movie Database
External links
- Gordon Griffith at the Internet Movie Database
- Picture of Gordon Griffith without heavy makeup in the Young Hollywood Hall of Fame
Preceded by
(originator with Elmo Lincoln)Actors to portray Tarzan
1918-1920Succeeded by
Gene PollarCategories:- 1907 births
- 1958 deaths
- Actors from Chicago, Illinois
- American child actors
- American film actors
- American film producers
- American silent film actors
- Deaths from myocardial infarction
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