Fred Niblo

Infobox actor
name = Fred Niblo

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imagesize = 150px
caption = Fred Niblo, 1926
birthname = Frederick Liedtke
birthdate = birth date|1874|1|6|mf=y
birthplace = York, Nebraska, United States
deathdate = death date and age|1948|11|11|1874|1|6|mf=y
deathplace = New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
restingplace = Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, Glendale, California, United States
occupation = Film director
yearsactive = 1916 – 1932
spouse =

Fred Niblo (January 6, 1874 – November 11, 1948) was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer.

He was born Frederick Liedtke in York, Nebraska to a French mother and a father who had served as a captain in the American Civil War and was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg. Using the stage name, Fred Niblo, Liedtke began his show business career performing in vaudeville and in live theater. After more than twenty years doing live performing, during which he traveled extensively around the globe, he turned to the burgeoning motion picture industry, making his first two films in Australia.

In 1901, Niblo married Broadway actress Josephine Cohan, the older sister of George M. Cohan. She died young in 1916, the year he began acting and directing motion pictures. While in Australia, he met actress Enid Bennett, whom he would later marry. As a Hollywood director, he is most remembered for several notable films beginning with his 1920 work "The Mark of Zorro" which starred Douglas Fairbanks. The following year he teamed up with Fairbanks again in "The Three Musketeers" and then directed Rudolph Valentino in "Blood and Sand". In 1925, Niblo was the principal director of the epic "Ben-Hur" that was one of the most expensive films of the day but became the third highest grossing silent film in cinema history. Niblo followed up on this success with two major 1926 works, "The Temptress" starring Greta Garbo in her second film in America, and Norma Talmadge in "Camille". Niblo went on to direct some of the greatest stars of the era including Joan Crawford, Lillian Gish, and Ronald Colman. In 1930 he directed his first talkie with two of the biggest names in show business, John Gilbert and Renée Adorée in a film titled "Redemption".

Fred Niblo retired in 1933 after more than forty years in show business. The last years sixteen were used to make more than forty films, most of which were feature length projects. He was an important personality in the early years of Hollywood and was one of the original founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In recognition of his role in the development of the film industry, he has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7014 Hollywood Blvd. His "Ben-Hur" film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.

Fred Niblo died in New Orleans, Louisiana and is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. His son with Josephine Cohan, Fred Niblo, Jr. (1903-1973) was a successful Hollywood screenwriter.

Filmography

* Diamond Cut Diamond (1932)
* Two White Arms (1932)
* The Big Gamble (1931)
* Young Donovan's Kid (1931)
* Way Out West (1930)
* Redemption (1930)
* Dream of Love (1928)
* The Mysterious Lady (1928)
* Two Lovers (1928)
* The Enemy (1927)
* The Devil Dancer (1927)
* Camille (1926)
* The Temptress (1926)
* (1925)
* The Red Lily (1924)
* Thy Name Is Woman (1924)
* Strangers of the Night (1923)
* The Famous Mrs. Fair (1923)
* Blood and Sand (1922)
* Rose o' the Sea (1922)
* The Woman He Married (1922)
* The Three Musketeers (1921)
* Greater Than Love (1921)
* Mother o' Mine (1921)
* Silk Hosiery (1920)
* The Mark of Zorro (1920)
* Her Husband's Friend (1920)
* Hairpins (1920)
* The False Road (1920)
* Sex (1920)
* The Woman in the Suitcase (1920)
* Dangerous Hours (1919)
* What Every Woman Learns (1919)
* Stepping Out (1919)
* The Virtuous Thief (1919)
* The Haunted Bedroom (1919)
* The Law of Men (1919)
* Partners Three (1919)
* Happy Though Married (1919)
* Fuss and Feathers (1918)
* When Do We Eat? (1918)
* The Marriage Ring (1918)
* Officer 666 (1916)
* Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford (1916)

External links

imdb|0629243* [http://www.yorklib.org/niblo.html Fred Niblo page at York, Nebraska's public library]

Persondata
NAME= Niblo, Fred
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Film director
DATE OF BIRTH= January 6, 1874
PLACE OF BIRTH= York, Nebraska, United States
DATE OF DEATH= November 11, 1948
PLACE OF DEATH= New Orleans, Louisiana, United States