Edwin August

Biography

Born in St. Louis on November 20, 1883, as Edwin August Phillip von der Butz, this future screen star took his first bow at age seven in a production of 'Little Lord Fauntleroy.' Following a dedicated tenure on the stage, he migrated to the nascent film industry in 1908, joining New York’s Biograph Company. There, he worked under the meticulous eye of D.W. Griffith and performed alongside Mary Pickford. By the tail end of summer 1912, August moved to the Lubin Company, where he became a frequent collaborator with Ormi Hawley before departing that December. A true polymath of the silent era, he not only starred in films but also penned and directed them, eventually launching his own production firm. His charisma was undeniable; a national magazine poll once celebrated him as the era's most handsome matinee idol. In 1916, August took a surreal turn into politics, announcing a run for the presidency with a platform built on opposing movie censorship. While the public laughed off the prospect of an actor-president—at a time when a five-year-old Ronald Reagan was still decades away from the office—August remained committed to his cause. He successfully weathered the transition to sound, appearing in films until 1947 and popping up in background roles in masterpieces like 'Mr. Smith Goes to Washington' (1939) and 'The Magnificent Ambersons' (1942). Despite his early fame, his final decades were spent in a humble Hollywood bungalow. He never married, and historical evidence suggests he was likely gay. August died on March 4, 1964, and was laid to rest at Valhalla Memorial Park.