Fred J. Balshofer
cinematographer, director, producer
- Born:
- 1877-11-02, New York City, New York, USA
- Died:
- 1969-06-21, Calabasas, California, USA
- Professions:
- cinematographer, director, producer
Biography
A Bronx boy who learned to paint with light, Fred J. Balshofer entered the world on 2 November 1877, when Manhattan’s streets still echoed with horse hooves. Within two decades he was cranking cameras for the brand-new flicker trade, shooting and staging silents that sent audiences galloping after The Three Buckaroos (1922), sighing over Racing Romance (1927), and tapping toes to Broadway Bill (1918). Behind the lens and from the director’s chair he helped tame a rowdy young medium, all while keeping pace with his leading lady, actress Cecil Weston, who became both his collaborator and his wife. The final curtain fell on 21 June 1969 in sun-washed Calabasas, California, closing a life that had spanned cinema’s wild childhood to its glossy maturity.
