Wilfrid North
actor, director, writer
- Birth name:
- William Northcroft
- Born:
- 1863-01-16, London, England, UK
- Died:
- 1935-06-03, Hollywood, California, USA
- Professions:
- actor, director, writer
Biography
A cockney kid who learned to command boards before cameras existed, Wilfrid North crossed the Atlantic in 1913 and walked straight into Vitagraph’s Brooklyn plant. The studio handed him its cash-cow—300-pound John Bunny—and told him to keep the laughs coming. North delivered, so they promoted him to Supervising Director and let him pull the strings on every production line. In 1920 he flirted with Select Pictures, grew bored, and marched back to Vitagraph as Production Manager. Middle age tempted him in front of the lens: by the mid-twenties the former backstage boss was stealing scenes in two-reelers and features, first for Vitagraph, then for whoever would sign the paycheck. He called “Cut” for the last time as director in 1922, but kept acting until 1935, bowing out with the calendar and passing away in June of that year.
