D.W. Griffith's photo

D.W. Griffith

Born: 1875-01-22 in LaGrange, Kentucky, USA

Died: 1948-07-23

Known For: Directing

Biography

David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance (1916). Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera and narrative techniques, and its immense popularity set the stage for the dominance of the feature-length film. It also proved extremely controversial at the time and ever since for its negative depiction of Black Americans and their supporters, and its positive portrayal of slavery and the Ku Klux Klan. Griffith responded to his critics with his next film, Intolerance, intended to show the dangers of prejudiced thought and behavior. The film was not the financial success that its predecessor had been, but was received warmly by critics. Several of his later films were also successful, but high production, promotional, and roadshow costs often made his ventures commercial failures. Even so, he is generally considered one of the most important figures of early cinema.

Filmography

2024

Hollywood Black as Self (archive footage)

2023

Mary Pickford a Blessing and a Curse as Self

2020

Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty as archive footage

2014

Flashback: The First World War as Self (archive footage)

2008

Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies as Self (archive footage)

2007

Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema as Self (archive footage)

2002

The Tramp and the Dictator as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
D.W. Griffith - Years of Discovery 1909-1913 ... (Writer)

1998

Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists as Self (archive footage)

1995

The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies as Self (archive footage)

1993

The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation' as Self (Archive footage)

1988

American Experience as Self
Lillian Gish: The Actor's Life for Me as Self (archive footage)

1980

Hollywood as Self (archive footage)

1975

D.W. Griffith: An American Genius as Self (archive)

1973

General Massacre ... (Novel)

1961

The Legend of Rudolph Valentino as Self (archive footage)

1951

Footlight Varieties ... (Director)

1936

San Francisco as Orchestra Conductor (uncredited)

1931

The Struggle ... (Director)

1930

Abraham Lincoln ... (Director)
1930 Prelude to "The Birth of a Nation" as Self

1929

Lady of the Pavements ... (Director)

1928

The Battle of the Sexes ... (Director)
Drums of Love ... (Director)

1927

The King of Kings ... (Assistant Director)

1926

The Sorrows of Satan ... (Director)

1925

Sally of the Sawdust ... (Director)
That Royle Girl ... (Director)

1924

Isn't Life Wonderful ... (Director)
America ... (Director)

1923

The White Rose ... (Director)

1922

One Exciting Night ... (Director)

1921

Orphans of the Storm ... (Director)
Screen Snapshots (Series 1, No. 20) as Himself
Dream Street ... (Director)

1920

Way Down East ... (Director)
Remodeling Her Husband ... (Director)
The Idol Dancer ... (Director)
The Love Flower ... (Director)

1919

Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl ... (Director)
The Girl Who Stayed at Home ... (Producer)
A Romance of Happy Valley ... (Director)
The Mother and the Law ... (Director)
The Fall of Babylon ... (Writer)
True Heart Susie ... (Director)
The Greatest Question ... (Director)
Scarlet Days ... (Director)

1918

Hearts of the World ... (Director)
The Hun Within ... (Writer)
The Great Love ... (Producer)
The Greatest Thing in Life ... (Producer)
Lillian Gish in a Liberty Loan Appeal ... (Writer)

1917

A Girl of the Timber Claims ... (Supervising Producer)
Betsy's Burglar ... (Supervising Producer)

1916

Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages ... (Scenario Writer)
Don Quixote ... (Supervisor of Production Resources)
Fifty-Fifty ... (Producer)
Hoodoo Ann ... (Writer)
Diane of the Follies ... (Writer)
The Half-Breed ... (Producer)
Susan Rocks the Boat ... (Producer)
Let Katie Do it ... (Story)
Betty of Greystone ... (Story)
The Social Secretary ... (Producer)
The Children of the Feud ... (Producer)
Daphne and the Pirate ... (Writer)
The Marriage of Molly-O ... (Writer)
Macbeth ... (Producer)
An Innocent Magdalene ... (Story)
The Missing Links ... (Production Supervisor)
The Wood Nymph ... (Story)

1915

The Birth of a Nation ... (Producer)
Martyrs of the Alamo ... (Producer)
The Lily and the Rose ... (Writer)
Double Trouble ... (Production Supervisor)
Enoch Arden as Mr. Ray
Old Heidelberg ... (Supervising Producer)
Ghosts ... (Producer)
The Lamb ... (Story)

1914

Judith of Bethulia ... (Director)
Home, Sweet Home ... (Director)
The Life of General Villa ... (Supervising Producer)
The Battle of the Sexes ... (Director)
The Avenging Conscience ... (Director)
The Escape ... (Director)
The Odalisque ... (Supervising Producer)
Brute Force ... (Director)
Waifs ... (Director)

1913

The Battle at Elderbush Gulch ... (Director)
Love in an Apartment Hotel ... (Director)
Three Friends ... (Director)
Just Gold ... (Writer)
Near To Earth ... (Director)
The Telephone Girl and the Lady ... (Director)
The Ranchero's Revenge ... (Director)
The Mistake ... (Director)
Madonna of the Storm ... (Director)
The Hero of Little Italy ... (Director)
If We Only Knew ... (Director)
The Perfidy of Mary ... (Director)
Two Men of the Desert ... (Screenplay)
An Adventure in the Autumn Woods ... (Director)
The House of Darkness ... (Director)
Her Mother's Oath ... (Director)
The Conscience of Hassan Bey ... (Director)
The Enemy's Baby ... (Director)
The Sheriff's Baby ... (Director)
His Mother's Son ... (Director)
The Left-Handed Man ... (Director)
Oil and Water ... (Director)
The Lady and the Mouse ... (Writer)
The Tender Hearted Boy ... (Director)
His Mother's Son ... (Director)
Death's Marathon ... (Director)
The Coming of Angelo ... (Director)
The Unwelcome Guest ... (Director)
A Misunderstood Boy ... (Director)
The Mothering Heart ... (Director)
Broken Ways ... (Director)
The Yaqui Cur ... (Director)
The Little Tease ... (Writer)
The Sorrowful Shore ... (Director)
The Wanderer ... (Director)
The Stolen Loaf ... (Director)
The Reformers ... (Director)
The Adopted Brother ... (Director)
A Chance Deception ... (Director)
A Misappropriated Turkey ... (Director)
A Timely Interception ... (Director)
Brothers ... (Director)
Fate ... (Director)

1912

A Feud in the Kentucky Hills ... (Director)
The Mender of Nets ... (Director)
In the Aisles of the Wild ... (Director)
The One She Loved ... (Director)
A Lodging for the Night ... (Director)
The New York Hat ... (Director)
The Baby and the Stork ... (Director)
So Near, Yet So Far ... (Director)
His Lesson ... (Director)
Blind Love ... (Director)
The Burglar’s Dilemma ... (Director)
The Musketeers of Pig Alley ... (Writer)
Just Like a Woman ... (Director)
Brutality ... (Writer)
The Root of Evil ... (Director)
The School Teacher and the Waif ... (Director)
The Female of the Species ... (Director)
The Sands of Dee ... (Director)
One Is Business, the Other Crime ... (Director)
Lena and the Geese ... (Director)
A String of Pearls ... (Director)
A Siren of Impulse ... (Director)
A Beast at Bay ... (Director)
The Chief's Blanket ... (Director)
A Cry for Help ... (Director)
When Kings Were the Law ... (Director)
An Unseen Enemy ... (Director)
The Massacre ... (Director)
Two Daughters of Eve as At Stage Door
The Eternal Mother ... (Director)
The Transformation of Mike ... (Director)
The Informer ... (Director)
Gold and Glitter ... (Director)
The Goddess of Sagebrush Gulch ... (Producer)
Friends ... (Director)
The Narrow Road ... (Director)
The Girl and Her Trust ... (Director)
The Painted Lady ... (Director)
The Old Actor ... (Director)
Home Folks ... (Director)
A Temporary Truce ... (Director)
Billy's Stratagem ... (Director)
Under Burning Skies ... (Director)
Man's Genesis ... (Director)
For His Son ... (Director)
Iola's Promise ... (Director)
Heredity ... (Director)
My Baby ... (Director)
My Hero ... (Director)
A Pueblo Legend ... (Director)
The God Within ... (Director)
An Indian Summer ... (Director)
Fate's Interception ... (Director)
The Sunbeam ... (Director)
The Lesser Evil ... (Director)
The Inner Circle ... (Director)

1911

Conscience ... (Director)
Her Sacrifice ... (Director)
Teaching Dad to Like Her ... (Director)
A Knight of the Road ... (Director)
The Miser's Heart ... (Director)
Love in the Hills ... (Director)
Three Sisters ... (Director)
Enoch Arden: Part II ... (Director)
The Revenue Man and His Girl ... (Director)
What Shall We Do with Our Old? ... (Director)
The Squaw's Love ... (Director)
A Decree of Destiny ... (Director)
The Blind Princess and the Poet ... (Director)
The Making of a Man ... (Director)
The Two Paths ... (Director)
The Adventures of Billy as On Bench
The Spanish Gypsy ... (Director)
The Thief and the Girl ... (Director)
The Last Drop of Water ... (Director)
A Wreath of Orange Blossoms ... (Director)
The Failure ... (Director)
The Indian Brothers ... (Director)
Through Darkening Vales ... (Director)
Swords and Hearts ... (Director)
When a Man Loves ... (Director)
How She Triumphed ... (Director)
A Woman Scorned ... (Director)
A Terrible Discovery ... (Director)
A Country Cupid ... (Director)
The Trail of Books ... (Director)
The New Dress ... (Director)
The Rose of Kentucky ... (Director)
Fate's Turning ... (Director)
The Broken Cross ... (Director)
Enoch Arden: Part I ... (Director)
The Diamond Star ... (Director)
The Lily of the Tenements ... (Director)
Fighting Blood ... (Director)
The Sorrowful Example ... (Director)
The Voice of the Child ... (Director)
Heart Beats of Long Ago ... (Director)
The Battle ... (Director)
His Trust Fulfilled ... (Director)
Bobby the Coward ... (Director)
Enoch Arden ... (Director)
Fisher Folks ... (Director)
The Primal Call ... (Director)
His Trust ... (Director)
The Italian Barber ... (Director)
Her Awakening ... (Director)
The Long Road ... (Director)
His Daughter ... (Director)
Madame Rex ... (Director)
The Lonedale Operator ... (Producer)
Saved from Himself ... (Director)
The Unveiling ... (Director)
Italian Blood ... (Director)

1910

Muggsy's First Sweetheart ... (Director)
The Unchanging Sea ... (Director)
The Two Brothers ... (Director)
The Refuge ... (Director)
The Iconoclast ... (Director)
What the Daisy Said ... (Director)
The Oath and the Man ... (Director)
The Message of the Violin ... (Writer)
The Face at the Window ... (Director)
As It Is in Life ... (Director)
The Man ... (Director)
Gold Is Not All ... (Director)
The Sorrows of the Unfaithful ... (Director)
The Broken Doll ... (Director)
Little Angels of Luck ... (Director)
The Impalement ... (Director)
Over Silent Paths ... (Director)
The Way of the World ... (Director)
The Thread of Destiny ... (Story)
A Flash of Light ... (Director)
His Sister-In-Law ... (Director)
The Marked Time-Table ... (Director)
In the Border States ... (Director)
The Duke’s Plan ... (Director)
The Englishman and the Girl ... (Director)
A Mohawk's Way ... (Director)
That Chink at Golden Gulch ... (Director)
A Child's Impulse ... (Director)
Rose o' Salem Town ... (Director)
The Call to Arms ... (Director)
Taming a Husband ... (Director)
The House with Closed Shutters ... (Director)
A Child's Faith ... (Director)
The Honor of His Family ... (Director)
Love Among the Roses ... (Director)
A Child of the Ghetto ... (Director)
A Child's Stratagem ... (Director)
His Last Burglary ... (Director)
Winning Back His Love ... (Director)
The Cloister’s Touch ... (Director)
The Banker's Daughters ... (Director)
In the Season of Buds ... (Director)
A Victim of Jealousy ... (Director)
The Song of the Wildwood Flute ... (Director)
Bill Sharkey's Last Game ... (Director)
His Last Dollar ... (Director)
A Romance of the Western Hills ... (Director)
An Arcadian Maid ... (Director)
The Woman from Mellon's ... (Director)
The Last Deal ... (Writer)
The Gold Seekers ... (Director)
The Troublesome Baby ... (Producer)
As the Bells Rang Out! ... (Director)
Her Father's Pride ... (Director)
Examination Day at School ... (Director)
Faithful ... (Director)
Two Little Waifs ... (Director)
A Summer Idyll ... (Director)
After the Ball ... (Producer)
Sunshine Sue ... (Director)
The Usurer ... (Director)
In Life's Cycle ... (Director)
In Old California ... (Director)
The Modern Prodigal ... (Director)
The Rocky Road ... (Director)
Waiter No. 5 ... (Director)
The Twisted Trail ... (Director)
Unexpected Help ... (Director)
Ramona ... (Director)
Her Terrible Ordeal ... (Director)
Wilful Peggy ... (Director)
The Golden Supper ... (Director)
The Lesson ... (Director)
The Call ... (Writer)
A Plain Song ... (Director)
The Converts ... (Director)
The Purgation ... (Director)
On the Reef ... (Writer)
A Midnight Cupid ... (Director)
The Fugitive ... (Director)
A Gold Necklace ... (Producer)
The Newlyweds ... (Director)
A Salutary Lesson ... (Director)
The Final Settlement ... (Director)
A Rich Revenge ... (Director)
Thou Shalt Not ... (Director)
Simple Charity ... (Director)
Serious Sixteen ... (Director)

1909

Sweet Revenge ... (Writer)
1776, or The Hessian Renegades
The Renunciation ... (Director)
A Corner in Wheat ... (Director)
To Save Her Soul ... (Director)
Leather Stocking ... (Director)
Lady Helen's Escapade ... (Director)
Comata, the Sioux ... (Director)
The Cord of Life ... (Director)
Eradicating Aunty ... (Director)
The Eavesdropper ... (Writer)
In the Window Recess ... (Director)
I Did It, Mamma ... (Director)
Pranks ... (Director)
In the Watches of the Night ... (Director)
The Cricket on the Hearth ... (Director)
The Light That Came ... (Director)
The Expiation ... (Writer)
Mr. Jones Has a Card Party ... (Writer)
The Children's Friend ... (Director)
A Baby's Shoe ... (Director)
The Indian Runner's Romance ... (Director)
The Mills of the Gods ... (Director)
The Redman's View ... (Director)
A Fool's Revenge ... (Director)
The Little Darling ... (Director)
The Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals ... (Director)
The Salvation Army Lass ... (Director)
The Medicine Bottle ... (Writer)
The Sealed Room ... (Director)
A Trap for Santa Claus ... (Director)
The Cardinal's Conspiracy ... (Director)
The Girls and Daddy as At Black & Tan Ball
Edgar Allen Poe ... (Director)
A Drunkard's Reformation ... (Writer)
The Way of Man ... (Director)
Lines of White on a Sullen Sea ... (Writer)
The Mountaineer's Honor ... (Director)
The Honor of Thieves ... (Director)
Wanted, a Child ... (Director)
A Change of Heart ... (Director)
One Touch of Nature ... (Director)
The Politician's Love Story as Man - First Couple
His Wife's Visitor ... (Director)
A Wreath in Time ... (Writer)
The Death Disc: A Story of the Cromwellian Period ... (Director)
Jones and His New Neighbors ... (Director)
The Violin Maker of Cremona ... (Director)
The Voice of the Violin ... (Director)
The Fascinating Mrs. Francis ... (Director)
The Golden Louis ... (Director)
Mrs. Jones Entertains ... (Director)
What's Your Hurry? ... (Director)
The Son's Return ... (Screenplay)
The Prussian Spy ... (Director)
His Wife's Mother ... (Director)
The Lure of the Gown ... (Writer)
The Broken Locket ... (Writer)
The Little Teacher ... (Director)
Jones and the Lady Book Agent ... (Director)
His Ward's Love ... (Director)
The Heart of an Outlaw ... (Director)
Tis an Ill Wind That Blows No Good ... (Writer)
Jealousy and the Man ... (Director)
A Burglar’s Mistake ... (Writer)
The Suicide Club ... (Director)
In Little Italy ... (Director)
They Would Elope ... (Director)
Resurrection ... (Director)
Love Finds a Way ... (Director)
The Day After ... (Director)
Schneider’s Anti-Noise Crusade ... (Director)
The Note in the Shoe ... (Writer)
The Road to the Heart ... (Writer)
The Maniac Cook ... (Writer)
The Lonely Villa ... (Director)
Trying to Get Arrested ... (Director)
The French Duel ... (Director)
The Curtain Pole ... (Writer)
The Roue’s Heart ... (Writer)
The Wooden Leg ... (Director)
Eloping with Auntie ... (Director)
Fools of Fate ... (Director)
The Trick that Failed ... (Director)
His Duty ... (Director)
And a Little Child Shall Lead Them ... (Writer)
What Drink Did ... (Writer)
Nursing a Viper ... (Director)
Pippa Passes ... (Director)
A Rural Elopement ... (Director)
Getting Even ... (Director)
A Midnight Adventure ... (Director)
Mrs. Jones' Lover or, I Want My Hat ... (Director)
Through the Breakers ... (Director)
His Lost Love ... (Director)
The Awakening ... (Director)
Drive for a Life ... (Writer)
A Troublesome Satchel ... (Director)
Tragic Love ... (Writer)
At the Altar
Lucky Jim ... (Director)
The Criminal Hypnotist ... (Writer)
Her First Biscuits ... (Director)
The Country Doctor ... (Director)
The Mended Lute ... (Director)
A Rude Hostess ... (Director)
Those Awful Hats ... (Director)
Two Memories ... (Director)
The Welcome Burglar ... (Director)
The Gibson Goddess ... (Director)
The Seventh Day ... (Director)
Confidence ... (Writer)
The Winning Coat ... (Writer)
The Hindoo Dagger ... (Director)
The Deception ... (Director)
The Jilt ... (Writer)
The Necklace ... (Director)
The Restoration ... (Director)
A Strange Meeting ... (Director)
Tender Hearts ... (Director)
Mr. Jones' Burglar ... (Director)
The Mexican Sweethearts ... (Director)
Those Boys! ... (Writer)
Twin Brothers ... (Director)
A New Trick ... (Director)
The Slave ... (Director)
Oh, Uncle! ... (Director)
The Sacrifice ... (Director)
The Peachbasket Hat ... (Director)
The Faded Lilies ... (Director)
The Brahma Diamond ... (Director)
Sweet and Twenty ... (Director)
The Test ... (Director)
In Old Kentucky ... (Director)

1908

Over the Hills to the Poor House ... (Writer)
The Taming of the Shrew ... (Director)
For Love of Gold ... (Director)
The Vaquero's Vow ... (Director)
The Call of the Wild ... (Director)
King of the Cannibal Islands as Cannibal in top hat
The Greaser's Gauntlet ... (Director)
Father Gets in the Game ... (Director)
The Adventures of Dollie ... (Director)
The Girl and the Outlaw ... (Director)
The Man and the Woman ... (Director)
Balked at the Altar
Where the Breakers Roar ... (Director)
Monday Morning in a Coney Island Police Court ... (Director)
The Tavern Keeper’s Daughter ... (Director)
Behind the Scenes: Where All Is Not Gold That Glitters ... (Director)
The Song of the Shirt ... (Director)
Betrayed by a Handprint ... (Director)
The Redman and the Child ... (Director)
Romance of a Jewess ... (Director)
Mr. Jones at the Ball ... (Writer)
The Zulu's Heart ... (Director)
The Sculptor's Nightmare
For a Wife's Honor ... (Director)
The Red Girl as Man on Footpath
When Knighthood Was in Flower ... (Writer)
The Fight for Freedom ... (Director)
The Feud and the Turkey ... (Director)
At the Crossroads of Life as Suitor
The Test of Friendship ... (Director)
When Knights Were Bold
The Planter's Wife ... (Director)
The Pirate's Gold ... (Director)
Rescued from an Eagle's Nest as Father
The Valet's Wife ... (Director)
A Woman's Way ... (Director)
Old Isaacs, the Pawnbroker as Doctor, Charity worker
The King's Messenger as Messenger
At the French Ball as Husband
The Heart of O Yama as Footman
The Black Viper as Rescuer
The Bandit's Waterloo: The Outwitting of an Andalusian Brigand by a Pretty Senora ... (Director)
Deceived Slumming Party as Reginald O.C. Wittington
Cupid’s Pranks as Extra at ball
The Princess in the Vase as Lover
Mixed Babies ... (Writer)
The Helping Hand ... (Director)
The Yellow Peril as Mr. Phlipp
The Fatal Hour as Policeman
Money Mad ... (Director)
The Ingrate ... (Director)
The Man in the Box as Station Agent
An Awful Moment ... (Writer)
The Clubman and the Tramp ... (Director)
A Smoked Husband ... (Director)
The Stolen Jewels ... (Director)
Professional Jealousy as Extra on stage
The Kentuckian
The Invisible Fluid as Mailman
Concealing a Burglar ... (Director)
The Stage Rustler as Phil Bowen
Caught by Wireless as Policeman
Her First Adventure as Father
The Guerrilla ... (Director)
A Famous Escape as Prisoner
The Christmas Burglars ... (Writer)
The Reckoning ... (Director)
A Calamitous Elopement as Policeman
After Many Years ... (Director)
The Devil ... (Director)
Hulda's Lovers as Handy Hank
Falsely Accused! as Cop in Court
Classmates as Extra
Ingomar, the Barbarian ... (Director)
The Outlaw ... (Author)
The Music Master
'Ostler Joe as Lover