Harold A. Lockwood (April 12, 1887 – October 19, 1918) was an American silent film actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most popular matinee idols of the early film period during the 1910s.

Early life and career

Born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, Lockwood was raised and educated in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.exporting. Lockwood quickly discovered that he did not enjoy exporting and quit to become an actor. He initially began his acting career in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

. In 1908, Lockwood joined the Selig Company. In 1910, Lockwood signed on with a stock company for

David Horsley David Horsley (March 11, 1873 – February 23, 1933) was an English pioneer of the film industry. He founded the Centaur Film Company and its West Coast branch, the Nestor Film Company, which established the first film studio in Hollywood in ...

and appeared in

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

shorts. He later worked for the New York Motion Picture Company, Selig Polyscope Company and

Famous Players Film Company The Famous Players Film Company was a film company founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor in partnership with the Frohman brothers, powerful New York City theatre impresario. History Discussions to form the company were held at The Lambs, a famous th ...

. While at Famous Players, Lockwood was cast opposite actress May Allison in Allan Dwan's romantic film ''

David Harum ''David Harum; A Story of American Life'' is a best-selling novel of 1898 by Edward Noyes Westcott, whose principal legacy is the colloquial use of the term ''horse trading''. Literary significance and criticism Written by retired Syracuse, N ...

''. The two would appear in over twenty-three films together during the

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

era, and became one of the first celebrated on-screen romantic duos. However, the two were never romantically involved off-screen.

Personal life

On January 8, 1906, Lockwood married Alma Jones. The couple had a son, Harold Lockwood, Jr. (born 1908), who later appeared in silent and sound films. Among his earliest credits is the 1928

film '' Lilac Time'', starring Colleen Moore and

Gary Cooper Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...

Death

On October 19, 1918, Lockwood died at the age of 31 of

Spanish influenza The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

at the Hotel Woodward in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. He had contracted the illness during production of ''Shadows of Suspicion'' (1919), which had some scenes completed using a double shot from behind. Lockwood's funeral was held on October 22 at

Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel The Frank E. Campbell Funeral Chapel is a funeral home located on Madison Avenue at 81st Street in Manhattan. Founded in 1898 as Frank E. Campbell Burial and Cremation Company, the company is now owned by Service Corporation International. The fun ...

, after which he was buried in the Woodlawn Cemetery in

the Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

Selected filmography

* ''The Best Man Wins'' (1911) * ''Harbor Island'' (1912) * '' Hearts Adrift'' (1914) * '' Tess of the Storm Country'' (1914) * '' The Scales of Justice'' (1914) * '' The Unwelcome Mrs. Hatch'' (1914) * '' Such a Little Queen'' (1914) * ''

Wildflower A wildflower (or wild flower) is a flower that grows in the wild, meaning it was not intentionally seeded or planted. The term implies that the plant probably is neither a hybrid nor a selected cultivar that is in any way different from the ...

'' (1914) * '' The Man from Mexico'' (1914) * ''

The Crucible ''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as ...

'' (1914) * ''

'' (1915) * '' The Great Question'' (1915) * '' The Buzzard's Shadow'' (1915) * '' Are You a Mason?'' (1915) * '' Jim the Penman'' (1915) * ''

Pidgin Island ''Pidgin Island'' is a 1916 American silent romantic drama film directed by Fred J. Balshofer and starring Harold Lockwood, May Allison, Pomeroy Cannon, Lester Cuneo, and Fred L. Wilson. It is based on the 1914 novel of the same name by Haro ...

'' (1916) * ''

Big Tremaine ''Big Tremaine'' is a 1916 American silent romantic drama film directed by Henry Otto and starring Harold Lockwood, May Allison, Lester Cuneo, Albert Ellis, Lillian Hayward, and William Ehfe. It is based on the 1914 novel of the same name by ...

'' (1916) * ''

Mister 44 ''Mister 44'' is a 1916 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Henry Otto and starring Harold Lockwood, May Allison, Lester Cuneo, Yona Landowska, Henry Otto, and Aileen Allen. It is based on 1916 novel of the same name by E.J. Rath. The f ...

'' (1916) * '' Intolerance'' (1916) * '' The Gamble'' (1916) * '' The Man in the Sombrero'' (1916) * '' The Other Side of the Door'' (1916) * '' The Broken Cross'' (1916) * '' Lillo of the Sulu Seas'' (1916) * '' The Secret Wire'' (1916) * ''

The Masked Rider The Masked Rider is the primary mascot of Texas Tech University. It is the oldest of the university's mascots still in existence today. Originally called "Ghost Rider", it was an unofficial mascot appearing in a few games in 1936 and then became ...

'' (1916) * ''

Paradise Garden The paradise garden is a form of garden of Old Iranian origin, specifically Achaemenid which is formal, symmetrical and most often, enclosed. The most traditional form is a rectangular garden split into four quarters with a pond in the center, ...

'' (1917) * ''

The Hidden Children ''The Hidden Children'' is a 1917 American silent historical drama film directed by Oscar Apfel and starring Harold Lockwood, May Allison and Lillian West.Lowe p.9 It is based on a 1914 novel by Robert W. Chambers, set in Colonial America. Loca ...

'' (1917) * '' The Haunted Pajamas'' (1917) * '' The Promise'' (1917) * '' The Square Deceiver'' (1917) * ''

The Hidden Spring ''The Hidden Spring'' is a 1917 American silent film, silent adventure film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Harold Lockwood, Vera Sisson and Herbert Standing.Connelly p.9 Cast * Harold Lockwood as Donald Keeth * Vera Sisson as Thora Eric ...

'' (1917) * ''

The Avenging Trail ''The Avenging Trail'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Francis Ford and starring Harold Lockwood, Sally Crute, and Joseph Dailey. It was released on December 31, 1917. Plot Gaston Olaf returns home from college and finds out ...

'' (1917) * '' Broadway Bill'' (1918) * ''

The Landloper ''The Landloper'' is a 1918 American silent romance adventure film directed by George Irving and starring Harold Lockwood, Pauline Curley, Stanton Heck, William Clifford, Bert Starkey, and Gertrude Maloney. It is based on the 1915 novel of the s ...

'' (1918) * ''

The Great Romance ''For the silent film see The Great Romance (film)'' ''The Great Romance'' is a science fiction and Utopian novel, first published in New Zealand in 1881. It had a significant influence on Edward Bellamy's 1888 ''Looking Backward'', the most po ...

'' (1919) * '' Shadows of Suspicion'' (1919)

Photo gallery

File:Kathlyn Williams and Harold Lockwood in Harbor Island 1908.jpg, Kathlyn Williams and Harold Lockwood in ''Harbor Island'' (1912) The Masked Rider.jpg, ''The Masked Rider'' (1916) The River of Romance.jpg, ''The River of Romance'' (1916) The Great Romance.jpg, ''The Great Romance'' (1919) Haroldlockwood01.jpg, With Addie Townsend (1918)

References

External links

*
Harold Lockwood on Silents Are Golden
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lockwood, Harold 1887 births 1918 deaths 20th-century American male actors Film producers from New York (state) American male film actors American male silent film actors Burials at Woodlawn Cemetery (Bronx, New York) Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in New York (state) Male actors from New Jersey Male actors from New York City People from Brooklyn Silent film directors Vaudeville performers Film directors from New York City