Justus D. Barnes (October 2, 1862 – February 6, 1946), named George Barnes in some sources, was an American stage and film

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. He is best known for his role in the 1903 silent short '' The Great Train Robbery'', which the American Film Institute and many film historians and critics recognize as the production that first established the

Western genre The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

, setting a new "narrative standard" in the motion picture industry.

Kim Newman Kim James Newman (born 31 July 1959) is an English journalist, film critic and fiction writer. Recurring interests visible in his work include film history and horror fiction—both of which he attributes to seeing Tod Browning's ''Dracula'' at ...

says it is "probably the first Western film with a storyline".

Career

Barnes was born in

Little Falls, New York Little Falls is a city in Herkimer County, New York. The population was 4,946 at the time of the 2010 census, which is the second-smallest city population in the state, ahead of only the city of Sherrill. The city is built on both sides of the ...

. His father was an immigrant from Scotland, while his mother was born in New York.1930 census, Brutus, Cayuga Co., New York, Enumeration district 6–25, Supervisor's district 14, sheet 8 B. He was a veteran stage actor before he made his screen debut in 1903 in ''The Great Train Robbery''. In that film's memorable ending, Barnes points his pistol at the camera and slowly fires all six shots at the viewer. ''The Great Train Robbery'' became one of the most successful and best known commercial films of the early silent era. In July 1908, Barnes was hired as an actor in the stock company of the

Edison Manufacturing Company The Edison Manufacturing Company, originally registered as the United Edison Manufacturing Company and often known as simply the Edison Company, was organized by inventor and entrepreneur Thomas Edison and incorporated in New York City in May 188 ...

, the film production company owned by

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...

. In 1910, he signed on with the

Thanhouser Company The Thanhouser Company (later the Thanhouser Film Corporation) was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, his wife Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New York City until 1920, ...

in New Rochelle, New York. Between 1910 and 1917, Justus appeared in more than seventy films for the Thanhouser, usually in the role of a villain. He played Ham Peggotty in ''

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

'', the earliest known film adaption of the 1850 novel by

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

. He also played supporting roles in ''

Nicholas Nickleby ''Nicholas Nickleby'' or ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby'' (or also ''The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Containing a Faithful Account of the Fortunes, Misfortunes, Uprisings, Downfallings, and Complete Career of the ...

'' (1912), ''

Aurora Floyd ''Aurora Floyd'' (1863) is a sensation novel written by the prominent English author Mary Elizabeth Braddon. It forms a sequel to Braddon's highly popular novel ''Lady Audley's Secret'' (1862). Plot Aurora Floyd is the spoiled, impetuous, but ...

'' (1912), and '' A Dog of Flanders'' (1914). In 1917, he was released from the Thanhouser Company due to the company's financial issues. Barnes made his final onscreen appearance for the Edison Studio in ''Cy Whittaker's Ward'', in 1917.

Later years and death

After retiring from acting, Barnes moved to Weedsport, New York, where he worked as a milkman. He later owned a cigar store. Barnes died on February 6, 1946, in Weedsport at the age of 83. He is buried in Weedsport Rural Cemetery, in Weedsport, New York.

Tributes

Barnes appears on a postage stamp issued in 1988 to honor ''The Great Train Robbery''.

Selected filmography

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnes, Justus D. 1862 births 1946 deaths 19th-century American male actors 20th-century American male actors American male film actors American male stage actors American male silent film actors American people of Scottish descent Burials in New York (state) Male actors from New York (state) Male Western (genre) film actors People from Little Falls, New York