Frederick Andrew Thomson (1869–1925), sometimes spelled Thompson, was a Canadian-born director of

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

s in the United States.

Biography

Frederick Andrew Thomson was born in

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

on August 7, 1869. He began his directing career in theater. Thomson was credited by

Helen Hayes Helen Hayes MacArthur (; October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress. Often referred to as the "First Lady of American Theatre", she was the second person and first woman to win EGOT, the EGOT (an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and ...

for enabling her debut in '' Jean and the Calico Doll''. She wrote in her 1968 memoir ''On Reflection'' that Thompson persuaded her mother to let her perform in the film for

Vitagraph Studios Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

, where he had begun working. The Brooklyn-based troupe traveled by ferry to

Fort Lee, New Jersey Fort Lee is a Borough (New Jersey), borough at the eastern border of Bergen County, New Jersey, Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, situated along the Hudson River atop The Palisades (Hudson River), The Palisades. As of the 2020 Uni ...

, to film ''Jean and the Calico Doll'' with

Maurice Costello Maurice George Costello (February 22, 1877 – October 29, 1950) was a prominent American vaudeville actor of the late 1890s and early 1900s who later played a principal role in early American films as leading man, supporting player, and director ...

and

Florence Turner Florence Turner (January 6, 1885 – August 28, 1946) was an American actress who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films. Biography Born in New York City, Turner was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by h ...

. He died from heart disease at his home in

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writings about West Hollywood be ...

on January 22, 1925.

Selected filmography

*''

Freckles Freckles are clusters of concentrated melaninized cells which are most easily visible on people with a fair complexion. Freckles do not have an increased number of the melanin-producing cells, or melanocytes, but instead have melanocytes that ...

'' (1912) *''Doctor Bridget'' (1912) *'' The Cross-Roads'' (1912) *'' All for a Girl'' (1912) *'' The Lion's Bride'' (1913) *'' The Sign of the Cross'' (1914) *'' The Christian'' (1914) *''

The Redemption of David Corson ''The Redemption of David Corson'' is a lost 1914 silent film drama directed by Frederick A. Thomson and starring William Farnum. It was produced by Daniel Frohman and Adolph Zukor. This story was based on a novel ''The Redemption of David Cor ...

'' (1914) *'' The Spitfire'', co-directed with

Edwin S. Porter Edwin Stanton Porter (April 21, 1870 – April 30, 1941) was an American film pioneer, most famous as a producer, director, studio manager and cinematographer with the Edison Manufacturing Company and the Famous Players Film Company. Of over ...

(1914) *''

The Goose Girl "The Goose Girl" () is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm and first published in ''Grimm's Fairy Tales'' in 1815 (KHM 89). It is of Aarne–Thompson–Uther Index, Aarne-Thompson type 533. The story was first translated into En ...

'' (1915) *'' The Country Boy'' (1915) *'' The Wonderful Adventure'' (1915) *''

Nearly a King ''Nearly a King'' is a 1916 silent film romantic comedy directed by Frederick A. Thomson, produced by Famous Players Film Company and distributed by Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures ...

'' (1916) *'' An Enemy to the King'' (1916) *'' The Feud Girl'' (1916) *'' A Parisian Romance'' (1916) *''

The Chattel ''The Chattel'' is a lost 1916 silent film drama directed by Frederick A. Thomson and starring stage actor E. H. Sothern. It was produced and distributed by the Vitagraph Company of America.''Pictorial History of the Silent Screen'', p.114 c.1 ...

'' (1916) *'' The Saleslady'' (1916) *''

The Danger Trail ''The Danger Trail'' is a 1917 American silent adventure film directed by Frederick A. Thomson and starring H.B. Warner, Violet Heming and Lawson Butt. It is based on the 1910 novel of the same title by James Oliver Curwood. It is a Northern ...

'' (1917) *'' The Man of Mystery'' (1917) *''

How Could You, Caroline? ''How Could You, Caroline?'' is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Frederick A. Thomson, with a screenplay by Agnes Christine Johnston. It stars Bessie Love, James W. Morrison, and Dudley Hawley. The film, filmed in Charlest ...

'' (1918) *''

Wild Primrose ''Wild Primrose'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Frederick A. Thomson and starring Gladys Leslie, Richard Barthelmess, Eulalie Jensen, Charles Kent, and Claude Gillingwater. The film was released by V-L-S-E, Incorporated on Au ...

'' (1918) *'' A Nymph of the Foothills'' (1918) *'' The Mating'' (1918) *'' The Marriage Pit'' (1920) *''

The Heart Line ''The Heart Line'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Frederick A. Thomson and starring Leah Baird, Jerome Patrick and Frederick Vroom.Goble p.792 Plot Cast * Leah Baird as Fancy Gray * Jerome Patrick as Francis Granthope * Fred ...

'' (1921)

Actor

*'' A Tailor-Made Man'' (1922), as Mr. Stanlaw

Screenwriter

*''

The Power of the Press ''The Power of the Press'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. as an aspiring newspaper reporter and Jobyna Ralston as a young woman suspected of murder. In 1943, Columbia Pictures ...

'' (1928)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Frederick A. 1869 births 1925 deaths American silent film directors