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 (state), New York. Kings County is the most populous Administrative divisions of New York (state)#County, county in the State of New York, ...

, Lockwood was raised and educated in

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

. Upon graduating, he began working in 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 compositio ...

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

shorts. He later worked for the

New York Motion Picture Company The New York Motion Picture Company was a film production and distribution company from 1909 until 1914. It changed names to New York Picture Corporation in 1912. It released films through several different brand names, including 101 Bison, Kay- ...

Selig Polyscope Company The Selig Polyscope Company was an American motion picture company that was founded in 1896 by William Selig in Chicago. The company produced hundreds of early, widely distributed commercial moving pictures, including the first films starring To ...

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 ...

. While at Famous Players, Lockwood was cast opposite actress

May Allison May Allison (June 14, 1890 – March 27, 1989) was an American actress whose greatest success was achieved in the early part of the 20th century in silent films, although she also appeared on stage. Life and career Allison was born in Rising ...

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, was ...

's romantic film '' David Harum''. 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 List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

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, a ...

Death

On October 19, 1918, Lockwood died at the age of 31 of Spanish influenza 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 U ...

. 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, 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 ...

Selected filmography

* ''The Best Man Wins'' (1911) * ''Harbor Island'' (1912) * ''

Hearts Adrift ''Hearts Adrift'' is a 1914 American silent short romance film directed by Edwin S. Porter. The film is now considered lost. Production The film bears a great resemblance to the 1911 story ''As the Sparks Fly Upward'' by Cyrus Townsend Brady. ...

'' (1914) * '' Tess of the Storm Country'' (1914) * '' The Scales of Justice'' (1914) * '' The Unwelcome Mrs. Hatch'' (1914) * '' Such a Little Queen'' (1914) * '' Wildflower'' (1914) * '' The Man from Mexico'' (1914) * '' The Crucible'' (1914) * '' David Harum'' (1915) * '' The Great Question'' (1915) * '' The Buzzard's Shadow'' (1915) * '' Are You a Mason?'' (1915) * '' Jim the Penman'' (1915) * '' Pidgin Island'' (1916) * '' Big Tremaine'' (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 fi ...

'' (1916) * '' Intolerance'' (1916) * '' The Gamble'' (1916) * ''

The Man in the Sombrero ''The Man in the Sombrero'' is a 1916 American silent short romantic drama written and directed by Tom Ricketts. The film features Harold Lockwood and May Allison May Allison (June 14, 1890 – March 27, 1989) was an American actress ...

'' (1916) * '' The Other Side of the Door'' (1916) * '' The Broken Cross'' (1916) * ''

Lillo of the Sulu Seas ''Lillo of the Sulu Seas'' is a 1916 American silent short romance film written and directed by Thomas Ricketts. The film stars Harold Lockwood and May Allison. Plot As reported in a film review in a newspaper, Lillo is a pearl diver who wi ...

'' (1916) * '' The Secret Wire'' (1916) * '' The Masked Rider'' (1916) * '' Paradise Garden'' (1917) * '' The Hidden Children'' (1917) * ''

The Haunted Pajamas ''The Haunted Pajamas'' is a 1917 comedy-drama film directed by Fred J. Balshofer. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Francis Perry Elliott. A copy of the film survives. Plot Richard Hudson receives a pair of silk pajamas from a ...

'' (1917) * '' The Promise'' (1917) * ''

The Square Deceiver ''The Square Deceiver'' is a 1917 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Fred J. Balshofer and starring Harold Lockwood, Pauline Curley and William Clifford.Lowe p.145 Cast * Harold Lockwood as Billy Van Dyke * Pauline Curley as Beat ...

'' (1917) * '' The Hidden Spring'' (1917) * '' The Avenging Trail'' (1917) * ''

Broadway Bill ''Broadway Bill'' is a 1934 American comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy. Screenplay by Robert Riskin and based on the short story "Strictly Confidential" by Mark Hellinger, the film is about a man' ...

'' (1918) * '' The Landloper'' (1918) * '' The Great Romance'' (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