Lucius Junius Henderson (June 8, 1861 – February 18, 1947) was an American

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 ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

and actor of the early silent period involved in more than 70 film productions.

Biography

Born in

Aledo, Illinois Aledo is a city and the county seat of Mercer County, Illinois, United States. The population was 3,633 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History Aledo was established in the 1850s when the railroad was extended to that point. It ...

, Henderson was a classically trained

musician A musician is someone who Composer, composes, Conducting, conducts, or Performing arts#Performers, performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general Terminology, term used to designate a person who fol ...

who later attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate education, undergraduate college of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Part of the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Scienc ...

. He began stage-acting in the early-1880s and later supported both Mesdames Modjeska and Janauschek in repertory. He entered film 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 Thanhouser, Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New Yo ...

in late

1910 Events January * January 6 – Abé people in the French West Africa colony of Côte d'Ivoire rise against the colonial administration; the rebellion is brutally suppressed by the military. * January 8 – By the Treaty of Punakha, t ...

, functioning as chiefly a director. In the autumn of 1913, Henderson led the Thanhouser company of players to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. But while the unit quickly returned to

New Rochelle New Rochelle ( ; in ) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of New York City, located approximately from Midtown Manhattan. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the 7th-largest city and 2 ...

, New York, Henderson remained behind to direct for

Majestic Film Company Majestic Film Company, also known as Majestic Motion Pictures, was a film studio established in 1911. It became an affiliate of the Mutual Film Corporation and was combined with Reliance Film Company to form Reliance-Majestic Studios. If was form ...

and the Long Beach-located California Motion Picture Company. He was working for

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

by 1915 and later claimed to have been the first to recognize the potential of

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...

. Henderson directed 73 films before his retirement from directing at the end of 1917. However, in 1923 he resurrected his interest in movies and rekindled his abilities as an actor, starring in a number of films in the mid-1920s. The veteran actor/director turned to radio work after the changeover to sound. The oldest living member of the

Lamb's Club The Lambs, Inc. (also known as The Lambs Club) is a New York City social club that nurtures those active in the arts, as well as those who are supporters of the arts, by providing activities and a clubhouse for its members. It is America's old ...

, Henderson was honored with a testimonial dinner in 1942. He died at his home on 335 West 43rd Street in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1947.

Filmography

Director

*''To the Highest Bidder'' (1917) *''The Untamed'' (1917) *''The Beautiful Impostor'' (1917) *''Stolen Honors'' (1916) *''Cheaters'' (1916) *''Love's Masquerade'' (1916) *''The Trail of Chance'' (1916) *''A Splash of Local Color'' (1916) *''The Garden of Shadows'' (1916) *''Behind the Veil'' (1916) *''The Scarlet Mark'' (1916) *''The Limousine Mystery'' (1916) *''The Three Wishes'' (1916) *'' A Huntress of Men'' (1916) *''The Girl Who Feared Daylight'' (1916) *''Thrown to the Lions'' (1916) *''The Little Fraud'' (1916) *''The Strength of the Weak'' (1916) *''Madame Cubist'' (1916) *''Artistic Interference'' (1916) *''A Sea Mystery'' (1916) *'' The Heart of a Mermaid'' (1916) *''The Tale of the 'C (1915) *''Li'l Nor'wester'' (1915) *''The Woman Who Lied'' (1915) *'' Under Southern Skies'' (1915) *''The Taming of Mary'' (1915) *''Jeanne of the Woods'' (1915) *''The Little White Violet'' (1915) *''Circus Mary'' (1915) (as Lucius C. Henderson) *''A Daughter of the Nile'' (1915) *''The Judgement of Men'' (1915) *''A Witch of Salem Town'' (1915) *''The Girl Who Had a Soul'' (1915) *''The Blank Page'' (1915) *''The Honor of the Ormsbys'' (1915) *''The Broken Toy'' (1915) *''The Rustle of a Skirt'' (1915) *''The Supreme Impulse'' (1915) *''Mary's Duke'' (1915) *''The Golden Spider'' (1915) *''The Bribe'' (1915) *''

On Dangerous Ground ''On Dangerous Ground'' is a 1951 film noir directed by Nicholas Ray, starring Robert Ryan and Ida Lupino, and produced by John Houseman. The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides based on the 1945 novel '' Mad with Much Heart'' by Ge ...

'' (1915) *'' Salomy Jane'' (1914) *''The Tomboy's Race'' (1913) *'' Sapho'' (1913) *''

The Little Girl Next Door ''The Little Girl Next Door'' is a 1912 American silent short drama directed by Lucius Henderson and written by Philip Lonergan. The film starred William Garwood and Marguerite Snow in the lead roles. Prints of the film are in the Library ...

'' (1912/I) *''Undine'' (1912) *''Lucile'' (1912) ... aka ''Lucille'' *''As Others See Us'' (1912) *''Cousins'' (1912) *''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan taken out on behalf of his dear friend, Bassanio, and provided by a ...

'' (1912) *''Under Two Flags'' (1912) *''Doggie's Debut'' (1912) *''The Professor's Son'' (1912) *''Farm and Flat'' (1912) *''The Twins'' (1912) *''The Night Clerk's Nightmare'' (1912) *''Why Tom Signed the Pledge'' (1912) *''On the Stroke of Five'' (1912) *''Her Secret'' (1912) *''Dottie's New Doll'' (1912) *''The Little Shut-In'' (1912) *''When Mandy Came to Town'' (1912) *''The Baby Bride'' (1912) *''An Easy Mark'' (1912) *''The Star of the Side Show'' (1912) *''My Baby's Voice'' (1912) *''The Poacher'' (1912) ... aka ''The Poachers ''(USA) *''

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is an 1886 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series ...

'' (1912) *''The Lady from the Sea'' (1911) (as Lucius J. Henderson) *''The Imposter'' (1911) (as Lucius J. Henderson) *''

Adrift ADRIFT is a graphical user interface used to create and play text adventures. The name is an acronym for "Adventure Development & Runner - Interactive Fiction Toolkit". The project was solely developed by Campbell Wild until he made it open so ...

'' (1911) (as Lucius J. Henderson) *'' When Love Was Blind'' (1911) (as Lucius J. Henderson)

Actor

* ''

Toilers of the Sea ''Toilers of the Sea'' () is a novel by Victor Hugo published in 1866. The book is dedicated to the island of Guernsey, where Hugo spent 15 years in exile. Hugo uses the setting of a small island community to transmute seemingly mundane events i ...

'' (1923) * '' A Man Must Live'' (1925) * ''

White Mice "White Mice" is a special edition sketch of the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', first broadcast on 24 December 1985 on BBC Breakfast Time. Synopsis A parody, spoof investigation of Del Boy is conducted by the BBC Breakfast show, ''Breakfa ...

'' (1925) * '' The New Commandment'' (1925) * '' The Great Deception'' (1926) * ''Once in a Blue Moon'' (1935)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Lucius J. American male film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors People from Aledo, Illinois American silent film directors Thanhouser Company 1861 births 1947 deaths Male actors from Illinois Film directors from Illinois Harvard College alumni