Rupert Julian (born Thomas Percival Hayes; 25 January 1879 – 27 December 1943) was a New Zealand cinema actor, director, writer and producer. During his career, Julian directed 60 films and acted in over 90 films. He is best remembered for directing Lon Chaney in ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (1925). He also directed '' The Cat Creeps'' (1930), a sound

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same s ...

of '' The Cat and the Canary'' (1927), which is now considered a

lost film A lost film is a feature film, feature or short film in which the original negative or copies are not known to exist in any studio archive, private collection, or public archive. Films can be wholly or partially lost for a number of reasons. ...

, with only two minutes of footage remaining in the 1932 Universal comedy short film '' Boo!''.

Early years

Julian was born Thomas Percival Hayes in Whangaroa, New Zealand, son of John Daly Hayes (Jr) and Eliza Harriet Hayes. His father was a rancher who raised cattle and sheep. Julian's parents had him educated in preparation for becoming a Roman Catholic priest, but he went his own way. He volunteered to serve in the British army during the Boer War, and during his two years' service he was captured twice. The first time, he was exchanged, and the second time he escaped. By the time he left the military he was a lieutenant. He also worked as a sailor, a tea salesman, and engineer of a donkey engine.

Career

Julian became an actor when he was 16. He performed on stage in his native country and Australia before emigrating to the United States in 1911, where he started his career as an actor at the Daly Theatre in New York and touring with Tyrone Power, Sr., and then worked in silent movies. He turned to directing in 1914, often directing his wife

Elsie Jane Wilson Elsie Jane Wilson (7 November 1885 – 16 January 1965) was a cinema actress, director, and writer during the early film era. She took part in the productions of the silent film era and starred in over thirty films. Between the years of 1916 an ...

(also a director), and earned a substantial sum for his film ''

The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin ''The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin'' (also known as ''The Beast of Berlin'' and ''The Kaiser'') was a 1918 American silent war propaganda melodrama film produced and directed by, and starring, Rupert Julian. The screenplay was co-written by ...

'', which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in the title role. This made him a star in Hollywood at the time and opened doors to larger projects with

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 ...

. He was assigned to complete ''Merry-Go-Round'' in 1923 when director

Erich von Stroheim Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim (born Erich Oswald Stroheim, ; September 22, 1885 – May 12, 1957) was an Austrian-American director, screenwriter, actor, and producer, most noted as a film star and avant-garde, visionary director of ...

was fired from it. In 1924, he directed Lon Chaney in ''The Phantom of the Opera'', but left the production shortly before it was released. The studio hired another director to complete the filming and changed the ending. Julian moved to

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

Producers Distributing Corporation Producers Distributing Corporation (PDC) was a short-lived Hollywood film distribution company, organized in 1924 and dissolved in 1927. In its brief heyday, film director Cecil B. DeMille was its primary talent and owner of its Culver City� ...

for a series of films, but after directing '' The Cat Creeps'' and ''

Love Comes Along ''Love Comes Along'' is a 1930 American romantic film directed by Rupert Julian, written by Wallace Smith, based on the uncompleted play ''Conchita'' by Edward Knoblock. It was a vehicle specifically picked to highlight the vocal talents of Beb ...

'' (both in 1930), his career faded.

Death

On 27 December 1943, Julian died at his home in Hollywood, California, at the age of 64. He was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, in 1943. His wife Elsie died in 1965.

Filmography

References

External links

*
rupertjulian.com
Site for research into Rupert Julian and his wife, Elsie Jane Wilson, by Robert Catto
NZ On Screen
biography by Robert Catto
Radio New Zealand Saturday Morning
Interview with Robert Catto discussing Rupert Julian * {{DEFAULTSORT:Julian, Rupert 1879 births 1943 deaths Film directors from Los Angeles American male silent film actors Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) New Zealand male film actors New Zealand emigrants to the United States 20th-century American male actors American horror film directors New Zealand film directors People from the Northland Region