| Donald Crisp | |
|---|---|
 from the trailer for the film Shining Victory (1941). Shining Victory is a 1941 film based on the play Jupiter Laughs, by A |
|
| Born | George William Crisp July 27, 1882 Bow, London, England |
| Died | May 25, 1974 (aged 91) Van Nuys, California, U.S. |
Donald George Crisp (July 27, 1882 – May 25, 1974) was an Academy Award winning English film actor. Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Bow is an area of East London England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland An actor, actress, player or thespian (see terminology) is a person who Acts in a Dramatic production and who works He was also an early motion picture scriptwriter, producer and director. A film producer is a person who creates the conditions for making movies. A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film.
Contents |
Early life
Donald Crisp was born George William Crisp in London, England, at the family home in Bow (historically known as Stratford) on July 27, 1882. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. Bow is an area of East London England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Stratford is a place name found in many English-speaking countries Events 1214 - Battle of Bouvines: In France, Philip II of France defeats John of England. Year 1882 ( MDCCCLXXXII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Some sources say he was born in Aberfeldy, Perthshire, Scotland in 1880, but U. Perthshire ( Siorrachd Pheairt in Gaelic) officially the County of Perth, is a Registration county in central Scotland. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Year 1880 ( MDCCCLXXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Leap year S. Census records indicate the London birthplace and date are correct. [1] He was one of eight children (four boys and four girls) born to James and Elizabeth Crisp. He was educated at the University of Oxford and allegedly at Eton College, though the Eton archivist denies this. The University of Oxford (informally "Oxford University" or simply "Oxford" located in the city of Oxford, Oxfordshire, England is the Eton College, or just Eton, is a world-famous British Independent school for boys founded in 1440 by King Henry VI.
Prior to graduation, Crisp served as a trooper in the 10th Hussars in the Boer War. See also First Boer War,, South African Wars (1879-1915 The Second Boer War ( Dutch: Tweede Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: This experience, among other things, allowed him to cross paths with a young Winston Churchill just at the start of Churchill's long political career. Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, KG, OM, CH, TD, FRS, PC, PC (Can ( 30 November 1874 According to family memories, Donald's brother-in-law James Needham provided him with the fare to travel to America in 1906. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the
Early career
While on the boat coming to America, Crisp's singing talents during a ship's concert caught the attention of opera impresario John C. Impresario, from the Italian impresa an enterprise or undertaking is a traditional term still very much in use in the Entertainment industry for Fisher, who immediately offered him a job with his company. It was while touring with the company in the United States and Cuba that Crisp first became interested in the pursuing a career in the theatre. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one By 1910, Crisp, now using the name Donald (he retained George as a middle name), was working as a stage manager for the renowned entertainer, composer, playwright, and director George M. Cohan. George Michael Cohan ( July 3, 1878 &ndash November 5, 1942) was a United States Entertainer, Playwright, It was during this time he met and became friends with soon-to-be legendary director D.W. Griffith, himself a former stage actor, who was looking to direct films. David Llewelyn Wark "D W" Griffith (January 22 1875 &ndash July 23 1948 was a premier pioneering Academy Award -winning American Film director. When Griffith went to seek his fortune in Hollywood in 1912, Crisp accompanied him.
From 1908 to 1930, Crisp, in addition to directing dozens of films, also appeared in nearly 100 silent films, many in bit or small parts. One notable exception was his casting by Griffith as General Ulysses S. Grant in Griffith's landmark film Birth of a Nation in 1915. Ulysses S Grant, born Hiram Ulysses Grant (April 27 1822 &ndash July 23 1885 was an American general and the eighteenth President of the United States The Birth of a Nation (also known as The Clansman) a Silent film directed by D Another was his acclaimed role in the 1919 film Broken Blossoms as the brutal and abusive father "Battling Burrows" opposite Lillian Gish. Broken Blossoms is a 1919 silent film film directed by D W Griffith and starring Lillian Gish, Richard Barthelmess Lillian Diana Gish ( October 14 1893 – February 27 1993) was an American stage screen and television actress whose
Director
Crisp worked as an assistant to Griffith for several years and learned much during this time from Griffith, an early master of movie story telling who was influential in advancing a number of early techniques, such as cross cutting in editing his films. Cross-cutting is an editing technique used in films to establish continuity This experience fostered a similar passion in Crisp to become a director in his own right. His first directing credit was Little Country Mouse, made in 1914. Owing to the assembly line manner in which films were made in the early years of movie making, many directors (and actors) would find themselves turning out a dozen or more films in a single year. Over the next fifteen years, Crisp directed some 70 films in all, most notably The Navigator (1924) with Buster Keaton and Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925) with Douglas Fairbanks. Year 1924 ( MCMXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton ( October 4 1895 &ndash February 1 1966) was an Academy Award -winning American Don Q Son of Zorro is the 1925 sequel to the 1920 Silent film The Mark of Zorro. Year 1925 ( MCMXXV) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Douglas Fairbanks ( May 23 1883 – December 12 1939) was an American Actor, Screenwriter, director [2]
When asked later by an interviewer why he eventually gave up directing and returned full time to acting, Crisp commented that directing had become extremely wearisome because he was so often called upon, if not forced, to do favors for studio chiefs by agreeing to employ their relatives in his films. His final directorial effort was the 1930 film The Runaway Bride starring Mary Astor. Mary Astor ( May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an Academy Award -winning American Actress.
Military career
While pursuing a dual career in acting and directing, Crisp managed to serve in the war effort against Germany and her allies during the First World War (1914-1918). Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Between working for Griffith, other producers, and his many acting roles, Crisp managed to return to England where he served in the army intelligence section. During the Second World War (1939-1945), Crisp again answered the call to duty at a time when his acting career was at its peak. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including This time, he served in U. S. Army Reserves, where he rose to the rank of colonel. Colonel ( RP ˈkɜnəl GA ˈkɜrnəl is a Military rank of a Commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every country
Return to acting
With the advent of sound in films, Crisp abandoned directing and devoted himself entirely to acting after 1930. He became a much sought after character actor. A character actor is an Actor who predominantly plays a particular type of role rather than leading ones Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, he appeared in a wide range of roles alongside some of the era's biggest stars, including Katharine Hepburn in The Little Minister (1934), Clark Gable in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), Bette Davis and Henry Fonda in That Certain Woman (1937), Laurence Olivier in Wuthering Heights (1939), Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk (1940), and Gregory Peck in The Valley of Decision (1945). The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12 1907 – June 29 2003 was an American actress of film television and stage The Little Minister is a 1934 American Drama film directed by Richard Wallace. Clark Gable (February 1 &ndashNovember 16) was an iconic American Actor nicknamed "The King of Hollywood" in his heyday Mutiny on the Bounty is a 1935 film starring Charles Laughton and Clark Gable based on the Charles Nordhoff and James Norman Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (April 5 1908 – October 6 1989 was an American actress of Film, Television and Theatre. Henry Jaynes Fonda ( May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American Academy Award -winning Film and That Certain Woman is a 1937 American Drama film written and directed by Edmund Goulding. Laurence Kerr Olivier Baron Wuthering Heights is a 1939 film directed by William Wyler and produced by Samuel Goldwyn. Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn ( June 20, 1909 &ndash October 14, 1959) was an Australian Film Actor, most The Sea Hawk ( 1940) is a Warner Bros Feature film starring Errol Flynn in a story about an English privateer defending his nation's Gregory Peck (April 5 1916 &ndash June 12 2003 was an Academy Award -winning and four-time Golden Globe Award-winning American Film For the Edith Wharton short story see The Valley of Decision The Valley of Decision ( 1945) is a film set in Pittsburgh
A versatile supporting actor, Crisp could be equally good in either lovable or sinister roles. During the same period he was playing loving father figures or charming old codgers in classic films like National Velvet and Lassie Come Home, he also turned in an acclaimed performance as Commander Beach, the tormented presumptive grandfather in Lewis Allen's The Uninvited (1944). National Velvet is a 1944 film based on the novel by Enid Bagnold, first published in 1935 Lassie Come Home ( 1943) is a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Feature film starring Roddy McDowall and canine actor Pal in a story Undoubtedly, however, Crisp's most memorable role was as the taciturn but loving father in How Green Was My Valley directed by John Ford. How Green Was My Valley is a 1941 American Drama film directed by John Ford. The film received ten Oscar nominations, winning five, including Best Picture with Crisp winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 1941. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film. The Academy Award for Best Motion Picture is one of the Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS to artists working Best Supporting Actor or Best Supporting Actress is an accolade given by a group of Film or Theatre professionals in recognition of the work
Hollywood power broker
While widely known to audiences as a talented actor and director, few outside the movie community realized, then or now, that Crisp was one of the most influential people in Hollywood, wielding more power than most directors, producers and studio executives.
Crisp was an active and important liaison between the film industry and outside business interests. His extensive business, military, and entertainment experience, including being a production and studio executive lent themselves well to this task. He became a highly valued adviser whose clear-headed forward thinking proved invaluable to the Bank of America, which was one of the leading sources of working capital for the movie industry for many years (an industry whose life blood was loans). Banc of America Securities Bank of America () is the largest bank by asset and second largest commercial Bank by deposits and Market capitalization in United Working capital, also known as net working capital, is a financial metric which represents operating liquidity available to a business Crisp served on the bank's advisory board for several decades, including a stint as its chairman. In this role, he had the ear of its board of directors, and many of the movies eventually financed by the bank during the 1930s and 1940s got their most important approval from Crisp. The 1930s were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression. The 1940s decade ran from 1940 to 1949 Events and trends The 1940s was a period between the radical 1930s and the conservative 1950s which also leads the period to be
Later years and legacy
Crisp eventually became one of the more wealthy members of the film industry. His "banker's sobriety", extensive contacts, and clarity of thought allowed him to make good investments, particularly in the real estate market. He continued to appear in films throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s. During more than half century as an actor in both the early silent and later the sound era, he appeared in as many 400 short reel and feature length productions. His final screen role was as Grandpa Spencer opposite Henry Fonda and Maureen O'Hara in the 1963 film Spencer's Mountain. Henry Jaynes Fonda ( May 16, 1905 – August 12, 1982) was an American Academy Award -winning Film and Maureen O'Hara (born Maureen FitzSimons on 17 August 1920 in Ranelagh, County Dublin, Ireland) is an Irish film actress Spencer's Mountain is a 1963 Family film written directed and produced by Delmer Daves from a novel by Earl Hamner. This film, adapted from the novel by Earl Hamner was the basis for the popular television series The Waltons which would premier a decade later in 1972. Earl Henry Hamner Jr (born on July 10, 1923 in Schuyler Virginia) is an American Television Writer and producer The Waltons is an American Television series created by Earl Hamner Jr
Crisp was in his eighties by the time he quit acting entirely, continuing to work long after financially necessary simply because he enjoyed it. He was married twice. He was divorced from his first wife in 1919. He later married film screenwriter Jane Murfin, whom he divorced in 1944. Crisp died in 1974, a few months short of his 92th birthday, due to complications from a series of strokes.
Crisp can rightly be called a motion picture pioneer. In addition to being one of the premier character actors of his era, he left behind an extensive list of contributions to the film industry he worked to promote for more than fifty years.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Walter Brennan for The Westerner |
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor 1941 for How Green Was My Valley |
Succeeded by Van Heflin for Johnny Eager |
- ^ United States Census records for 1910, 1920, 1930
- ^ http://www.animationguild.org/_ReuseLibrary/blogart/CrispPSC_tn.jpg (employment contract with the Douglas Fairbanks Pictures Corporation)
Partial filmography
As actor
As director
- Her Father's Silent Partner (1914) (short)
- Ramona (1916)
- Appearances (1921) (lost short film)
- The Princess of New York (1921)
- The Bonnie Brier Bush (1921) (also acted)
- Tell Your Children (1922)
- The Navigator (1924)
- Don Q, Son of Zorro (1925)
- The Runaway Bride (1930)
External links
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Crisp, Donald |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Crisp, George William |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | Actor and film director |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1882-7-27 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Bow, London, England |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1974-5-25 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Van Nuys, California, U.S. |
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic