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James Kirkwood Sr.
James Kirkwood Sr.
Born	February 22, 1876; Grand Rapids, Michigan, U.S.
Died	August 24, 1963 (aged 87); Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actor, film director
Years active	1909–1956
Spouses	; Gertrude Robinson; (m. 1916; div. 1923) ; Lila Lee; (m. 1923; div. 1931) ; Beatrice Powers Kirkwood (m. 1931; div. 1934) ; Marjorie Davidson (m. 1940, divorced)
Children	4, including James Kirkwood Jr.

James Cornelius Kirkwood Sr. (February 22, 1876^[1] – August 24, 1963) was an American actor and director.

Biography

Kirkwood debuted on screen in 1909 and was soon playing leads for D. W. Griffith. He started directing in 1912, and became a favorite of Mary Pickford, with whom he is rumored to have had an affair. In 1923, he married actress Lila Lee; with her, he had a son, James Kirkwood Jr., who became a successful writer, winning both a Tony Award and a Pulitzer Prize for A Chorus Line.^[2]^[3] Previously he had been married to Gertrude Robinson, with whom he also had a child.^[4] During his marriage to Robinson, he had an affair with Mary Miles Minter, who was 15 at the time. They "married" without clergy in the countryside near Santa Barbara. Their relationship ended after Minter became pregnant with Kirkwood's child and underwent an abortion.^[5]

In 1931, he married actress Beatrice Powers, and had a daughter, Joan Mary Kirkwood, with her. They divorced in 1934, with Powers citing mental cruelty.^[6] He married Marjorie Davidson (1920–2008) in 1940, and had a son with her, Terrance Michael Kirkwood (born 1941).

He was George Melford's original choice for the starring role of Sheik Ahmed Ben Hassan in The Sheik, which was later famously passed to Rudolph Valentino.^[7]^[8] His directing career fizzled in 1920,^{[citation needed]} but he continued acting well into the 1950s. His film career would span more than two hundred films over nearly a half century.

He died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital.^[9]

Selected filmography

A Corner in Wheat (1909, Short) – The Farmer
At the Altar (1909, Short)
The Lonely Villa (1909, Short) – Among Rescuers
The Hessian Renegades (1909, Short) – Messenger's Father
Pippa Passes (1909, Short) – Jules
Fools of Fate (1909, Short) – Ben Webster
Nursing a Viper (1909, Short) – In Mob
The Death Disc: A Story of the Cromwellian Period (1909, Short) – Cromwell's Advisor
The Red Man's View (1909, Short) – Silver Eagle's Father – the Tribal Spokesman (uncredited)
In Little Italy (1909, Short) – The Sheriff
To Save Her Soul (1909, Short) – Backstage at Debut / At Party
The Day After (1909, Short) – Party Guest
The Rocky Road (1910, Short) – The Best Man
The Woman from Mellon's (1910, Short) – The Minister
The Modern Prodigal (1910, Short)
The Bridal Room (1912, Short) – Minor Role
The Left-Handed Man (1913, Short) – The Old Soldier
The House of Discord (1913, Short) – The Wife's Sweetheart
Home, Sweet Home (1914) – The Mother's Son
The Eagle's Mate (1914) – Lancer Morne
Behind the Scenes (1914) – Steve Hunter
The Green-Eyed Devil (1914, Short, Director)
Lord Chumley (1914, Short, Director)
Cinderella (1914, Short, Director)
Strongheart (1914, Short, Director)
The Floor Above (1914, Director)
Gambier's Advocate (1915) – Stephen Gambier
Little Pal (1915, Director) – Minor Role (uncredited)
The Heart of Jennifer (1915, Director) – James Murray
Fanchon the Cricket (1915, Director)
The Foundling (1916) – Detective
The Lost Bridegroom (1916, Director)
Susie Snowflake (1916, Director)
Dulcie's Adventure (1916, Director)
Faith (1916, Director)
The Innocence of Lizette (1916, Director)
A Dream or Two Ago (1916, Director)
Over There (1917, Director)
The Gentle Intruder (1917, Director)
Environment (1917, Director)
Annie-for-Spite (1917, Director)
Periwinkle (1917, Director)
Melissa of the Hills (1917, Director)
The Struggle Everlasting (1918, Director)
The Uphill Path (1918, Director)
The Luck of the Irish (1920) – William Grogan
The Scoffer (1920) – Dr. Stannard Wayne
In the Heart of a Fool (1920) – Grant Adams
The Forbidden Thing (1920) – Abel Blake
The Branding Iron (1920) – Pierre Landis
Love (1920) – Tom Chandler
Man, Woman & Marriage (1921) – David Courtney
Bob Hampton of Placer (1921) – Bob Hampton
A Wise Fool (1921, extant; Library of Congress) – Jean Jacques Barbille
The Great Impersonation (1921) – Sir Everard Dominey / Leopold von Ragastein
The Man from Home (1922) – Daniel Forbes Pike
Under Two Flags (1922) – Cpl. Victor
Pink Gods (1922) – John Quelch
The Sin Flood (1922) – O'Neill
Ebb Tide (1922) – Robert Herrick
You Are Guilty (1923) – Stephen Martin
Human Wreckage (1923) – Alan MacFarland
The Eagle's Feather (1923) – John Trent
Ponjola (1923) – Lundi Druro
Discontented Husbands (1924) – Michael Frazer
Love's Whirlpool (1924) – Jim Reagan
Wandering Husbands (1924) – George Moreland
Broken Barriers (1924) – Ward Trenton
Another Man's Wife (1924) – John Brand
Circe, the Enchantress (1924) – Dr. Wesley Van Martyn
The Painted Flapper (1924) – Richard Whitney
Gerald Cranston's Lady (1924) – Gerald Cranston
Secrets of the Night (1924 extant) – Robert Andrews
The Top of the World (1925) – Guy Ranger / Burke Ranger
The Police Patrol (1925) – Officer Jim Ryan
That Royle Girl (1925) – Calvin Clarke
Lover's Island (1925) – Jack Avery
The Reckless Lady (1926) – Colonel Fleming
The Wise Guy (1926) – Guy Watson
Butterflies in the Rain (1926) – John Humphries
Million Dollar Mystery (1927) – James Norton
Someone to Love (1928) – Mr. Kendricks
Black Waters (1929) – Rev. Eph Kelly / Tiger Larabee
The Time, the Place and the Girl (1929) – The Professor
Hearts in Exile (1929) – Baron Serge Palma
The Devil's Holiday (1930) – Mark Stone
Worldly Goods (1930) – John C. Tullock
The Spoilers (1930) – Joe Dextry
Young Sinners (1931) – John Gibson
A Holy Terror (1931) – William Drew
Transatlantic (1931) – Sigrid's Beau (uncredited)
Over the Hill (1931) – Pa Shelby in Prologue
The Rainbow Trail (1932) – Venters
Charlie Chan's Chance (1932) – Inspector Flannery
Cheaters at Play (1932) – Detective Crane
She Wanted a Millionaire (1932) – Roger Norton
Lena Rivers (1932) – Henry R. Graham
Careless Lady (1932) – Judge
My Pal, the King (1932) – Count DeMar
Playthings of Desire (1933) – Jim Malvern
Hired Wife (1934) – Philip Marlowe
The Lady from Cheyenne (1941) – Politician
No Hands on the Clock (1941) – Warren Benedict
Tennessee Johnson (1942) – Senator (uncredited)
Government Girl (1943) – Senator (uncredited)
Madame Curie (1945) – Board Member (uncredited)
The Spanish Main (1945) – Captain Spratlin (uncredited)
Rendezvous with Annie (1946) – Walters
I've Always Loved You (1946) – Murphy (uncredited)
That Brennan Girl (1946) – John Van Derwin (uncredited)
That's My Man (1947) – Racetrack Man (uncredited)
Driftwood (1947) – Rev. MacDougal
The Inside Story (1948) – Townsman (uncredited)
The Untamed Breed (1948) – Sheriff (uncredited)
Joan of Arc (1948) – Judge Mortemer (uncredited)
Red Stallion in the Rockies (1949) – Judge Hardy
The Doolins of Oklahoma (1949) – Reverend Mears (uncredited)
Intruder in the Dust (1949) – Convict (uncredited)
Roseanna McCoy (1949) – A Hatfield (uncredited)
The Nevadan (1950) – Tex (uncredited)
Fortunes of Captain Blood (1950) – Physician (uncredited)
The Lone Ranger (1950, Episode: "Double Jeopardy") – Judge Henry Brady
Stage to Tucson (1950) – Sheriff Pete Deuce (uncredited)
Belle Le Grand (1951) – Judge (uncredited)
Santa Fe (1951) – Surveyor (uncredited)
Two of a Kind (1951) – Ben (uncredited)
Man in the Saddle (1951) – Sheriff Medary (uncredited)
I Dream of Jeanie (1952) – Doctor
Winning of the West (1953) – Wagon Train Survivor (uncredited)
The Sun Shines Bright (1953) – Gen. Fairfield
Woman They Almost Lynched (1953) – Old Man (uncredited)
The Last Posse (1953) – Judge Parker
Sweethearts on Parade (1953) – Narrator (voice, uncredited)
Passion (1954) – Don Rosendo (uncredited)
Adventures of the Texas Kid: Border Ambush (1954) – Tim Johnson
The Search for Bridey Murphy (1956) – Brian MacCarthy at Age 68
Two Rode Together (1961) – Officer (uncredited) (final film role)