Arthur Millett (April 21, 1874 in
Pittsfield, Maine
Pittsfield is a town in Somerset County, Maine, United States. The population was 3,908 at the 2020 census. Pittsfield is home to the Maine Central Institute, a semi-private boarding school, and the annual Central Maine Egg Festival.
History
...
– February 24, 1952 in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
), born Arthur Nelson Millett, was an early American motion picture
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
whose career was at its height in the
silent film
A silent film is a film with no 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, when ...
era.
Biography
Born in 1874, Millett was signed on to appear in his first film relatively late in life at age 40 in 1914, but immediately work began to pick up. His first film ''The Lost Treasure'' was released in 1914. In 1915, he starred in films such as ''
Coals of Fire'' and ''
The Law of the Wilds
''The Law of the Wilds'' is a 1915 American silent film, silent short film, short Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Tom Ricketts, Thomas Ricketts and starring Harry von Meter, Harry Van Meter, B. Reeves Eason, Reaves Eason, and ...
'', working with prolific actors such as
Harry von Meter
Harry von Meter (March 20, 1871 – June 2, 1956; sometimes credited Harry van Meter) was an American silent film actor. He starred in about 200 films in the period from 1912 through 1929. He retired from acting just as sound films were beginni ...
and
Vivian Rich
Vivian Rich (May 26, 1893 – November 17, 1957) was an American silent film actress.
Career
Rich was born in Philadelphia and spent her early years there. Later the family moved to Boston and she completed her education at the Boston Latin H ...
.
Millett starred in a total of 116 film in his career. With the advent of sound films, however, his career declined significantly. In the majority of the roles in his 60 or so films after 1927, Millett was uncredited.
Millett was married to actress
Neva Gerber
Genevieve Dolores Gerber (April 3, 1894 – January 2, 1974) was an American silent film actress who appeared in more than 120 films between 1912 and 1930.
Early life and career
She was born in Argenta, Illinois, to S. Nelson Gerber (1870 ...
.
He retired from film in 1940 and died in 1952.
Partial filmography
* ''
Coals of Fire'' (1915)
* ''
The Law of the Wilds
''The Law of the Wilds'' is a 1915 American silent film, silent short film, short Drama (film and television), drama film directed by Tom Ricketts, Thomas Ricketts and starring Harry von Meter, Harry Van Meter, B. Reeves Eason, Reaves Eason, and ...
'' (1915)
* ''
The Hidden Spring
''The Hidden Spring'' is a 1917 American silent adventure film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Harold Lockwood, Vera Sisson and Herbert Standing.Connelly p.9
Cast
* Harold Lockwood as Donald Keeth
* Vera Sisson as Thora Erickson
* Her ...
'' (1917)
* ''
Madame Sphinx
''Madame Sphinx'' is a lost 1918 silent film mystery directed by Thomas N. Heffron and starring Alma Rubens. It was produced by the Triangle Film Corporation.
Cast
*Alma Rubens - Celeste
*Wallace MacDonald - Andre Du Bois
*Eugene Burr - Raoul Lav ...
'' (1918)
* ''
Shifting Sands Shifting Sands can refer to:
*'' The Shifting Sands'', a book in the ''Deltora Quest'' series
* ''Shifting Sands'' (1918 film), a 1918 film
* ''Shifting Sands'' (1922 film), a 1922 film
*''Shifting Sands'', a 1957 episode of The Goon Show
*Forms of ...
'' (1918)
* ''
Station Content'' (1918)
* ''
Alias Mary Brown
''Alias Mary Brown'' is a 1918 American silent crime film directed by Henri D'Elba and starring Pauline Starke, Casson Ferguson and Arthur Millett.Wlaschin p.11
Cast
* Pauline Starke as Betty
* Casson Ferguson as Dick Browning, aka Mary Brown
...
'' (1918)
* ''
The Hand at the Window
''The Hand at the Window'' is a 1918 American silent mystery film directed by Raymond Wells and starring Joe King, Margery Wilson and Francis McDonald.Wlaschin p.104
Cast
* Joe King as Roderick Moran
* Margery Wilson as Laura Bowers
* Francis ...
'' (1918)
* ''
Her American Husband
''Her American Husband'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by E. Mason Hopper and starring Teddy Sampson, Darrell Foss and Leota Lorraine.Connelly p.360
Cast
* Teddy Sampson as Cherry Blossom
* Darrell Foss as Herbert Franklyn
* ...
'' (1918)
* ''
Todd of the Times
''Todd of the Times'' is a lost 1919 American silent comedy film directed by Eliot Howe and starring Frank Keenan, Charles A. Post, and Aggie Herring
Agnes Herring (February 4, 1876 – October 28, 1939) was an American actress. She ap ...
'' (1919)
* ''
Bare-Fisted Gallagher
''Bare-Fisted Gallagher'' is a lost 1919 silent western feature directed by Joseph J. Franz and starring William Desmond. It was produced by Jesse D. Hampton and released through Robertson-Cole soon to amalgamate into Film Booking Offices of A ...
'' (1919)
* ''
The Egg Crate Wallop
''The Egg Crate Wallop'' is a 1919 American silent comedy film starring Charles Ray (actor), Charles Ray and featuring actress Colleen Moore. The film was directed by Jerome Storm and Thomas H. Ince was its producer.
Plot
Jim Kelly (Charles Ray) ...
'' (1919)
* ''
West Is West'' (1920)
* ''
Drag Harlan
''Drag Harlan'' is a 1920 American silent Western film produced and released by the Fox Film Corporation and directed by J. Gordon Edwards. The film is based on an original story for the screen and stars William Farnum along with Jackie Saunder ...
'' (1920)
* ''
The Scuttlers
''The Scuttlers'' is a lost 1920 American silent drama film produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation and directed by J. Gordon Edwards. William Farnum and Jackie Saunders star in this adventure.
Cast
*William Farnum as Jim Landers
* ...
'' (1920)
* ''
Love Madness'' (1920)
* ''
$30,000
''$30,000'' is a 1920 American silent mystery film directed by Ernest C. Warde and starring J. Warren Kerrigan, Fritzi Brunette and Carl Stockdale.Wlaschin p.218
Synopsis
A struggling attorney is given $30,000 by a young female client who wi ...
'' (1920)
* ''
Live Sparks
''Live Sparks'' is a 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Ernest C. Warde and starring J. Warren Kerrigan, Mae Talbot, and Roy Laidlaw.Katchmer p.440
Cast
* J. Warren Kerrigan as Neil Sparks
* Mae Talbot as Aunt Helen
* Roy Laidlaw a ...
'' (1920)
* ''
Hearts Up
''Hearts Up'' is a 1921 American Silent Western film directed by Val Paul and starring Harry Carey.
Plot
As summarized in a film publication, Jim Drew (Millett), who is a squaw man (a disparaging term for a white man with an Indian wife), rece ...
'' (1921)
* ''
Cold Steel'' (1921)
* ''
The Match-Breaker
''The Match-Breaker'' is a lost 1921 American silent romantic comedy film produced and distributed by Metro Pictures. It was directed by Dallas M. Fitzgerald and starred Viola Dana.
Cast
*Viola Dana as Jane Morgan
*Jack Perrin as Thomas Butler ...
'' (1921)
* ''
A Broken Doll
''A Broken Doll'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Monte Blue, Mary Thurman and Mary Jane Irving.Lombardi p.117
Cast
* Monte Blue as Tommy Dawes
* Mary Thurman as Harriet Bundy
* Mary Jane Irving
...
'' (1921)
* ''
Tracked to Earth
''Tracked to Earth'' is a 1922 American silent Western film directed by William Worthington and written by Wallace C. Clifton. The film stars Frank Mayo, Virginia Valli, Harold Goodwin, Duke R. Lee, Buck Connors, and Arthur Millett. The film ...
'' (1922)
* ''
Gay and Devilish
''Gay and Devilish'' is a 1922 American silent comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Doris May, Cullen Landis and Otis Harlan.Munden p.283
Cast
* Doris May as Fanchon Browne
* Cullen Landis as Peter Armitage
* Otis Harlan as Pet ...
'' (1922)
* ''
Around the World in Eighteen Days
''Around the World in 18 Days'' is a 1923 American silent film serial directed by B. Reeves Eason and Robert F. Hill. A total of twelve episodes of the serial were released. The film is now considered lost.
Cast
* William Desmond as Phineas F ...
'' (1923)
* ''
A Man of Action'' (1923)
* ''
Yankee Madness
''Yankee Madness'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Charles R. Seeling and starring George Larkin, Billie Dove
Lillian Bohny (born Bertha Eugenie Bohny; May 14, 1903 – December 31, 1997), known professionally as Billie Dov ...
'' (1924)
* ''
The White Sin
''The White Sin'' is a 1924 silent romantic drama film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Madge Bellamy and John Bowers. It was distributed by Film Booking Offices of America (FBO).
Plot
As described in a review of the film in a film m ...
'' (1924)
* ''
American Manners
''American Manners'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by James W. Horne. It was produced by Richard Talmadge, who also stars, and was distributed by FBO.
Preserved in the Library of Congress.
Plot
Cast
* Richard Talmadge as R ...
'' (1924)
* ''
Mistaken Orders
''Mistaken Orders'' is a 1925 silent film action adventure directed by J. P. McGowan. It starred Helen Holmes (actress), Helen Holmes and Henry A. Barrows.
Prints held by Library of Congress, Academy Film Archive and British Film Institute, BFI ...
'' (1925)
* ''
The Crimson Runner'' (1925)
* ''
The Buckaroo Kid
''The Buckaroo Kid'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Lynn Reynolds and starring Hoot Gibson. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures and is based on the short story ''Oh, Promise Me'' by Peter B. Kyne that appea ...
'' (1926)
* ''
Glenister of the Mounted
''Glenister of the Mounted'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Harry Garson and starring Maurice 'Lefty' Flynn, Bess Flowers and Lee Shumway.
Cast
* Maurice 'Lefty' Flynn as Sergeant Richard Glenister
* Bess Flowers as Eliz ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Two-Gun Man
''The Two-Gun Man'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by David Kirkland and starring Fred Thomson, Spottiswoode Aitken and Olive Hasbrouck.
Plot
A returning World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), ofte ...
'' (1926)
* ''
The Glorious Fourth'' (1927)
* ''
Wolf's Clothing'' (1927)
* ''
Shootin' Irons
''Shootin' Irons'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Richard Rosson and starring Jack Luden, Sally Blane and Fred Kohler.Munden, p. 710
Cast
* Jack Luden as Pan Smith
* Sally Blane as Lucy Blake
* Fred Kohler as Dick Hardman ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Range Courage
''Range Courage'' is a 1927 American silent Western film directed by Ernst Laemmle and starring Fred Humes, Gloria Grey and Dick Winslow.Langman, p. 352
Cast
* Fred Humes as Lem Gallagher
* Gloria Grey as Betty Martin
* Dick Winslow as Jimm ...
'' (1927)
* ''
The Body Punch
''The Body Punch'' is a 1929 American comedy film directed by Leigh Jason and written by Harry O. Hoyt, Clarence Marks, and Gardner Bradford. The film stars Jack Dougherty, Virginia Brown Faire, George Kotsonaros, Wilbur Mack, Monte Montague, an ...
'' (1929)
* ''
Desert Vengeance
''Desert Vengeance'' is a 1931 American western film directed by Louis King and starring Buck Jones, Barbara Bedford (actress), Barbara Bedford and Douglas Gilmore.Pitts p.86 It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures.
Cast
* Buck Jones ...
'' (1931)
* ''
The Widow in Scarlet
''The Widow in Scarlet'' (also known as ''Lady Raffles'') is a 1932 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code mystery film, mystery crime film directed by George B. Seitz and starring Dorothy Revier, Kenneth Harlan and Lloyd Whitlock . It was distri ...
'' (1932)
* ''
Hidden Valley'' (1932)
* ''
No Living Witness
''No Living Witness'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime film directed by E. Mason Hopper and written by Norman Houston. The film stars Gilbert Roland, Noah Beery Sr., Barbara Kent, Carmel Myers, Otis Harlan, Dorothy Revier, J. Carrol Naish ...
'' (1932)
* ''
Honor of the Mounted'' (1932)
* ''
The County Fair'' (1932)
* ''
Winds of the Wasteland
''Winds of the Wasteland'' is a 1936 Western film directed by Mack V. Wright and starring John Wayne and Phyllis Fraser. The film was released by Republic Pictures. The film was later released in a colorized version on home video/dvd under t ...
'' (1936)
* ''
The Fugitive Sheriff
''The Fugitive Sheriff'' is a 1936 American Western film directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet and starring Ken Maynard, Beth Marion and Walter Miller.Pitts p.119
Cast
* Ken Maynard as Ken Marshall
* Beth Marion as June Roberts
* Walter Mille ...
'' (1936)
* ''
The Lion's Den'' (1936)
References
External links
*
1874 births
1952 deaths
American male film actors
People from Pittsfield, Maine
American male silent film actors
20th-century American male actors
Male actors from Maine
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