Adolph Lestina (1861– August 23, 1923) was an American stage and film actor who was a member of D. W. Griffith's stock company of film actors.

Career

He received positive notice for his performance in Justin McCarthy's ''If I Were King'' and in Laurence Irving's ''The Fool Hath Said There Is No God''. Lestina's performance in the play ''A Citizen's Home'' was noted as being "sympathetic". Lestina was credited with "discovering" D. W. Griffith. "This gentleman saw to it that young Griffith played the role of Old Man Marks in ''

The Lights o' London ''The Lights o' London'' is a melodramatic play, by George R. Sims, first produced in London on 10 September 1881 at the Princess's Theatre, produced by and starring Wilson Barrett. The play was a hit, running for 226 nights, and was frequentl ...

'' with the Meffert company ..The gentleman who "discovered Griffith as an actor, Adolphe Lestina, later appeared in many D. W. Griffith film productions, including ''

Hearts of the World ''Hearts of the World'' (also known as ''Love's Struggle'') is a 1918 American silent film, silent World War I propaganda film written, produced and directed by D. W. Griffith. In an effort to change the American public's neutral stance regardin ...

'' (1918) and ''

The Love Flower ''The Love Flower'' is a 1920 American silent drama film produced by D. W. Griffith and released through the then nascent United Artist company of which Griffith was a founding partner.

'' (1920)". Griffith, speaking of his time with the Meffert Stock Company, said that Lestina told him that to be a playwright, one first had to be an actor.

Personal life

Adolph Lestina was married to Bessie Lee Lestina. He died of heart disease in

New Rochelle, New York New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...

on August 23, 1923.

Broadway credits

* '' Children of the Ghetto'' (October 16, 1899 – December 1899) * ''

The School for Scandal ''The School for Scandal'' is a comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan. It was first performed in London at Drury Lane Theatre on 8 May 1777. Plot Act I Scene I: Lady Sneerwell, a wealthy young widow, and her hireling Sn ...

'' (January 31, 1902 – January 31, 1902) * ''The Eternal City'' (November 17, 1902 – February 1903) * ''

Our American Cousin ''Our American Cousin'' is a three-act play by English playwright Tom Taylor. It is a farce featuring awkward, boorish American Asa Trenchard, who is introduced to his aristocratic English relatives when he goes to England to claim the family e ...

'' (January 27, 1908 – April 25, 1908) * ''A Citizen's Home'' (October 1, 1909 – October 1909)

Filmography

* ''On the Reef'' (1910) (Short) as The Priest * '' The Cord of Life'' (1909) (Short) * ''The Honor of His Family'' (1910) (Short) as Servant * ''The Last Deal'' (1910) (Short) as At Card Game * '' Winning Back His Love'' (1910) (Short) as A Waiter * '' The Two Paths'' (1911) (Short) as The Tempter * ''

The Italian Barber ''The Italian Barber'' is a 1911 short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Joseph Graybill and featuring Mary Pickford. The film, by the Biograph Company, was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey when many early film studios in Americ ...

'' (1911) (Short) as Buying Newspapers / At Ball * '' His Trust: The Faithful Devotion and Self-Sacrifice of an Old Negro Servant'' (1911) (Short) as Black Servant / Confederate Soldier * ''

His Trust Fulfilled ''His Trust Fulfilled'' is a 1911 American drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. Prints of this film survive in the film archives of the Library of Congress and the Museum of Modern Art. Cast * Wilfred Lucas – George * Claire McDowell – ...

'' (1911) (Short) as Freed Slave * ''

Fate's Turning ''Fate's Turning'' is a 1911 short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Charles H. West and featuring Stephanie Longfellow.Graham, C.C., Higgins S., Mancini, E. & Vieira, J.L. ''D.W. Griffith and the Biograph Company''. Netuc ...

'' (1911) (Short) as The Minister * ''

A Wreath of Orange Blossoms A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes' ...

'' (1911) (Short) as At Party * ''

Heart Beats of Long Ago ''Heart Beats of Long Ago'' is a 1911 American short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring George Nichols and featuring Blanche Sweet. The film is preserved in the Library of Congress by paper print.Catalog of Holdings The Am ...

'' (1911) (Short) as Courtier * ''

What Shall We Do with Our Old? ''What Shall We Do with Our Old?'' is a 1911 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. Cast * W. Chrystie Miller - The Old Carpenter * Claire McDowell - The Old Carpenter's Wife * Adolph Lestina - The Doctor * George Nichols - T ...

'' (1911) (Short) as The Doctor * ''

The Lily of the Tenements ''The Lily of the Tenements'' is a 1911 American short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Clara T. Bracy and featuring Blanche Sweet. Cast * Dorothy West as The Tenement Girl * Clara T. Bracy as The Tenement Girl's Mot ...

'' (1911) (Short) as One of the Father's Friends * '' A Decree of Destiny'' (1911) (Short) as The Doctor * ''Conscience'' (1911) (Short) as Detective * ''

Through Darkened Vales ''Through Darkened Vales'' is a 1911 American short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Blanche Sweet. Cast * Blanche Sweet as Grace * Grace Henderson as Grace's Mother * Charles West as Dave * Joseph Graybill as Howard ...

'' (1911) (Short) as Oculist's Assistant * ''

The Miser's Heart ''The Miser's Heart'' is a 1911 American short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Blanche Sweet. The film was shot in Fort Lee, New Jersey where early film studios in America's first motion picture industry were based a ...

'' (1911) (Short) as The Miser * '' A Woman Scorned'' (1911) (Short) as The Sneak Thief * '' The Failure'' (1911) (Short) as The Bank Manager / In Tavern * '' A Terrible Discovery'' (1911) (Short) as A Thug / One of the District Attorney's Friends *

The Old Bookkeeper ''The Old Bookkeeper'' is a 1912 American short silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Blanche Sweet. Cast * W. Chrystie Miller as The Old Bookkeeper * Edwin August as The Old Bookkeeper's Employer * Blanche Sweet as The O ...

(1912) (Short) as In Office * '' The Sunbeam'' (1912) (Short) as 1st Health Inspector * '' A String of Pearls'' (1912) (Short) as The Doctor * '' A Lodging for the Night'' (1912) (Short) as A Deputy * '' The Narrow Road'' (1912) (Short) as The Bartender * '' The Inner Circle'' (1912) (Short) as The Widower * '' So Near, Yet So Far'' (1912) (Short) as In Club * ''

A Feud in the Kentucky Hills ''A Feud in the Kentucky Hills'' is a 1912 American silent drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. The film, by the Biograph Company, was shot on the Hudson Palisades near Fort Lee, New Jersey when many early film studios in America's first m ...

'' (1912) (Short) as Second Clan Member * ''

The Chief's Blanket ''The Chief's Blanket'' is a 1912 American short silent Western film directed by D. W. Griffith, starring Blanche Sweet and Lionel Barrymore. Cast * Lionel Barrymore as The Young Man * Blanche Sweet as The Young Woman * W. Chrystie Miller a ...

'' (1912) (Short) as The Doctor * ''

The Musketeers of Pig Alley ''The Musketeers of Pig Alley'' is a 1912 American short drama and a gangster film. It is directed by D. W. Griffith and written by Griffith and Anita Loos. It is also credited for its early use of follow focus, a fundamental tool in cinemat ...

'' (1912) (Short) as The Bartender / On Street * '' My Baby'' (1912) (Short) as At Table * '' My Hero'' (1912) (Short) as Settler * ''

The Burglar's Dilemma ''The Burglar's Dilemma'' is a 1912 American drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. A print of the film survives. Cast * Lionel Barrymore as The Householder * Henry B. Walthall as Householder's Weakling Brother * Adolph Lestina as The Butler * ...

'' (1912) (Short) as The Butler * ''

The God Within ''The God Within'' is a 1912 American short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Blanche Sweet. A print of the film survives. Cast * Henry B. Walthall as The Woodsman * Claire McDowell as The Woodsman's Wife * Blanche Sweet as ...

'' (1912) (Short) as In Other Town * ''

An Adventure in the Autumn Woods An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian an ...

'' (1913) (Short) as At Trading Post * ''

Brothers A brother is a man or boy who shares one or more parents with another; a male sibling. The female counterpart is a sister. Although the term typically refers to a familial relationship, it is sometimes used endearingly to refer to non-familia ...

'' (1913) (Short) as The Doctor * '' A Chance Deception'' (1913) (Short) as The Visitor * '' Love in an Apartment Hotel'' (1913) (Short) as The Young Woman's Father * ''

Fate Destiny, sometimes referred to as fate (from Latin ''fatum'' "decree, prediction, destiny, fate"), is a predetermined course of events. It may be conceived as a predetermined future, whether in general or of an individual. Fate Although often ...

'' (1913) (Short) as In Bar * ''

A Welcome Intruder ''A Welcome Intruder'' is a 1913 silent film short directed by D. W. Griffith and produced by the Biograph Company. Cast *Charles Hill Mailes - The Father * Kate Toncray - The Neighbor * Charles West - The Workman *W. Chrystie Miller - The Shopk ...

'' (1913) (Short) as The Construction Boss * ''

The Lady and the Mouse ''The Lady and the Mouse'' is a 1913 American short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. A print of the film survives. Lillian and Dorothy Gish play sisters in the film. The only other two films where the Gishes play sisters are '' An Unse ...

'' (1913) (Short) as The Doctor * ''

A Timely Interception ''A Timely Interception'' is a 1913 American short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. Cast * W. Chrystie Miller as The Farmer * Lillian Gish as The Farmer's Daughter * Robert Harron as The Farmer's Adopted Son * Lionel Barrymore as The F ...

'' (1913) (Short) as Uncle James's Friend * ''

Red Hicks Defies the World ''Red Hicks Defies the World'' is a 1913 American short comedy film featuring Harry Carey. Cast * Charles Murray - Red Hicks * Edward Dillon - O'Shea, the Fighting Irishman * Dorothy Gish - Hicks' Sweetheart * Kate Toncray - Hick's Mother * ...

'' (1913) (Short) as Second Creditor * ''

The Mothering Heart ''The Mothering Heart'' is a 1913 American short drama film directed by D. W. Griffith. A print of the film survives in the film archive of the Museum of Modern Art. Plot The film opens by showing a young woman (Lillian Gish) in a garden. She ...

'' (1913) (Short) as The Doctor / Club Patron * '' Her Mother's Oath'' (1913) (Short) as The Justice of the Peace / In Church * ''

The Coming of Angelo ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1913) (Short) as Teresa's Father * ''

The Adopted Brother ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' (1913) (Short) as The Sheriff – Outside Sheriff's Office * '' Her Wedding Bell'' (1913) (Short) as Wedding Guest * ''Fruits of Desire'' (1916) as Rev. Courtenay * '' The Yellow Passport'' (1916) as Chief of Police * ''

'' (1918) as The Grandfather * ''

The Hun Within ''The Hun Within'' is a 1918 American silent war drama thriller film directed by Chester Withey and starring Dorothy Gish and George Fawcett. It was written by historic Biograph directors D. W. Griffith and Stanner E. V. Taylor. Cast *Dorothy G ...

'' (1918) as Beth's father * ''

Battling Jane ''Battling Jane'' is a 1918 American silent comedy-drama film. It was directed by Elmer Clifton as a vehicle for Dorothy Gish and included some patriotic overtones. According to the Progressive Silent Film List at SilentEra.com, it is not known ...

'' (1918) as Mr. Pollett * ''

The Greatest Thing in Life ''The Greatest Thing in Life'' is a 1918 American Silent film, silent drama film about World War I, directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish, Robert Harron, and David Butler (director), David Butler. The film is now considered lost f ...

'' (1918) as Leo Peret * ''

A Romance of Happy Valley ''A Romance of Happy Valley'' is a 1919 American drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. Believed lost for almost 50 years, a print was discovered in 1965 in the State Film Archives of the Soviet Union, which donated ...

'' (1919) as Vinegar Watkins * ''

The Girl Who Stayed at Home ''The Girl Who Stayed at Home'' is a 1919 American silent drama film produced and directed by D. W. Griffith and released by Paramount Pictures. Prints of the film exist. Plot As described in a film magazine, younger son James "Jim" Grey (Harr ...

'' (1919) as Mr. France * ''

Scarlet Days ''Scarlet Days'' is a 1919 American silent Western film produced and directed by D. W. Griffith and released through Paramount/Artcraft Pictures, Artcraft being an affiliate of Paramount. Richard Barthelmess stars in a role for which Griffit ...

'' (1919) as Randolph's Friend , * ''

The Idol Dancer ''The Idol Dancer'' is a 1920 American silent South Seas genre, South Seas drama film produced and directed by D. W. Griffith. It stars Richard Barthelmess and Clarine Seymour in her final film role. Seymour was a young actress Griffith was gro ...

'' (1920) as Black Slave * ''

Mary Ellen Comes to Town ''Mary Ellen Comes to Town'' is a 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Elmer Clifton and written by Wells Hastings and Helen G. Smith. The film stars Dorothy Gish, Kate Bruce, Ralph Graves, Adolph Lestina, Charles K. Gerrard, and Ray ...

'' (1920) as Col. Fairacres * ''

'' (1920) as Bevan's Old Servant * ''

Orphans of the Storm ''Orphans of the Storm'' is a 1921 American silent drama film by D. W. Griffith set in late-18th-century France, before and during the French Revolution. The last Griffith film to feature both Lillian and Dorothy Gish, it was a commercial fail ...

'' (1921) as doctor

References

External links

* * *
Adolph Lestina
at

Broadway World BroadwayWorld is a theatre news website based in New York City covering Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, N ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lestina, Adolph 1861 births 1923 deaths American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors American male stage actors