Charles Villiers was an Australian actor and occasional director who appeared in many silent films. According to a contemporary report, "there is probably no actor in Australia that has done more consistent picture work than Mr. Villiers, both as heavy lead, and director." He was particularly well known for playing villains.

Biography

In 1912 Villiers managed Lytton's Picture Stadium in Orange. Villiers started working in films for the

Australian Photoplay Company The Australian Photo-Play Company was a short-lived but highly productive Australian film production company which operated from 1911 to 1912. Establishment Stanley Crick, who was Pathe Freres manager in Australia, and Herbert Finlay had enjoye ...

for whom he was one of their main actors. He then made a series of films for the

Fraser Film Release and Photographic Company Fraser Film Release and Photographic Company was an Australian film company formed in 1912 by two brothers, Archie and Colin Fraser. It operated as a film exchange, importing movies from overseas, and production house, making shorts, features and do ...

. In 1914 he toured for 12 months with the Oliver Dramatic Company.

Beaumont Smith Frank Beaumont "Beau" Smith (15 August 1885 – 2 January 1950), was an Australian film director, producer and exhibitor, best known for making low-budget comedies. Smith made his first film in 1917, '' Our Friends, the Hayseeds''. He went on ...

later estimated Villiers appeared in more than 60 silent films. His wife was also an actor.

Select filmography

*'' Moora Neya, or The Message of the Spear'' (1911) *'' The Lady Outlaw'' (1911) *''

Way Outback ''Way Outback'' is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It was described as "a typical Australian story of mining life in the back blocks" and being "full of action and incident". It is considered a lost film A lost film ...

'' (1911) *''

What Women Suffer ''What Women Suffer'' is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It is a Victorian melodrama, complete with a climax where a little child is placed on a moving saw bench and is considered a lost film.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ...

'' (1911) *''

The Cup Winner ''The Cup Winner'' is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It is set against a backdrop of horseracing and the finale involves real footage from the 1911 Melbourne Cup.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–197 ...

'' (1911) *''

Caloola, or The Adventures of a Jackeroo ''Caloola, or The Adventures of a Jackeroo'' is a 1911 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe based on a novel published the previous year by Clement Pratt. It is considered a lost film A lost film is a feature Feature may r ...

'' (1911) *''

King of the Coiners ''King of the Coiners'' is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It is considered a lost film. Plot The plot consists of two acts and 61 scenes. Luke Holt is a police sergeant who doubles as the head of a gang of counterfeite ...

'' (1912) *''

Do Men Love Women? ''Do Men Love Women?'' is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe about an alcoholic who reforms through the love of a good woman. The finale featured a railway collision. It is a lost film A lost film is a feature Feat ...

'' (1912) *''

The Sin of a Woman ''The Sin of a Woman'' is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It is considered a lost film. Plot Dick Maxwell, a young man from Sydney, decides to move to the country for his health and gets a job as book keeper on Waroonga ...

'' (1912) *'' The Crime and the Criminal'' (1912) *''

Cooee and the Echo ''Cooee and the Echo'' is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe (director), Alfred Rolfe. It is considered a lost film. Plot In northern Queensland, a young miner is determined to avenge the murder of his brother by another min ...

'' (1912) *''

The Love Tyrant ''The Love Tyrant'' is a 1912 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe. It was described as an "Australian drama about the back blocks" and a "stirring drama full of thrilling incidents". It was set during the early bushranging days. It ...

'' (1912) *'' The Cheat'' (1912) *'' Whose Was the Hand?'' (1912) *'' The Moira, or Mystery of the Bush'' (1912) *'' 'Neath Austral Skies'' (1913) *''

Sea Dogs of Australia ''Sea Dogs of Australia'' is a 1913 Australian silent film about an Australian naval officer blackmailed into helping a foreign spy. The film was publicly released in August 1914, but was almost immediately withdrawn after the Minister for Defenc ...

'' (1913) *''

The Silence of Dean Maitland ''The Silence of Dean Maitland'' is an 1886 novel by Maxwell Gray (the pen name of Mary Gleed Tuttiett). Set in a fictionalized Isle of Wight, particularly around Calbourne, it concerns an ambitious clergyman who accidentally kills the father o ...

'' (1914) *''

The Sunny South or The Whirlwind of Fate ''The Sunny South, or the Whirlwind of Fate'' is a 1915 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe based on the popular play '' The Sunny South'' by George Darrell. It is considered a lost film.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film ...

'' (1915) *''

The Loyal Rebel ''The Loyal Rebel'' is a 1915 Australian silent film directed by Alfred Rolfe set against the background of the Eureka Rebellion. It is considered a lost film.Andrew Pike and Ross Cooper, ''Australian Film 1900–1977: A Guide to Feature Film P ...

'' (1915) *''

For Australia ''For Australia'' is a 1915 Australian silent film directed by Monte Luke. Plot A newspaper journalist, Stanley Lane (Boyd Irwin), discovers a German spy ring in Sydney led by Carl Hoffman (Charles Villiers). Lane is captured and imprisoned by G ...

'' (1915) *'' Hypocrites'' (1915) *''

The Martyrdom of Nurse Cavell ''The Martyrdom of Nurse Cavell'' is a 1916 Australian silent film about the execution of nurse Edith Cavell during World War I. Although one of the most popular Australian silent movies ever made, it is considered a lost film. Synopsis The st ...

'' (1916) *''

In the Last Stride ''In the Last Stride'' is a 1916 Australian silent film directed by Martyn Keith based on the 1914 popular action novel by Arthur Wright. The film's star, Dave Smith, was a champion heavyweight boxer who had fought Les Darcy. There was also an ...

'' (1916) *''

The Mutiny of the Bounty ''The Mutiny of the Bounty'' is a 1916 Australian-New Zealand silent film directed by Raymond Longford about the mutiny aboard . It is the first known cinematic dramatisation of this story and is considered a lost film. Longford claimed it was ...

'' (1916) *''

The Murder of Captain Fryatt ''The Murder of Captain Fryatt'' is a 1917 Australian silent film about the execution of Captain Charles Fryatt during World War I from John and Agnes Gavin. It is considered a lost film. Plot The Gavins claimed the plot "followed closely the ...

'' (1917) *'' Australia's Peril'' (1917) *'' His Convict Bride'' (1918) *'' A Coo-ee from Home'' (1918) *'' Satan in Sydney'' (1918) *'' The Face at the Window'' (1919) – also directed *''

The Man from Kangaroo The Man from Kangaroo is a 1920 Australian silent film starring renowned Australian sportsman Snowy Baker. It was the first of several films he made with the husband and wife team of director Wilfred Lucas and writer Bess Meredyth, both of whom ...

'' (1920) *''

While the Billy Boils ''While the Billy Boils'' is a 1921 Australian film from director Beaumont Smith which adapts several stories from Henry Lawson. It is considered a lost film. Plot Bob Brothers ( Tal Ordell) is a bushman who quarrelled with his father ten year ...

'' (1921) *'' Possum Paddock'' (1921) – co-directed *''

The Lust for Gold ''The Lust for Gold'' is a 1922 Australian silent film directed by Roy Darling. Release Despite starring several well-known actors, including Gilbert Emery of '' The Sentimental Bloke'' (1919), the film only received a limited release. Darlin ...

'' (1922) *'' A Daughter of Australia'' (1922) *''

When the Kellys Were Out ''When the Kellys Were Out'' is an Australian feature-length film directed by Harry Southwell about Ned Kelly. Only part of the film survives today. Plot Constable Fitzpatrick arrives at the Kelly house, to accuse Dan Kelly of cattle duffing. ...

'' (1923) *''

Daughter of the East ''Daughter of the East'', also known as 'The Boy of the Dardanelles', is a 1924 Australian silent film directed by Roy Darling. It is considered a lost film. Plot Harry Wharton is born of English parents in Turkey. Despite being engaged to a ...

'' (1924) *''

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon and its accompanying atmospheric effects. Terminology Al ...

'' (1926)

Select theatre credits

*''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1909) *''The Sign of the Cross'' (1909) *''The Corsican Brothers'' (1909)

References

External links

*
Charles Villiers
at the

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting and providing access to a national co ...

Australian male silent film actors Year of birth missing Year of death missing 20th-century Australian male actors {{Australia-actor-stub