Frank Beal (September 11, 1862 – December 20, 1934) was an American actor and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

of 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

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

, in 1862, Beal began acting in 1880 and gained fame as a director and an actor. In 1908, he moved from stage to film, with the

Selig Polyscope Company The Selig Polyscope Company was an American motion picture company that was founded in 1896 by William Selig in Chicago. The company produced hundreds of early, widely distributed commercial moving pictures, including the first films starring Tom ...

. He appeared in 42 films between 1910 and 1933, and also directed 41 films between 1910 and 1921. Beal was married to actress

Louise Lester Louise Lester (August 8, 1867 – November 18, 1952) was an American silent film actress. She was the first female star of Western films. Biography Lester was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on August 8, 1867. In 1884, Lester headed the Loui ...

and was the father of actress Dolly Beal and actor Scott Beal. He died in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, in 1934. His obituary in the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' called him "one of the first prominent figures of the theatrical industry to desert it and go into motion pictures".

Partial filmography

* Mismated (1916) * ''

The Curse of Eve ''The Curse of Eve'' is a lost 1917 silent film drama directed by Frank Beal and starring Enid Markey and Edward Coxen. It is also known under its alternate title ''Mother, I Need You''. Production As with its proclamation in press material, the ...

'' (1917) * '' Her Moment'' (1918) * ''

Thieves Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for some ...

'' (1919) * '' A Question of Honor'' (1922) * ''

Playing It Wild ''Playing It Wild'' is a 1923 American silent Western film directed by William Duncan and starring Duncan, Edith Johnson and Francis Powers.Rainey p.48 Cast * William Duncan as Jerry Hoskins * Edith Johnson as Beth Webb * Francis Powe ...

'' (1923) * ''

Soft Boiled ''Soft Boiled'' is a 1923 American silent comedy Western film written and directed by John G. Blystone. The film stars Tom Mix, Billie Dove, Joseph W. Girard, Lee Shumway, Tom Wilson, and Frank Beal. The film was released on August 26, 1923, ...

'' (1923) * '' When Odds Are Even'' (1923) * '' Hook and Ladder'' (1924) * ''

Arizona Express ''Arizona Express'' is a 1924 American silent crime drama film directed by Tom Buckingham and starring Pauline Starke and Evelyn Brent. Plot As described in a film magazine review, David Keith, although engaged to a young woman of the town, ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Lone Chance ''The Lone Chance'' was a 1924 silent American drama film directed by Howard M. Mitchell and starring Evelyn Brent. The film is now considered lost. Cast * John Gilbert as Jack Saunders * Evelyn Brent as Margaret West * John Miljan as Lew B ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Cyclone Rider ''The Cyclone Rider'' is a 1924 American silent adventure film directed by Tom Buckingham. Prints of the film survive in the Czech Film Archive. Cast * Reed Howes as Richard Armstrong * Alma Bennett as Doris Steele * William Bailey as Reynard ...

'' (1924) * ''

Marriage in Transit ''Marriage in Transit'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by Roy William Neill. It stars Edmund Lowe and Carole Lombard. Plot As described in a film magazine review, a Secret Service agent is assigned to recover a government code ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Best Bad Man ''The Best Bad Man'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by John G. Blystone and written by Lillie Hayward. The film stars Tom Mix, Buster Gardner, Cyril Chadwick, Clara Bow, Tom Kennedy, and Frank Beal. The film was released on Nov ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Golden Strain ''The Golden Strain'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Victor Schertzinger and written by Eve Unsell based upon a novel by Peter B. Kyne. The film stars Hobart Bosworth, Kenneth Harlan, Madge Bellamy, Lawford Davidson, Ann ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Mad Racer ''The Mad Racer'' was a 1926 American short silent comedy film directed by Philadelphian director Benjamin Stoloff. The film starred Earle Foxe and Florence Gilbert. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Reginald Van Bibber is spendin ...

'' (1926) * ''

A Man Four-Square ''A Man Four-Square'' is a lost 1926 American silent Western film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Buck Jones, Marion Harlan and Harry Woods.Solomon p.377 Cast * Buck Jones as Craig Norton * Marion Harlan as Polly * Harry Woods ...

'' (1926) * '' The Last Trail'' (1927) * ''

The Final Extra ''The Final Extra'' is a 1927 American silent crime film directed by James P. Hogan and starring Marguerite De La Motte, Grant Withers and John Miljan.Munden p.245 Synopsis With the assistance of a chorus girl, an aspiring young newspaperman t ...

'' (1927) * '' The Stolen Bride'' (1927) * ''

Galloping Fury ''Galloping Fury'' is a lost 1927 American silent Western film directed by B. Reeves Eason and starring Hoot Gibson. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. Cast * Hoot Gibson - Billy Halen * Otis Harlan - Pop Tully * Sally Ra ...

'' (1927) * '' The Danger Rider'' (1928) * '' Broken Barriers'' (1928) * ''

Women Who Dare ''Women Who Dare'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Helene Chadwick, Charles Delaney and Frank Beal.Munden p.924 Premise A young woman from a wealthy family goes to work in a hospital in the slums, an ...

'' (1928) * '' The Big Diamond Robbery'' (1929) * ''

Señor Americano ''Señor Americano'' is a 1929 American western film directed by Harry Joe Brown and starring Ken Maynard, Kathryn Crawford and Frank Beal.Munden p.695 It was distributed by Universal Pictures. Produced during the transition to sound, it was re ...

'' (1929) * '' Wide Open'' (1930) * ''

Young Donovan's Kid ''Young Donovan's Kid'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code melodrama film directed by Fred Niblo, from a screenplay by J. Walter Ruben, based upon the short story, ''Big Brother'', by Rex Beach. It was a remake of a 1923 Big Brother ...

'' (1931) * ''

The Lost Special "The Story of the Lost Special", sometimes abbreviated to "The Lost Special", is a mystery short story by Arthur Conan Doyle first published in ''The Strand Magazine'' in August 1898. A minor character in the story is possibly implied to be Doyle ...

'' (1932) * ''

The Power and the Glory ''The Power and the Glory'' is a 1940 novel by British author Graham Greene. The title is an allusion to the doxology often recited at the end of the Lord's Prayer: "For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever and ever, amen." ...

'' (1933) (uncredited)

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Beal, Frank American male silent film actors Male actors from Cleveland 1862 births 1934 deaths Film directors from Ohio 20th-century American male actors Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery