George Ridgwell (1867–1935) was a British

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

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. His name was sometimes spelt as George Ridgewell. He was born in

Woolwich Woolwich () is a district in southeast London, England, within the Royal Borough of Greenwich. The district's location on the River Thames led to its status as an important naval, military and industrial area; a role that was maintained throu ...

in 1867. He directed around 70 films including a series of adaptations of

Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...

stories featuring

Eille Norwood Eille Norwood (born Anthony Edward Brett; 11 October 1861 – 24 December 1948) was an English stage actor, director, and playwright best known today for playing Sherlock Holmes in a series of silent films. Early life He was born 11 October 1 ...

as Holmes. His last film was '' Lily of Killarney'' in 1929. He died in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from Watling Street, the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the Lon ...

in 1935.BFI.org
/ref> He was the father of the actress Audrey Ridgewell. His early career was as an army musician (sergeant, band of the Coldstream Guards) and on the stage (he created the role of Abdallah in Sullivan's 'Rose of Persia' and was a member of The D'Oyly Carte Touring Opera Company for a season playing lead baritone roles). He also composed light music numbers and lyrics. He was educated at the Royal Military Asylum, later the Duke of York's Royal Military School (a school history is the source of this information. Also see G&S Archive).

Selected filmography

Director * '' The Mystery of Room 13'' (1915) * ''

The Water Lily ''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 m ...

'' (1919) *''

Fruits of Passion ''Fruits of Passion'' (french: Les fruits de la passion; ja, 上海異人娼館／チャイナ・ドール, ) is a 1981 French-Japanese co-production directed by Shūji Terayama and starring Klaus Kinski. The film is loosely based on the novel ...

'' (1919) * '' The Sword of Damocles'' (1920) * '' Greatheart'' (1921) * '' The Four Just Men'' (1921) * ''

The Amazing Partnership ''The Amazing Partnership'' is a 1921 British silent film, silent mystery film directed by George Ridgwell and starring Milton Rosmer, Gladys Mason and Arthur Walcott. It is based on the 1914 novel of the same title by E. Phillips Oppenheim.Goble ...

'' (1921) * ''

Petticoat Loose ''Petticoat Loose'' is a 1922 British silent drama film directed by George Ridgwell and starring Dorinea Shirley, Warwick Ward and Lionelle Howard. It is based on the 1898 novel of the same title by Eliza Humphreys about a playwright who h ...

'' (1922) * '' The Missioner'' (1922) * ''

The Knight Errant ''The Knight Errant'' is a 1922 British silent romance film directed by George Ridgwell and starring Madge Stuart, Rex McDougall and Olaf Hytten.Goble p.122 Cast * Madge Stuart as Ernestine * Rex McDougall as Cecil Mordaunt Livingston ...

'' (1922) * ''

His Last Bow ''His Last Bow: Some Reminiscences of Sherlock Holmes'' is a 1917 collection of previously published Sherlock Holmes stories by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle, including the titular short story, " His Last Bow. The War Service of Sherlock Hol ...

'' (1923) * ''

The Notorious Mrs. Carrick ''The Notorious Mrs. Carrick'' is a 1924 British silent crime film directed by George Ridgwell and starring Cameron Carr, A.B. Imeson and Gordon Hopkirk. It was an adaptation of the novel ''Pools of the Past'' by Charles Proctor. The film was ...

'' (1924) * '' Lily of Killarney'' (1929) Actor * ''

The Crime at Blossoms ''The Crime at Blossoms'' is a 1933 British crime film directed by Maclean Rogers and starring Hugh Wakefield and Joyce Bland. It was remade by Rogers in 1949 as '' Dark Secret''. After moving into a picturesque country cottage, a woman become ...

'' (1933) * ''

Channel Crossing ''Channel Crossing'' is a 1933 British crime film directed by Milton Rosmer and starring Matheson Lang, Constance Cummings, Anthony Bushell and Nigel Bruce. It was shot partly on location and at the Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush.Wood p ...

'' (1933)

References

* 1867 births 1935 deaths British film directors British male screenwriters 20th-century British screenwriters {{UK-film-director-stub