George Pearson OBE, (19 March 1875 – 6 February 1973) was a pioneering

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

, producer and

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. ...

, mainly 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. He was born in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Biography

The only son of George Pearson, a silk tie cutter, George Pearson's first profession after Culham College, near Oxford (not a college of the

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

) was teaching. He excelled in this role, becoming a headmaster by 1902 at the age of 26. His major post was at Staples Rd School

Loughton Loughton () is a town and civil parish in the Epping Forest District of Essex. Part of the metropolitan and urban area of London, the town borders Chingford, Waltham Abbey, Theydon Bois, Chigwell and Buckhurst Hill, and is northeast of Chari ...

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

, on which there is a

blue plaque A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...

. He was originally drawn to film making as an educational aid. In 1913 Pearson entered the film industry, initially as a script writer. Pearson worked for Gaumont and later joined the Colonial Film Unit (later the Commonwealth Film Unit), remaining in employment until the age of 81. Though little of his work is known to have survived, Pearson is credited with pioneering the use of the moving camera shot.

Awards and personal life

In 1951, he was awarded the OBE. Pearson married Edith Stacey (1881-1961) in 1901. They had two sons and two daughters. One daughter, Winifred, worked as a film editor. He died in

Great Malvern Great Malvern is an area of the spa town of Malvern, Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the eastern flanks of the Worcestershire Beacon and North Hill, and i ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

in 1973, aged nearly 98, outliving Winifred and his elder son, Malcolm, a surgeon. In 1957, his

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life. It is a form of biography. Definition The word "autobiography" was first used deprecatingly by William Taylor in 1797 in the English peri ...

, ''Flashback'', was published.

Selected filmography

* ''

Peg Woffington Margaret Woffington (18 October 1720 – 28 March 1760), known professionally as Peg Woffington, was an Irish actress and socialite of the Georgian era. Peg and Peggy were a common pet name for those called Margaret until the late 20th centu ...

'' (1912) * '' The Fool'' (1913) * '' Heroes of the Mine'' (1913) *''

A Study in Scarlet ''A Study in Scarlet'' is an 1887 detective novel by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle. The story marks the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, who would become the most famous detective duo in literature. The book's title der ...

'' ( 1914

* '' John Halifax, Gentleman (1915 film), John Halifax, Gentleman'' (1915) * ''

A Cinema Girl's Romance ''A Cinema Girl's Romance'' is a 1915 British silent drama film directed by George Pearson and starring Agnes Glynne, Fred Paul and Alice De Winton. It was based on a novel by Ladbroke Black. The film was made at Isleworth Studios.Harris p.63 ...

'' (1915) *''Ultus and the Grey Lady'' ( 1916

*'' Sally Bishop (1916 film), Sally Bishop'' (1916) * ''

The Kiddies in the Ruins ''The Kiddies in the Ruins'' is a 1918 British silent war film directed by George Pearson and starring Emmy Lynn, Hugh E. Wright and Georges Colin. It was released two days after the Armistice that halted fighting in the First World War and ...

'' (1918) * ''

The Romance of Old Bill ''The Romance of Old Bill'' is a 1918 British silent comedy war directed by George Pearson and starring Charles Rock, Arthur Cleave and Hugh E. Wright. It was made at Twickenham Studios. It is based on the play '' The Better 'Ole'', with the s ...

'' (1918) *''

Nothing Else Matters "Nothing Else Matters" is a song by American heavy metal band Metallica. It was released in 1992 as the third single from their self-titled fifth studio album, '' Metallica''. The song peaked at number 11 on the '' Billboard'' Mainstream Rock ...

'' ( 1920) * ''

Mary Find the Gold ''Mary-Find-the-Gold'' (or ''Mary Find the Gold'') is a 1921 British silent drama film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Tom Coventry and Hugh E. Wright.Low p.409 Cast * Betty Balfour as Mary Smith * Tom Coventry as Tom ...

'' (1921) *''

Squibs Wins the Calcutta Sweep ''Squibs Wins the Calcutta Sweep'' is a 1922 British silent comedy film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Fred Groves and Hugh E. Wright. It was the sequel to the 1921 film '' Squibs''. Premise Squibs wins a large sum of ...

'' ( 1922) * ''

Mord Em'ly ''Mord Em'ly'' is a 1922 British silent drama film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Rex Davis and Elsie Craven.Low p.122 It was based on the 1898 novel of the same title by William Pett Ridge. Cast * Betty Balfour as Ma ...

'' (1922) * '' Squibs' Honeymoon'' (1923) * '' Squibs M.P.'' (1923) *'' Love, Life and Laughter'' ( 1923) * ''

The Romany ''The Romany'' is a 1923 British silent adventure film directed by Floyd Martin Thornton and starring Victor McLaglen, Irene Norman and Harvey Braban. Cast * Victor McLaglen as The Chief * Irene Norman as Valia * Harvey Braban as Andre ...

'' (1923) *''

Reveille "Reveille" ( , ), called in French "Le Réveil" is a bugle call, trumpet call, drum, fife-and-drum or pipes call most often associated with the military; it is chiefly used to wake military personnel at sunrise. The name comes from (or ), th ...

'' ( 1924) *'' The Little People'' ( 1926) *''

Blinkeyes ''Blinkeyes'' is a 1926 British silent drama film directed by George Pearson and starring Betty Balfour, Tom Douglas, and Frank Stanmore. It was shot at Cricklewood Studios in London. It was the final collaboration between Pearson and Balfo ...

'' (1926) *'' Huntingtower'' ( 1927) *''

Love's Option ''Love's Option'' is a 1928 British silent adventure film directed by George Pearson and starring Dorothy Boyd, Patrick Aherne and James Carew. It was made at Cricklewood Studios based on the novel ''The Riddle'' by Douglas Newton. The film ...

'' (1928) *'' Auld Lang Syne'' ( 1929) *''

Journey's End ''Journey's End'' is a 1928 dramatic play by English playwright R. C. Sherriff, set in the trenches near Saint-Quentin, Aisne, towards the end of the First World War. The story plays out in the officers' dugout of a British Army infantry c ...

'' ( 1930

*''

East Lynne on the Western Front ''East Lynne on the Western Front'' is a 1931 British comedy film directed by George Pearson and starring Herbert Mundin, Mark Daly and Alf Goddard. It was made at the Lime Grove Studios.Wood p.71 Plot During the First World War a group of B ...

'' (1931) *''

The Good Companions ''The Good Companions'' is a novel by the English author J. B. Priestley. Written in 1929, it follows the fortunes of a concert party on a tour of England. It is Priestley's most famous novel and established him as a national figure. It won ...

'' ( 1933) (associate producer) *'' A Shot in the Dark'' (1933) * ''

Whispering Tongues ''Whispering Tongues'' is a 1934 British crime film directed by George Pearson and starring Reginald Tate, Jane Welsh and Russell Thorndike. The screenplay concerns a son who seeks revenge by stealing valuables from the men who drove his fathe ...

'' (1934) *'' The Ace of Spades'' (1935) *''

That's My Uncle ''That's My Uncle'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by George Pearson and starring Mark Daly, Richard Cooper and Betty Astell. It was made at Twickenham Studios as a quota quickie for release by Universal Pictures.Wood p.88 Cast * Mar ...

'' (1935) *''

Jubilee Window ''Jubilee Window'' is a 1935 British comedy film directed by George Pearson and starring Sebastian Shaw, Ralph Truman and Olive Melville.Wood p.86 Cast * Sebastian Shaw as Peter Ward * Ralph Truman as Dan Stevens * Olive Melville as Marge ...

'' (1935) *''

Checkmate Checkmate (often shortened to mate) is any game position in chess and other chess-like games in which a player's king is in check (threatened with ) and there is no possible escape. Checkmating the opponent wins the game. In chess, the king is ...

'' (1935) * '' Midnight at Madame Tussaud's'' (1936) * ''

Follow Your Star ''Follow Your Star'' is a 1938 British musical film directed by Sinclair Hill and starring Arthur Tracy, Belle Chrystall and Mark Daly. It was made at Pinewood Studios.Wood p.94 Cast * Arthur Tracy as Arthur Tee * Belle Chrystall as Mary ...

'' (1938)

Bibliography

* ''Flashback: an Autobiography of A British Film Maker'', George Allen & Unwin (1957)

External links

George Pearson
entry at the National Record of Archives. *
Screenonline
entry

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pearson, George 1875 births 1973 deaths English film directors English film producers English memoirists Schoolteachers from Essex English male screenwriters Officers of the Order of the British Empire Writers from London People from Loughton English male non-fiction writers 20th-century English screenwriters 20th-century English male writers