James Young (January 1, 1872 – June 9, 1948) was an American

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 ...

, actor, 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. ...

of the

silent era 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, wh ...

. Before films Young had a successful career as a stage actor appearing on Broadway and throughout the country, and was the author of a notable 1905 book on theatrical makeup. Young directed more than 90 films between 1912 and 1928. He also appeared as an actor in 60 films between 1909 and 1917. His first wife was librettist

Rida Johnson Young Rida Johnson Young (February 28, 1875 – May 8, 1926) was an American playwright, songwriter and librettist.IBDBRida Johnson Young Retrieved November 21, 2007 In her career, Young wrote over thirty plays and musicals, and over 500 songs. She ...

who often composed with

Victor Herbert Victor August Herbert (February 1, 1859 – May 26, 1924) was an American composer, cellist and conductor of English and Irish ancestry and German training. Although Herbert enjoyed important careers as a cello soloist and conductor, he is bes ...

. His second wife was film actress

Clara Kimball Young Clara Kimball Young (born Edith Matilda Clara Kimball; September 6, 1890 – October 15, 1960) was an American film actress who was popular in the early silent film era. Early life Edith Matilda Clara Kimball was born in Chicago on Septembe ...

, 18 years his junior, who kept his surname after they divorced. James Young died in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

on June 9, 1948.

Selected filmography

* ''

Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night'', or ''What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night's entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Vio ...

'' (1910) * ''

Lady Godiva Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly re ...

'' (1911) * ''

Mockery Mockery or mocking is the act of insulting or making light of a person or other thing, sometimes merely by taunting, but often by making a caricature, purporting to engage in imitation in a way that highlights unflattering characteristics. Mocker ...

'' (1912) * ''

As You Like It ''As You Like It'' is a pastoral comedy by William Shakespeare believed to have been written in 1599 and first published in the First Folio in 1623. The play's first performance is uncertain, though a performance at Wilton House in 1603 has b ...

'' (1912) * '' Beau Brummel'' (1913) * '' Jerry's Mother-In-Law'' (1913) * ''

Beauty Unadorned ''Beauty Unadorned'' is a 1913 silent short film directed by Sidney Drew, L. Rogers Lytton and James Young. It starred Drew and Clara Kimball Young who was the wife of Young. It was produced by the Vitagraph Company of America. It survives, incomp ...

'' (1913) * ''

My Official Wife ''My Official Wife'' is an 1891 novel by Richard Henry Savage, popular in its day, soon after adapted for the stage, and for silent films in 1914 and in 1926, and a German-language film in 1936. Book Savage wrote the first draft of his firs ...

'' (1914) (director) * '' The Violin of Monsieur'' (1914) * '' The Heart of the Blue Ridge'' (1915) * '' The Deep Purple'' (1915) * '' Oliver Twist'' (1916) * '' On Trial'' (1917) * ''

Rose o' Paradise ''Rose o' Paradise'' is a 1918 silent film directed by James Young and starring Bessie Barriscale. It was produced by Paralta Plays and distributed through W. W. Hodkinson Corporation, General Film Company and Pathe-Freres. Cast * Bessie Bar ...

'' (1918) * ''

Mickey Mickey is a given name and nickname, almost always masculine and often a short form (hypocorism) of Michael, and occasionally a surname. Notable people and characters with the name include: People Given name or nickname Men * Mickey Andrews (bor ...

'' (1918) * '' A Daughter of Two Worlds'' (1920) * ''

The Notorious Miss Lisle ''The Notorious Miss Lisle'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by James Young and starring Katherine MacDonald, Nigel Barrie, and Margaret Campbell.Monaco p.290 The film's sets were designed by the art director Milton Menasco. Cas ...

'' (1920) * ''

Curtain A curtain is a piece of cloth or other material intended to block or obscure light, air drafts, or (in the case of a shower curtain), water. A curtain is also the movable screen or drape in a theatre that separates the stage from the auditorium ...

'' (1920) * ''

The Devil Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehood ...

'' (1921) * ''

Without Benefit of Clergy ''Without Benefit of Clergy'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by James Young and featuring Virginia Brown Faire, Thomas Holding and Boris Karloff. It is based on the story by Rudyard Kipling. A print of the film still exists at t ...

'' (1921) * '' The Masquerader'' (1922) * '' The Infidel'' (1922) * '' Omar the Tentmaker'' (1922) * ''

Ponjola ''Ponjola'' is a 1923 American silent drama film based on the 1923 novel of the same name by Cynthia Stockley and directed by Donald Crisp Donald William Crisp (27 July 188225 May 1974) was an English film actor as well as an early produce ...

'' (1924) co-directed with

Donald Crisp Donald William Crisp (27 July 188225 May 1974) was an English film actor as well as an early producer, director and screenwriter. His career lasted from the early silent film era into the 1960s. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor ...

* ''

The Unchastened Woman ''The Unchastened Woman'' is a 1925 American silent drama film starring vamp Theda Bara, directed by James Young, the former husband of Clara Kimball Young, and released by start-up studio Chadwick Pictures. The film is based on a 1915 Broadwa ...

'' (1925) starring

Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...

* '' The Bells'' (1926) * ''

Driven from Home ''Driven from Home'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by James Young and starring Ray Hallor, Virginia Lee Corbin and Pauline Garon.Munden p.203 Cast * Ray Hallor * Virginia Lee Corbin * Pauline Garon * Sôjin Kamiyama * Ann ...

'' (1927) * ''

Midnight Rose Midnight Rose was a name taken by a group of United Kingdom science fiction and fantasy writers for a series of shared world anthologies published by the Penguin Books imprint Roc. The group's "core members" were Alex Stewart, Roz Kaveney, Nei ...

'' (1928)

References

External links

* * * *
James Young papers, 1904-1948
held by the Billy Rose Theatre Division,

New York Public Library for the Performing Arts The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center, at 40 Lincoln Center Plaza, is located in Manhattan, New York City, at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side, between the Metro ...

James Young, 1904
with

Viola Allen Viola Emily Allen (October 27, 1867 – May 9, 1948) was an American stage actress who played leading roles in Shakespeare and other plays, including many original plays. She starred in over two dozen Broadway productions from 1885 to 1916. Be ...

in the Shakespeare play ''As You Like It''
''Making Up; A Practical and Exhaustive Treatise on this Art, James Young, 1905''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Young, James 1872 births 1948 deaths American male film actors American male silent film actors American male screenwriters Male actors from Baltimore Film directors from Maryland 20th-century American male actors Screenwriters from Maryland Silent film screenwriters 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters