Lucius Junius Henderson (June 8, 1861 – February 18, 1947) was an American

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 ...

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

and actor of the early silent period involved in more than 70 film productions.

Biography

Born in Aledo, Illinois, Henderson was a classically trained

musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

who later attended

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

. He began stage-acting in the early-1880s and later supported both Mesdames Modjeska and Janauschek in repertory. He entered film with the Thanhouser Company in late

1910 Events January * January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...

, functioning as chiefly a director. In the autumn of 1913, Henderson led the Thanhouser company of players to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. But while the unit quickly returned to New Rochelle, New York, Henderson remained behind to direct for Majestic and the Long Beach-located California Motion Picture Company. He was working for

Universal Studios Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...

by 1915 and later claimed to have been the first to recognize the potential of

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

. Henderson directed 73 films before his retirement from directing at the end of 1917. However, in 1923 he resurrected his interest in movies and rekindled his abilities as an actor, starring in a number of films in the mid-1920s. The veteran actor/director turned to radio work after the changeover to sound. The oldest living member of the

Lamb's Club The Lambs, Inc. (also known as The Lambs Club) is a social club in New York City for actors, songwriters, and others involved in the theatre. It is America's oldest theatrical organization. "The Lambs" is a registered trademark of The Lambs, Inc ...

, Henderson was honored with a testimonial dinner in 1942. He died at his home on 335 West 43rd Street 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 ...

in 1947.

Filmography

Director

*''To the Highest Bidder'' (1917) *''The Untamed'' (1917) *''The Beautiful Impostor'' (1917) *''Stolen Honors'' (1916) *''Cheaters'' (1916) *''Love's Masquerade'' (1916) *''The Trail of Chance'' (1916) *''A Splash of Local Color'' (1916) *''The Garden of Shadows'' (1916) *''Behind the Veil'' (1916) *''The Scarlet Mark'' (1916) *''The Limousine Mystery'' (1916) *''The Three Wishes'' (1916) *''

A Huntress of Men ''A Huntress of Men'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Lucius J. Henderson and starring Mary Fuller, Joseph W. Girard, and Sidney Bracey. The film was released by Red Feather Photoplays on May 6, 1916. Plot Cast *Mary Fuller as ...

'' (1916) *''The Girl Who Feared Daylight'' (1916) *''Thrown to the Lions'' (1916) *''The Little Fraud'' (1916) *''The Strength of the Weak'' (1916) *''Madame Cubist'' (1916) *''Artistic Interference'' (1916) *''A Sea Mystery'' (1916) *'' The Heart of a Mermaid'' (1916) *''The Tale of the 'C (1915) *''Li'l Nor'wester'' (1915) *''The Woman Who Lied'' (1915) *'' Under Southern Skies'' (1915) *''The Taming of Mary'' (1915) *''Jeanne of the Woods'' (1915) *''The Little White Violet'' (1915) *''Circus Mary'' (1915) (as Lucius C. Henderson) *''A Daughter of the Nile'' (1915) *''The Judgement of Men'' (1915) *''A Witch of Salem Town'' (1915) *''The Girl Who Had a Soul'' (1915) *''The Blank Page'' (1915) *''The Honor of the Ormsbys'' (1915) *''The Broken Toy'' (1915) *''The Rustle of a Skirt'' (1915) *''The Supreme Impulse'' (1915) *''Mary's Duke'' (1915) *''The Golden Spider'' (1915) *''The Bribe'' (1915) *'' On Dangerous Ground'' (1915) *''

Salomy Jane Salomy Jane may refer to: *" Salomy Jane's Kiss", an 1889 western short story by Bret Harte, included in ''Stories of Light and Shadow'' (1898) * ''Salomy Jane'' (play), a 1907 stage adaptation by Paul Armstrong *"Salomy Jane", a 1910 western nove ...

'' (1914) *''The Tomboy's Race'' (1913) *'' Sapho'' (1913) *''

The Little Girl Next Door ''The Little Girl Next Door'' is a 1912 American silent short drama directed by Lucius Henderson and written by Philip Lonergan. The film starred William Garwood and Marguerite Snow in the lead roles. Prints of the film are in the Library of ...

'' (1912/I) *''Undine'' (1912) *''Lucile'' (1912) ... aka ''Lucille'' *''As Others See Us'' (1912) *''Cousins'' (1912) *''

The Merchant of Venice ''The Merchant of Venice'' is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1596 and 1598. A merchant in Venice named Antonio defaults on a large loan provided by a Jewish moneylender, Shylock. Although classified as ...

'' (1912) *''Under Two Flags'' (1912) *''Doggie's Debut'' (1912) *''The Professor's Son'' (1912) *''Farm and Flat'' (1912) *''The Twins'' (1912) *''The Night Clerk's Nightmare'' (1912) *''Why Tom Signed the Pledge'' (1912) *''On the Stroke of Five'' (1912) *''Her Secret'' (1912) *''Dottie's New Doll'' (1912) *''The Little Shut-In'' (1912) *''When Mandy Came to Town'' (1912) *''The Baby Bride'' (1912) *''An Easy Mark'' (1912) *''The Star of the Side Show'' (1912) *''My Baby's Voice'' (1912) *''The Poacher'' (1912) ... aka ''The Poachers ''(USA) *''

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

'' (1912) *''The Lady from the Sea'' (1911) (as Lucius J. Henderson) *''The Imposter'' (1911) (as Lucius J. Henderson) *''

Adrift Adrift may refer to: Media * Adrift (band), a Tampa, Florida-based American heavy rock band * ''Adrift'' (video game), a first-person adventure video game * "Adrift", a song by God Is an Astronaut from the album '' Ghost Tapes #10'' Film * ''A ...

'' (1911) (as Lucius J. Henderson) *'' When Love Was Blind'' (1911) (as Lucius J. Henderson)

Actor

* '' Toilers of the Sea'' (1923) * ''

A Man Must Live ''A Man Must Live'' is a 1925 American silent adventure film directed by Paul Sloane and written by James Ashmore Creelman based upon the novel ''Jungle Law'' by I. A. R. Wylie. The film stars Richard Dix, Jacqueline Logan, George Nash, Edna M ...

'' (1925) * ''

White Mice "White Mice" is a special edition sketch of the BBC sitcom ''Only Fools and Horses'', first broadcast on 24 December 1985 on BBC Breakfast Time. Synopsis A parody, spoof investigation of Del Boy is conducted by the BBC Breakfast show, ''Breakfa ...

'' (1925) * ''

The New Commandment The New Commandment is a term used in Christianity to describe Jesus's commandment to "love one another" which, according to the Bible, was given as part of the final instructions to his disciples after the Last Supper had ended, and after Judas ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Great Deception ''The Great Deception'' is a 1926 American silent drama film starring Basil Rathbone, Ben Lyon, and Aileen Pringle. It is based on the 1915 novel ''The Yellow Dove'' by George Gibbs about World War I era espionage, previously adapted as the 19 ...

'' (1926) * ''Once in a Blue Moon'' (1935)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henderson, Lucius J. American male film actors American male silent film actors 20th-century American male actors People from Aledo, Illinois Silent film directors Thanhouser Company 1861 births 1947 deaths Male actors from Illinois Film directors from Illinois Harvard College alumni