William F. Haddock (November 27, 1877 – June 30, 1969) was one of the earliest

film directors 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, pro ...

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. From 1909 to 1919 Haddock directed twenty-four films. Haddock was born William Frederick Haddock in

Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on the Piscataqua River bordering the state of Maine, Portsmou ...

. He directed his first film, ''The Boots He Couldn't Lose'', in 1909. His next film was ''

The Immortal Alamo ''The Immortal Alamo'' is an American silent film released on May 25, 1911. ''The Immortal Alamo'' is the earliest film version of the events surrounding the 1836 Battle of the Alamo. The film was directed by William F. Haddock, and produced by ...

'' in 1911, the earliest known film version of the events surrounding the 1836

Battle of the Alamo The Battle of the Alamo (February 23 – March 6, 1836) was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution. Following a 13-day siege, Mexican troops under President General Antonio López de Santa Anna reclaimed the Alamo Mission near San Ant ...

. It starred Francis Ford. No copy of that film exists today, and it is considered to be a

lost film A lost film is a feature or short film that no longer exists in any studio archive, private collection, public archive or the U.S. Library of Congress. Conditions During most of the 20th century, U.S. copyright law required at least one copy o ...

, as are many of Haddock's works. Many of his films during his early years were

film short A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

s, starring lesser known actors and actresses. He often teamed up with early film actor

Lamar Johnstone Edward Lamar Johnstone (March 15, 1884 – May 21, 1919) was an American silent film actor and director. Biography Born in Fairfax, Virginia, Johnstone starred in 82 films as an actor between 1911 and his death in 1919. He often starred alongs ...

, the first time being in the 1913 film ''Hearts and Crosses'', co-starring

Lucille Young Lucille May Young (March 6, 1883 – August 2, 1934) was an American actress of the early silent film era. Early life Lucille May Young was born on March 6, 1883, in Lansing, Michigan, the daughter of Glendower Young (1858–1927) and K ...

. That same year he married his wife, Rosa Koch. His last direction was on the 1919 film ''The Carter Case'', starring

Herbert Rawlinson Herbert Banemann Rawlinson (15 November 1885 – 12 July 1953) was an English-born stage, film, radio, and television actor. A leading man during Hollywood's silent film era, Rawlinson transitioned to character roles after the advent of sound f ...

Marguerite Marsh Marguerite Marsh (April 18, 1888 – December 8, 1925) was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 70 films between 1911 and 1923. Early in her career, she was known as Margaret Loveridge. Biography Marsh was the el ...

, and

Ethel Grey Terry Ethel Grey Terry (October 2, 1882 – January 6, 1931) was an American actress of the silent era. She is best remembered for her role in '' The Penalty'' with Lon Chaney. Early years Ethel Grey Terry was born in Oakland, California, the d ...

. Following that film, Haddock left the film business, eventually settling 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 ...

. Little is known about his life following his departure from film directing, except that he played the role of an old man in

Arthur Penn Arthur Hiller Penn (September 27, 1922 – September 28, 2010) was an American director and producer of film, television and theater. Closely associated with the American New Wave, Penn directed critically acclaimed films throughout the 19 ...

's 1962 adaptation of ''

The Miracle Worker ''The Miracle Worker'' refers to a broadcast, a play and various other adaptations of Helen Keller's 1903 autobiography '' The Story of My Life''. The first of these works was a 1957 ''Playhouse 90'' broadcast written by William Gibson and st ...

''. He died on June 30, 1969, in New York City.

Selected filmography

*''Billy and His Pal'' (1911) *''Hearts and Crosses'' (1913) *'' The Education of Mr. Pipp'' (1914) *''

His Lordship's Dilemma ''His Lordship's Dilemma'' is a 1915 silent short comedy film produced by the Gaumont Film Company and distributed by the Mutual Film Corporation. The film stars W.C. Fields as a remittance man, and part of the film includes an adaptation of ...

'' (1915) *''The Carter Case'' (1919) * ''

The Mad Dancer ''The Mad Dancer'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Ann Pennington, Johnnie Walker, and Coit Albertson. Synopsis Mimi, a dancer who lives in the Latin Quarter of Paris, poses nude for a sculpture. Wh ...

'' (1925)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Haddock, William F. Silent film directors 1877 births 1969 deaths People from Portsmouth, New Hampshire Articles containing video clips