Ralph Waldo Ince (January 16, 1887 – April 10, 1937) was an American pioneer film actor, director and screenwriter whose career began near the dawn of the silent film, silent film era. Ralph Ince was the brother of John Ince (actor), John E. Ince and Thomas H. Ince.

Biography

Ralph Ince was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the younger of three sons and a daughter raised by English immigrants, John and Emma Ince. Sometime after his birth Ince moved to Manhattan where his entire family was engaged in theater work; his father as a musical agent and mother, sister Bertha and brothers, John and Thomas as actors. Ralph Ince studied art with cartoonist Dan McCarthy and for a while worked as a newspaper cartoonist for the New York World and later magazine illustrator for the New York Mirror and The Evening Telegram. At times over his acting and directing career Ince would continue to contribute cartoons to popular magazines of the day. Early on in his career Ince, who had done some stage acting as a child, was a member of Richard Mansfield, Richard Mansfield's stock company playing parts in ''The College Widow (play), The College Widow'' and ''Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, Ben Hur''.Motion Picture Studio Directory and Trade Annual, 1921, p. 267 – Ancestry.com
/ref> Around 1906 Ince became an animator in the fledgling film industry working for Winsor McCay, but soon turned to acting and joined Vitagraph Studios where he became known for his portrayals of Abraham Lincoln in a series of one reel films. Ince began directing at Vitagraph around 1910 and was officially advanced to the director's chair in 1912, though he still continued to act in many of his films and throughout his career. Ince would go on to direct some 171 films between 1910 and 1937 and appear in approximately 110 films over nearly the same time period. Ince became a member of The Lambs, The Lambs Club in 1916, and his brother John joined in 1919.

Marriage

Ince married three times, first to Vitagraph player Lucille Lee Stewart, sister of actress Anita Stewart. Their fifteen-year marriage ended in 1925, two years after she had left him. The following year he married Rosa Castro Martinez (stage name Lucille Mendez), an 18-year-old Venezuelans, Venezuelan stage and screen actress, daughter of Venezuelan President Cipriano Castro. This union ended in 1932 after she claimed Ince damaged her career by not allowing her to accept certain job offers. Ince's last wife was Helen Ruth Tigges, a native of Frazee, Minnesota. She was the mother of his only child, born just months before his death at age fifty.

Death

Ralph Ince died on April 10, 1937, when a car his wife was driving struck an iron standard near their residence in the Kensington district of London, England. The force of the impact, though not great, proved fatal to Ince when his head struck the dashboard. Helen Ince suffered cuts and bruises that required hospitalization. Ince and his wife had moved to Britain shortly after they had married in 1932 to continue his film work there. Ince was cremated at Golders Green Crematorium, Golders Green.

Selected filmography

As director

* ''Mills of the Gods (film), The Mills of the Gods'' (1912) * ''My Lady's Slipper'' (1916) * ''The Conflict'' (1916) * ''The Co-Respondent'' (1917) * ''Our Mrs. McChesney'' (1918) * ''The Panther Woman'' (1918) * ''The Eleventh Commandment (1918 film), The Eleventh Commandment'' (1918) * ''Five Thousand an Hour'' (1918) * ''Sealed Hearts'' (1919) * ''The Perfect Lover (1919 film), The Perfect Lover'' (1919) * ''Red Foam'' (1920) * ''Out of the Snows'' (1920) * ''His Wife's Money'' (1920) * ''Tropical Love'' (1921) * ''The Highest Law (film), The Highest Law'' (1921) * ''After Midnight (1921 film), After Midnight'' (1921) * ''Remorseless Love'' (1921) * ''A Man's Home'' (1921) * ''Wet Gold (1921 film), Wet Gold'' (1921) * ''A Wide Open Town'' (1922) * ''Reckless Youth (1922 film), Reckless Youth'' (1922) * ''The Referee (1922 film), The Referee'' (1922) * ''Counterfeit Love'' (1923) * ''The Chorus Lady (1924 film), The Chorus Lady'' (1924) * ''The House of Youth'' (1924) * ''The Uninvited Guest (1924 film), The Uninvited Guest'' (1924) * ''Lady Robinhood'' (1925) * ''Smooth as Satin'' (1925) * ''Alias Mary Flynn'' (1925) * ''The Better Way'' (1926) * ''The Lone Wolf Returns (1926 film), The Lone Wolf Returns'' (1926) * ''Breed of the Sea'' (1926) * ''The Sea Wolf (1926 film), The Sea Wolf'' (1926) * ''Bigger Than Barnum's'' (1926) * ''Home Struck'' (1927) * ''South Sea Love (1927 film), South Sea Love'' (1927) * ''Shanghaied (1927 film), Shanghaied'' (1927) * ''Enemies of Society'' (1927) * ''Not for Publication (1927 film), Not for Publication'' (1927) * ''Coney Island (1928 film), Coney Island'' (1928) * ''Chicago After Midnight'' (1928) * ''Hit of the Show'' (1928) * ''The Wreck of the Singapore'' (1928) * ''Danger Street (1928 film), Danger Street'' (1928) * ''A Real Girl'' (1929) * ''Hurricane (1929 film), Hurricane'' (1929) * ''Lucky Devils (1933 film), Lucky Devils'' (1933) * ''Murder at Monte Carlo'' (1934) * ''A Glimpse of Paradise'' (1934) * ''Love at Second Sight (1934 film), Love at Second Sight'' (1934) * ''What's in a Name? (1934 film), What's in a Name?'' (1934) * ''No Escape (1934 film), No Escape'' (1934) * ''Crime Unlimited'' (1935) * ''Rolling Home (1935 film), Rolling Home'' (1935) * ''The Black Mask (film), The Black Mask'' (1935) * ''Blue Smoke (1935 film), Blue Smoke'' (1935) * ''Gaol Break'' (1936) * ''Fair Exchange (film), Fair Exchange'' (1936) * ''Twelve Good Men'' (1936) * ''Jury's Evidence'' (1936) * ''Hail and Farewell (film), Hail and Farewell'' (1936) * ''It's You I Want'' (1936) * ''The Perfect Crime (1937 film), The Perfect Crime'' (1937) * ''The Vulture (1937 film), The Vulture'' (1937) * ''Side Street Angel'' (1937)

As actor

* ''Jean the Match-Maker'' (1910, Short) * ''A Tale of Two Cities (1911 film), A Tale of Two Cities'' (1911, Short) – (uncredited) * ''The Child Crusoes'' (1911, Short) * ''The Sins of the Mothers'' (1914) – Mr. Raymond * ''The Land of Opportunity'' (1920) – Abraham Lincoln * ''Out of the Snows'' (1920) – Robert Holliday * ''The Bringers'' (1920) * ''The Highest Law (film), The Highest Law'' (1921) – Abraham Lincoln * ''The Last Door'' (1921) * ''Wet Gold (1921 film), Wet Gold'' (1921) – John Cromwell * ''Channing of the Northwest'' (1922) * ''Yellow Fingers'' (1926) – Brute Shane * ''Bigger Than Barnum's'' (1926) – Carl Ravelle * ''The Sea Wolf (1926 film), The Sea Wolf'' (1926) – 'Wolf' Larsen * ''Breed of the Sea'' (1926) – Tod Pembroke, aka Captain Blaze Devine * ''The Better Way'' (1926) – Billy * ''Not for Publication (1927 film), Not for Publication'' (1927) – 'Big Dick' Wellman * ''Shanghaied (1927 film), Shanghaied'' (1927) – Hurricane Haley * ''Chicago After Midnight'' (1928) – Jim Boyd * ''The Wreck of the Singapore'' (1928) – Kelsey * ''Wall Street (1929 film), Wall Street'' (1929) – Roller McCray * ''The Big Fight (1930 film), The Big Fight'' (1930) – Chuck * ''Numbered Men'' (1930) – 33410 * ''Little Caesar (film), Little Caesar'' (1931) – Pete Montana * ''Gentleman's Fate'' (1931) – Dante * ''Hell Bound (1931 film), Hell Bound'' (1931) – Dorgan * ''The Star Witness'' (1931) – 'Maxey' Campo * ''The Big Gamble (1931 film), The Big Gamble'' (1931) – Webb * ''The Law of the Sea'' (1931) – Marty Drake * ''Men of Chance'' (1931) – Farley * ''The Big Shot (1931 film), The Big Shot'' (1931) – Butch (uncredited) * ''Girl of the Rio'' (1932) – O'Grady * ''The Hatchet Man'' (1932) – 'Big Jim' Malone (uncredited) * ''Law and Order (1932 film), Law and Order'' (1932) – Poe Northrup * ''The Lost Squadron'' (1932) – Jettick * ''The County Fair (1932 film), The County Fair'' (1932) – Diamond Barnett * ''State's Attorney (film), State's Attorney'' (1932) – Defense Attorney * ''The Mouthpiece'' (1932) – J.B. Roscoe * ''The Tenderfoot (film), The Tenderfoot'' (1932) – Dolan * ''Gorilla Ship'' (1932) – Capt. 'Gorilla' Larsen * ''Guilty as Hell'' (1932) – Jack Reed * ''The Pride of the Legion'' (1932) – Klafki * ''Malay Nights'' (1932) – Jack Sheldon * ''Men of America'' (1932) – Cicero * ''Havana Widows'' (1933) – G.W. 'Butch' O'Neill * ''Love at Second Sight (1934 film), Love at Second Sight'' (1934) – Mackintosh * ''No Escape (1934 film), No Escape'' (1934) – Lucky * ''So You Won't Talk (1935 film), So You Won't Talk'' (1935) – Ralph Younger * ''Rolling Home (1935 film), Rolling Home'' (1935) – Wally * ''Blue Smoke (1935 film), Blue Smoke'' (1935) – Al Dempson * ''Gaol Break'' (1936) – Jim Oakley * ''The Perfect Crime (1937 film), The Perfect Crime'' (1937) – Jim Lanahan

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ince, Ralph 1887 births 1937 deaths Road incident deaths in London American film directors American male film actors American people of English descent American male silent film actors American male screenwriters Male actors from Boston Screenwriters from Massachusetts 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters Members of The Lambs Club