Phillips Smalley
Encyclopedia
Wendell Phillips Smalley (August 7, 1865 - May 2, 1939) was a prolific American
silent film
director and actor.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Smalley began his career in vaudeville
and acted in more than 200 films between 1910 until his death in 1939. He began directing in 1911 and they made more than 300 films between then and 1921.
Smalley was married to actress, writer, director, and producer Lois Weber
from April 29, 1904 to 1922. They met in 1904 when Weber was acting in a theter that Smalley was stage manager. In 1908 Smalley and Weber began working for the U.S. division of Gaumont Film Company
, where Smalley was an actor, and later a director. He is sometimes listed as a co-director with Lois Weber, and the extent of his contribution to her work is unresolved.
Phillips Smalley died in 1939 and is interred next to his second wife Phyllis Lorraine Ephlin in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
in Hollywood Hills.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
director and actor.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Smalley began his career in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
and acted in more than 200 films between 1910 until his death in 1939. He began directing in 1911 and they made more than 300 films between then and 1921.
Smalley was married to actress, writer, director, and producer Lois Weber
Lois Weber
Lois Weber was an American silent film actress, screenwriter, producer, and director, who is considered "the most important female director the American film industry has known", and "one of the most important and important and prolific film directors in the era of silent films". Film historian...
from April 29, 1904 to 1922. They met in 1904 when Weber was acting in a theter that Smalley was stage manager. In 1908 Smalley and Weber began working for the U.S. division of Gaumont Film Company
Gaumont Film Company
Gaumont Film Company is a French film production company founded in 1895 by the engineer-turned-inventor, Léon Gaumont . Gaumont is the oldest continously operating film company in the world....
, where Smalley was an actor, and later a director. He is sometimes listed as a co-director with Lois Weber, and the extent of his contribution to her work is unresolved.
Phillips Smalley died in 1939 and is interred next to his second wife Phyllis Lorraine Ephlin in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery
Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)
Forest Lawn – Hollywood Hills Cemetery is part of the Forest Lawn chain of Southern California cemeteries. It is at 6300 Forest Lawn Drive in the Hollywood Hills neighborhood in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California, on the lower north slope at the far east end of the Santa Monica...
in Hollywood Hills.