Rupert Julian
Encyclopedia
Rupert Julian was the first New Zealand cinema actor, director, writer and producer.
Born Thomas Percival Hayes in Whangaroa, New Zealand, Son of John Daly Hayes (Jr) and Eliza Harriet Hayes. Rupert Julian performed on stage and in film both in his native country and Australia before emigrating to the United States in 1912, where he started his career as an actor in New York before working in silent movies. He turned to directing in 1915, often directing his wife Elsie Jane Wilson
(a director herself), and earned a substantial sum for his film The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin
which he wrote, produced, and directed, while also starring in the title role. This made him something of a star in Hollywood at the time, and opened doors to larger projects with Universal Studios
.
He was assigned to complete Merry-Go-Round
in 1923 when director Erich von Stroheim
was fired from it. In 1924, he directed Lon Chaney
in the first cut of The Phantom of the Opera
, which was largely revisited at the request of the production. He soon fell into a professional decline after the advent of sound, and after directing The Cat Creeps and Love Comes Along (both in 1930), his career faded.
Rupert Julian died of a stroke in Hollywood, California at the age of 64 and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California in 1943.
Born Thomas Percival Hayes in Whangaroa, New Zealand, Son of John Daly Hayes (Jr) and Eliza Harriet Hayes. Rupert Julian performed on stage and in film both in his native country and Australia before emigrating to the United States in 1912, where he started his career as an actor in New York before working in silent movies. He turned to directing in 1915, often directing his wife Elsie Jane Wilson
Elsie Jane Wilson
Elsie Jane Wilson was a cinema actress, director and writer.Wilson was born in New Zealand. A professional actress from the age of two, she followed her husband Rupert Julian to United States in 1913, where both found work as actors in Universal silent movies. He turned to directing, with Wilson...
(a director herself), and earned a substantial sum for his film The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin
The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin
The Kaiser, the Beast of Berlin is a silent movie that stars Lon Chaney, Sr. The film contains a propagandist view of the First World War, showing the political greed of the German Kaiser Wilhelm II, the resistance of some of his own soldiers, and fanciful prediction of the nature of the war's end...
which he wrote, produced, and directed, while also starring in the title role. This made him something of a star in Hollywood at the time, and opened doors to larger projects with Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
He was assigned to complete Merry-Go-Round
Merry-Go-Round (1923 film)
Merry-Go-Round is a feature film by Erich von Stroheim and his replacement, Rupert Julian, starring Norman Kerry and Mary Philbin,and released by Universal Pictures.-Cast:*Norman Kerry - Count Franz Maxmilian Von Hohenegg...
in 1923 when director Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim
Erich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:...
was fired from it. In 1924, he directed Lon Chaney
Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
in the first cut of The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)
The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of the Gaston Leroux novel of the same title directed by Rupert Julian. The film featured Lon Chaney in the title role as the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to force...
, which was largely revisited at the request of the production. He soon fell into a professional decline after the advent of sound, and after directing The Cat Creeps and Love Comes Along (both in 1930), his career faded.
Rupert Julian died of a stroke in Hollywood, California at the age of 64 and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California in 1943.
External links
- Rupert Julian at Find-A-Grave
- Rupert Julian; allmovie.com bio
- Rupert Julian page on Facebook