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William Beaudine
Director

William Beaudine

14 Jan 1892Born
18 Mar 1970Died
78Age at death
245Credits

Biography

From Wikipedia

William Beaudine (January 15, 1892 – March 18, 1970) was an American film actor and director. He was one of Hollywood's most prolific directors, turning out films in remarkable numbers and in a wide variety of genres.

In 1915 he was hired as an actor and director by the Kalem Company. He was an assistant to director D.W. Griffith on The Birth of a Nation and Intolerance. By the time he was 23 Beaudine had directed his first picture, a short called Almost a King (1915).

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He would continue to direct shorts exclusively until 1922, when he shifted his efforts into making feature-length films.

Beaudine directed silent films for Goldwyn Pictures (before it became part of MGM), Metro Pictures (also before MGM), First National Pictures, Principal and Warner Brothers. In 1926 he made Sparrows, the story of orphans imprisoned in a swamp farm starring Mary Pickford. Beaudine had at least 30 pictures to his credit before the sound era began. Among his first sound films were short Mack Sennett comedies; he made at least one film for Sennett while contractually bound elsewhere, resulting in his adopting the pseudonym "William Crowley." He would occasionally use the pseudonym in later years, usually as "William X. Crowley."

He ground out several movies annually for Fox Films, Warner Brothers, Paramount, and Universal Pictures. His most famous credit of the early 1930s is The Old-Fashioned Way, a comedy about old-time show folks starring W. C. Fields.

Beaudine was one of a number of experienced directors (including Raoul Walsh and Allan Dwan) who were brought to England from Hollywood in the 1930s to work on what were in all other respects very British productions. Beaudine directed four films there starring Will Hay, including Boys Will Be Boys (1935) and Where There's a Will (1936).

Beaudine was often entrusted with series films, including the Torchy Blane, The East Side Kids, Jiggs and Maggie, The Shadow, Charlie Chan and The Bowery Boys series. His efficiency was so well known that Walt Disney hired him to direct some of his television projects of the 1950s and had him direct a feature western, Ten Who Dared (1960). Beaudine became even busier in TV, directing Naked City, The Green Hornet, and dozens of Lassie episodes.

His last two feature films, both released in 1966, were the horror-westerns Billy the Kid vs. Dracula (with John Carradine) and Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's Daughter. By the end of the decade he was the industry's oldest working professional, having started in 1909.

Beaudine died of uremic poisoning in 1970 in California and was interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood.

Known for

Filmography

The 80 most recent of 245 credits.

  1. 2005The Green HornetFilm: Director
  2. 1976Fury of the DragonFilm: Director
  3. 1974The Green HornetFilm: Director
  4. 1968The Mickey Mouse Anniversary ShowFilm: Director
  5. 1967Lassie and the Flight of the CougarFilm: Director
  6. 1966The Green HornetSeries: Director (4 episodes)
  7. 1966Billy the Kid Versus DraculaFilm: Director
  8. 1966Jesse James Meets Frankenstein's DaughterFilm: Director
  9. 1965Look HomewardFilm: Director
  10. 1964Lassie: The WayfarersFilm: Director
  11. 1963Lassie's Greatest AdventureFilm: Director
  12. 1963Lassie's Great AdventureFilm: Director
  13. 1962Disneyland After DarkFilm: Director
  14. 1960Moochie of Pop Warner FootballFilm: Director
  15. 1960Ten Who DaredFilm: Director
  16. 1960Rapids Ahead/Bear CountryFilm: Director
  17. 1959Moochie of the Little LeagueFilm: Director
  18. 1958Naked CitySeries: Director (4 episodes)
  19. 1958In the MoneyFilm: Director
  20. 1957Up In SmokeFilm: Director
  21. 1956Westward Ho, The Wagons!Film: Director
  22. 1956Further Adventures of Spin and MartySeries: Director (3 episodes)
  23. 1956Adventure in DairylandSeries: Director (8 episodes)
  24. 1956The Plausible ImpossibleFilm: Director
  25. 1956Broken ArrowSeries: Director (7 episodes)
  26. 19563D JamboreeFilm: Director
  27. 1956Design for DreamingFilm: Director
  28. 1956Corky and White ShadowSeries: Director, Writer (17 episodes)
  29. 1955The Story of the Animated DrawingFilm: Director
  30. 1955The Adventures of Spin and MartySeries: Director (2 episodes)
  31. 1955Jail BustersFilm: Director
  32. 1955High SocietyFilm: Director
  33. 1955TV Reader's DigestSeries: Director (1 episode)
  34. 1954The Wonderful World of DisneySeries: Director (3 episodes)
  35. 1954The Adventures of Rin Tin TinSeries: Director (158 episodes)
  36. 1954LassieSeries: Director (31 episodes)
  37. 1954City StoryFilm: Director
  38. 1954Pride of the Blue GrassFilm: Director
  39. 1954Paris PlayboysFilm: Director
  40. 1954Yukon VengeanceFilm: Director
  41. 1953Murder Without TearsFilm: Director
  42. 1953Roar of the CrowdFilm: Director
  43. 1953Born to the SaddleFilm: Director
  44. 1953JalopyFilm: Director
  45. 1952No Holds BarredFilm: Director
  46. 1952Feudin' FoolsFilm: Director
  47. 1952Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn GorillaFilm: Director
  48. 1952Yukon GoldFilm: Director
  49. 1952The Rose Bowl StoryFilm: Director
  50. 1952Here Come the MarinesFilm: Director
  51. 1952Jet JobFilm: Director
  52. 1952Hold That LineFilm: Director
  53. 1952RodeoFilm: Director
  54. 1952The CongregationFilm: Director
  55. 1951Havana RoseFilm: Director
  56. 1951Crazy Over HorsesFilm: Director
  57. 1951Let's Go Navy!Film: Director
  58. 1951Racket SquadSeries: Director (5 episodes)
  59. 1951Ghost ChasersFilm: Director
  60. 1951The Adventures of Wild Bill HickokSeries: Director (13 episodes)
  61. 1951Cuban FireballFilm: Director
  62. 1951Bowery BattalionFilm: Director
  63. 1950Again PioneersFilm: Director
  64. 1950Blues BustersFilm: Director
  65. 1950Second ChanceFilm: Director
  66. 1950A Wonderful LifeFilm: Director
  67. 1950County FairFilm: Director
  68. 1950Lucky LosersFilm: Director
  69. 1950Jiggs and Maggie Out WestFilm: Director
  70. 1950Blonde DynamiteFilm: Director
  71. 1950Blue Grass of KentuckyFilm: Director
  72. 1949Tough AssignmentFilm: Director
  73. 1949Jiggs and Maggie in Jackpot JittersFilm: Director
  74. 1949Trail of the YukonFilm: Director
  75. 1949Forgotten WomenFilm: Director
  76. 1949Tuna ClipperFilm: Director
  77. 1949The Lawton StoryFilm: Director
  78. 1948The Feathered SerpentFilm: Director
  79. 1948Jiggs and Maggie in CourtFilm: Director
  80. 1948KidnappedFilm: Director

Biography and credits from TMDB. This website uses TMDB and the TMDB APIs but is not endorsed, certified, or otherwise approved by TMDB.