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{{Short description|American stage and film actor and director}}
{{Infobox_person
{{Infobox person
| name = James Durkin
| name = James Durkin
| image =File:James Durkin 1903.jpg
| image =James Durkin 1903.jpg
| caption =Durkin in 1903
| caption =Durkin in 1903
| birth_name = James Peter Durkin
| birth_name = James Peter Durkin
Line 7: Line 8:
| birth_place = [[Quebec]], [[Canada]]
| birth_place = [[Quebec]], [[Canada]]
| death_date = March 12, 1934 (aged 57)
| death_date = March 12, 1934 (aged 57)
| death_place = [[Los Angeles, California]]
| death_place = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| restingplace = [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]]
| restingplace = [[Hollywood Forever Cemetery]]
| restingplacecoordinates =
| restingplacecoordinates =
| othername =
| othername =
| occupation = Actor, director
| occupation = Actor, director
| yearsactive = 1906-1934
| yearsactive = 1906–1934
| spouse = [[Maude Fealy]] (1909-1917)<br>Alice Durkin
| spouse = "Mrs. Durkin" (m.?–div. 1904)<br>
[[Maude Fealy]] (m.1909–div.1917)<br>Alice (Naylor) Durkin
| children =
| children =
| alma_mater = [[De La Salle College (Toronto)|De La Salle College]]
}}
}}
'''James Durkin''' (May 21, 1876 &ndash; March 12, 1934) was a Canadian-born American stage and film actor and director.
'''James Durkin''' (May 21, 1876 &ndash; March 12, 1934) was a Canadian-American actor and director of the stage and screen.


==Biography==
==Biography==
He was born in [[Quebec, Canada]] on May 21, 1876.<ref>[https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=durkin&GSfn=james&GSmn=p.&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=11280542&df=all James Peter Durkin at findagrave.com]</ref> Durkin's father was a [[Commissioner of Crown Lands (Province of Canada)|Commissioner of Crown Lands]] for the province of Quebec. He was a graduate of [[De La Salle College (Toronto)]]<ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRBIAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA16-PA24&dq=james+durkin&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwilyOfCn5PSAhXmwlQKHY63Duc4KBDoAQgjMAI#v=onepage&q=james%20durkin&f=false|title=The Stage|work=San Francisco Daily Times| page=24|date=October 3, 1903|publisher=Conklin & Haskin|accessdate=March 12, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008264536;view=1up;seq=121|title=Who's Who in Music and Drama|editor1-last=Hines |editor1-first=Dixie |editor2-last=Hanaford |editor2-first=Harry Prescott |location=New York |publisher=Hanaford |year=1914 |page=105|accessdate=March 13, 2017}}</ref>
He was born in [[Quebec]] on May 21, 1876.{{Citation needed |date=July 2021}} Durkin's father was a [[Commissioner of Crown Lands (Province of Canada)|Commissioner of Crown Lands]] for the province of Quebec. He was a graduate of [[De La Salle College (Toronto)|De La Salle College]] in Toronto.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jRBIAQAAMAAJ&dq=james+durkin&pg=RA16-PA24|title=The Stage|work=San Francisco Daily Times|page=24|date=October 3, 1903|publisher=Conklin & Haskin|access-date=March 12, 2017|archive-date=January 22, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122024608/https://books.google.com/books?id=jRBIAQAAMAAJ&dq=james+durkin&pg=RA16-PA24|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008264536;view=1up;seq=121 |title=Who's Who in Music and Drama |editor1-last=Hines |editor1-first=Dixie |editor2-last=Hanaford |editor2-first=Harry Prescott |location=New York |publisher=Hanaford |year=1914 |page=105 |access-date=March 13, 2017 |archive-date=January 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122034539/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008264536;view=1up;seq=121 |url-status=live}}</ref>


In 1904, he was part of a theater company in [[San Francisco]], until his contract was terminated after it was revealed that he had been having an affair with [[Frances Starr]], another member of the company; Durkin then abandoned his wife<!--irritatingly, the Tacoma Times referred to her solely as "Mrs. Durkin"; it's possible her name is still on record somewhere, but *shrug*--> and "left [San Francisco] for the East".<ref name=Tacoma>[https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn88085187/1904-07-21/ed-1/seq-4/ Actors Play At Lovemaking And Wreck A Happy Home], in ''[[The Tacoma Times]]'', July 21, 1904; retrieved June 21, 2023, via [[Chronicling America]]</ref>
⚫
In 1906, he made his [[Broadway debut]] in the play ''Julie Bonbon''.<ref name=IBDb>{{Ibdb name|14666}}</ref> The following year, he played the male lead in the play ''Margaret Fleming'' at Chicago's New Theatre.<ref name=Thanhouser>{{cite web |url=http://www.thanhouser.org/tcocd/Biography_Files/id_h8wj3.htm |title=Durkin, James |website=thanhouser.org (see [[Thanhouser Company]])}}</ref>


⚫
In 1906, he made his [[Broadway debut]] in the play ''Julie Bonbon''.<ref name=IBDb>{{Ibdb name|14666}}</ref> The following year, he played the male lead in the play ''Margaret Fleming'' at Chicago's New Theatre.<ref name=Thanhouser>{{cite web |url=http://www.thanhouser.org/tcocd/Biography_Files/id_h8wj3.htm |title=Durkin, James |website=thanhouser.org (see [[Thanhouser Company]]) |access-date=2017-02-14 |archive-date=2017-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170214175514/http://www.thanhouser.org/tcocd/Biography_Files/id_h8wj3.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
⚫
While working on Broadway, he met actress [[Maude Fealy]] and became her third husband on on November 28, 1909.<ref>{{cite news |author= |title=Maude Fealy Wed Secretly. Young Actress Divorcee Now Bride Of James B. Durkin Of 'The Barrier' |url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9802E2DF133EE733A25756C1A9649D946897D6CF&legacy=true |quote= |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=December 15, 1909 }}</ref><ref name=DPL>{{cite web |url=https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/actress-maude-fealy-called-denver-home |title=Actress Maude Fealy: Called Denver "Home" |author=Katie Rudolph |date=November 16, 2015 |publisher=[[Denver Public Library]]}}</ref><ref name=Thanhouser/> (They would divorce in 1917.<ref name=DPL/><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety47-1917-06#page/n173/mode/2up|title=Denver, June 27|page=6|date=June 29, 1917|publisher=Variety|work=Variety|accessdate=February 15, 2017}}</ref>) According to the [[Internet Broadway Database]], he acted in six Broadway productions from 1906 to 1923 and directed ''Chivalry'' (1925-1926).<ref name=IBDb/>{{efn|Before making an entry into film work, Durkin had been able to work in stage productions as a leading actor and as a manager for theater companies.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qgX0N3tWPCAC&pg=PA11&dq=james+durkin+actor&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZmf7Yh9LSAhVD34MKHU0EBOoQ6AEIJTAC#v=onepage&q=james%20durkin%20actor&f=false|title=Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley|last=Spivak|first=Jeffrey|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|year=2011|page=11|isbn=978-0-8131-2643-2}}</ref>}}


⚫
While working on Broadway, he met actress [[Maude Fealy]] and became her second husband on November 28, 1909.<ref>{{cite news |title=Maude Fealy Wed Secretly. Young Actress Divorcee Now Bride Of James B. Durkin Of 'The Barrier' |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9802E2DF133EE733A25756C1A9649D946897D6CF&legacy=true |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |date=December 15, 1909 |access-date=December 19, 2017 |archive-date=January 20, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180120235903/https://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9802E2DF133EE733A25756C1A9649D946897D6CF&legacy=true |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=DPL>{{cite web |url=https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/actress-maude-fealy-called-denver-home |title=Actress Maude Fealy: Called Denver 'Home' |author=Katie Rudolph |date=November 16, 2015 |publisher=[[Denver Public Library]] |access-date=February 14, 2017 |archive-date=April 24, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424021557/https://history.denverlibrary.org/news/actress-maude-fealy-called-denver-home |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=Thanhouser/> They divorced in 1917.<ref name=DPL/><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety47-1917-06#page/n173/mode/2up|title=Denver, June 27|page=6|date=June 29, 1917|journal=Variety|access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref> According to the [[Internet Broadway Database]], he acted in six Broadway productions from 1906 to 1923 and directed ''Chivalry'' (1925-1926).<ref name=IBDb/>{{efn|Before making an entry into film work, Durkin had been able to work in stage productions as a leading actor and as a manager for theater companies.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qgX0N3tWPCAC&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA11|title=Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley|last=Spivak|first=Jeffrey|publisher=University Press of Kentucky|year=2011|page=11|isbn=978-0-8131-2643-2|access-date=2021-12-01|archive-date=2023-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122030553/https://books.google.com/books?id=qgX0N3tWPCAC&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA11|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
⚫
After several years on the stage, Durkin moved into film.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturenew112unse#page/n1333/mode/1up Motion Picture News Vol11 No. 25, June 26, 1915; ''James Durkin Joins Famous Producing Staff'']</ref> He worked for the [[Thanhouser Company]] from late spring 1913 to 1914,<ref name=Thanhouser/> acting and directing his wife.<ref name=Thanhouser/> When Fealy and Durkin left Thanhouser, the trade journal ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' speculated that the couple planned to start a film company of their own.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety35-1914-07#page/n49/mode/2up|date=July 10, 1914|publisher=Variety|work=Variety|page=19|title=Durkin-Fealy Own Co. ?|accessdate=February 15, 2017}}</ref> In June 1915, he signed on with the [[Famous Players Film Company]] as a director.<ref name=Thanhouser/> In December of the same year, Durkin left Famous, signing a two-year contract with [[Lewis J. Selznick]]'s [[World Film Company|Equitable Pictures]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety41-1915-12#page/n117/mode/2up|title=Durkin With Equitable|page=21|date=December 17, 1915|publisher=Variety|work=Variety|accessdate=February 15, 2017}}</ref>{{efn|Durkin was actually under contract to [[Paramount Pictures]], but on loan to Famous Players. Paramount had him under contract until May of 1916.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety41-1915-12#page/n69/mode/2up|title=Changes at Famous Players|page=18|date=December 10, 1915|publisher=Variety|work=Variety|accessdate=February 15, 2017}}</ref>}}


⚫
After several years on the stage, Durkin moved into film.<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/motionpicturenew112unse#page/n1333/mode/1up Motion Picture News Vol11 No. 25, June 26, 1915; ''James Durkin Joins Famous Producing Staff'']</ref> He worked for the [[Thanhouser Company]] from late spring 1913 to 1914,<ref name=Thanhouser/> acting and directing his wife.<ref name=Thanhouser/> When Fealy and Durkin left Thanhouser, the trade journal ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' speculated that the couple planned to start a film company of their own.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety35-1914-07#page/n49/mode/2up|date=July 10, 1914|journal=Variety|page=19|title=Durkin-Fealy Own Co. ?|access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref> In June 1915, he signed on with the [[Famous Players Film Company]] as a director.<ref name=Thanhouser/> In December of the same year, Durkin left Famous-Players, signing a two-year contract with [[Lewis J. Selznick]]'s [[World Film Company|Equitable Pictures]].<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety41-1915-12#page/n117/mode/2up|title=Durkin With Equitable|page=21|date=December 17, 1915|journal=Variety|access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref>{{efn|Durkin was actually under contract to [[Paramount Pictures]], but on loan to Famous Players. Paramount had him under contract until May of 1916.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://archive.org/stream/variety41-1915-12#page/n69/mode/2up|title=Changes at Famous Players|page=18|date=December 10, 1915|journal=Variety|access-date=February 15, 2017}}</ref>}}
⚫
He continued working in film into the 1930s. He died on November 11, 1971 in [[Los Angeles, California]].

He continued working in film into the 1930s. He had two daughters, Alice Louise (born 1921) and Margaret Jane (born 1927), with his third wife, Alice Naylor.

⚫
He died on March 12, 1934, in [[Los Angeles, California]].


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
===Actor===
===Actor===
{{columns-list|2|
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
*''The Junior Partner'' (1913 short)
*''The Junior Partner'' (1913, Short) - The Junior Partner
*''The Chasm'' (1914 short)
*''The Chasm'' (1914, Short) - The Burglar
*''Shadow of the Law'' (1930)
*''[[Shadow of the Law (1930 film)|Shadow of the Law]]'' (1930) - Prison Warden
*''[[Fighting Caravans]]'' (1931) (uncredited)
*''[[Fighting Caravans]]'' (1931) - Minor Role (uncredited)
*''[[The Conquering Horde]]'' (1931)
*''[[The Conquering Horde]]'' (1931) - Amos Corley
*''Bare Knees'' (1931 short)
*''Bare Knees'' (1931, Short)
*''[[Gun Smoke (1931 film)|Gun Smoke]]'' (1931)
*''[[Gun Smoke (1931 film)|Gun Smoke]]'' (1931) - J.K. Horton
*''[[The Vice Squad]]'' (1931)
*''[[The Vice Squad]]'' (1931) - Second Magistrate
*''[[An American Tragedy (film)|An American Tragedy]]'' (1931) (uncredited)
*''[[An American Tragedy (film)|An American Tragedy]]'' (1931) - Minor Role (uncredited)
*''[[Alexander Hamilton (film)|Alexander Hamilton]]'' (1931) (uncredited)
*''[[Alexander Hamilton (film)|Alexander Hamilton]]'' (1931) - Second Ex-Soldier (uncredited)
*''[[Flying High (1931 film)|Flying High]]'' (1931) (uncredited)
*''[[Flying High (1931 film)|Flying High]]'' (1931) - Mr. Rankin - Detective (uncredited)
*''[[Nice Women]]'' (1931)
*''[[Nice Women]]'' (1931) - Mr. Girard
*''[[The Secret Witness]]'' (1931) (uncredited)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSP4lHULPwsC&pg=PA136&dq=james+durkin+actor&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXyo6ajtLSAhUE7YMKHdqDCz04ChDoAQhBMAc#v=onepage&q=james%20durkin%20actor&f=false|title=ZaSu Pitts: The Life and Career|last=Stumpf|first=Charles|year=2010|publisher=McFarland|page=136|isbn=978-0-7864-6023-6}}</ref>
*''[[The Secret Witness]]'' (1931) - Detective (uncredited)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fSP4lHULPwsC&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA136|title=ZaSu Pitts: The Life and Career|last=Stumpf|first=Charles|year=2010|publisher=McFarland|page=136|isbn=978-0-7864-6023-6|access-date=2021-12-01|archive-date=2023-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122024608/https://books.google.com/books?id=fSP4lHULPwsC&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA136|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''The House of Mystery'' (1931 short)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bhKbAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA379&dq=james+durkin+actor&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXyo6ajtLSAhUE7YMKHdqDCz04ChDoAQg7MAY#v=onepage&q=james%20durkin%20actor&f=false|title=Of Gods and Monsters: A Critical Guide to Universal Studios' Science Fiction, Horror and Mystery Films, 1929-1939|last=Soister|first=John T.|year=2005|publisher=McFarland|page=379|isbn=978-1-4766-0499-2}}</ref>
*''The House of Mystery'' (1931, Short)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bhKbAwAAQBAJ&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA379|title=Of Gods and Monsters: A Critical Guide to Universal Studios' Science Fiction, Horror and Mystery Films, 1929-1939|last=Soister|first=John T.|year=2005|publisher=McFarland|page=379|isbn=978-1-4766-0499-2|access-date=2021-12-01|archive-date=2023-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122024548/https://books.google.com/books?id=bhKbAwAAQBAJ&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA379|url-status=live}}</ref> - John Craig
*''[[South of the Rio Grande (1932 film)|South of the Rio Grande]]'' (1932)
*''[[South of the Rio Grande (1932 film)|South of the Rio Grande]]'' (1932) - Señor Ruiz
*''[[Shopworn]]'' (1932) (scenes cut)
*''[[Shopworn]]'' (1932) - District Attorney
*''[[Scarface (1932 film)|Scarface]]'' (1932) (uncredited)
*''[[Scarface (1932 film)|Scarface]]'' (1932) - Newspaper Man (uncredited)
*''[[Wild Girl (film)|Wild Girl]]'' (1932) (uncredited)
*''[[Wild Girl (film)|Wild Girl]]'' (1932) - Madison Clay (uncredited)
*''[[If I Had a Million]]'' (1932) (uncredited)
*''[[If I Had a Million]]'' (1932) - Glidden Associate (uncredited)
*''[[Song of the Eagle]]'' (1933) (uncredited)
*''[[Song of the Eagle]]'' (1933) - Businessman / Customer (uncredited)
*''[[The Big Cage]]'' (1933)
*''[[The Big Cage]]'' (1933) - Silas Warner
*''[[Secret of the Blue Room]]'' (1933)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wut4jYBtUdsC&pg=PA77&dq=james+durkin+actor&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZmf7Yh9LSAhVD34MKHU0EBOoQ6AEIMDAE#v=onepage&q=james%20durkin%20actor&f=false|title=Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946, 2d ed.|publisher=McFarland|last1=Weaver|first1=Tom|last2=Brunas|first2=Michael|last3=Brunas|first3=John|page=73|year=1990|isbn=978-0-7864-9150-6}}</ref>
*''[[Secret of the Blue Room]]'' (1933)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wut4jYBtUdsC&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA77|title=Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946, 2d ed.|publisher=McFarland|last1=Weaver|first1=Tom|last2=Brunas|first2=Michael|last3=Brunas|first3=John|page=73|year=1990|isbn=978-0-7864-9150-6|access-date=2021-12-01|archive-date=2023-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122022020/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wut4jYBtUdsC&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA77|url-status=live}}</ref> - Kruger, the commissioner's assistant
*''[[The Power and the Glory (1933 film)|The Power and the Glory]]'' (1933) (uncredited)
*''[[The Power and the Glory (1933 film)|The Power and the Glory]]'' (1933) - Board of Directors (uncredited)
*''[[The Devil's Mate]]'' (1933)
*''[[Devil's Mate]]'' (1933) - Warden
*''[[The Perils of Pauline (1933 serial)|The Perils of Pauline]]'' (1933)
*''[[The Perils of Pauline (1933 serial)|The Perils of Pauline]]'' (1933, Serial) - Prof. Hargrave
*''[[This Side of Heaven]]'' (1934) (uncredited)
*''[[This Side of Heaven]]'' (1934) - Raymond - Company Man (uncredited)
*''[[Heat Lightning (film)|Heat Lightning]]'' (1934)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aTX2mv0uX7UC&pg=PA148&dq=james+durkin+actor&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXyo6ajtLSAhUE7YMKHdqDCz04ChDoAQgpMAM#v=onepage&q=james%20durkin%20actor&f=false|title=Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d ed.|last=Pitts|first=Michael R,|publisher=McFarland|year=2012|isbn=978-0-7864-6372-5}}</ref>
*''[[Heat Lightning (film)|Heat Lightning]]'' (1934)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aTX2mv0uX7UC&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA148|title=Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d ed.|last=Pitts|first=Michael R|publisher=McFarland|year=2012|isbn=978-0-7864-6372-5|access-date=2021-12-01|archive-date=2023-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122033348/https://books.google.com/books?id=aTX2mv0uX7UC&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA148|url-status=live}}</ref> - The Sheriff
*''[[Uncertain Lady]]'' (1934) (scenes cut)
*''[[Uncertain Lady]]'' (1934) - Mr. Weston (replaced by C. Montague Shaw) (scenes deleted)
*''[[Glamour (1934 film)|Glamour]]'' (1934) (uncredited)
*''[[Glamour (1934 film)|Glamour]]'' (1934) - Doctor (uncredited)
*''[[Upper World (film)|Upper World]]'' (1934) (uncredited)
*''[[Upper World (film)|Upper World]]'' (1934) - Detective (uncredited)
*''The Vanishing Shadow'' (1934)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GnpwCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA103&dq=james+durkin+actor&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXyo6ajtLSAhUE7YMKHdqDCz04ChDoAQgeMAE#v=onepage&q=james%20durkin%20actor&f=false|title=Robot Ecology and the Science Fiction Film|last=Telotte|first=J.P.|publisher=Routledge|year=2016|page=103|isbn=978-1-3172-3301-5}}</ref>
*''[[The Vanishing Shadow]]'' (1934, Serial)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GnpwCwAAQBAJ&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA103|title=Robot Ecology and the Science Fiction Film|last=Telotte|first=J.P.|publisher=Routledge|year=2016|page=103|isbn=978-1-3172-3301-5|access-date=2021-12-01|archive-date=2023-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122021456/https://books.google.com/books?id=GnpwCwAAQBAJ&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA103|url-status=live}}</ref> - Prof. Carl Van Dorn (final film role)
}}
}}


===Director===
===Director===
{{columns-list|2|
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
*''Peggy's Invitation'' (1913 short)
*''Peggy's Invitation'' (1913, Short)
*''When the Wheels of Justice Clogged'' (1914 short)
*''When the Wheels of Justice Clogged'' (1914, Short)
*''Remorse'' (1914 short)
*''Remorse'' (1914, Short)
*''The Outlaw's Nemesis'' (1914 short)
*''The Outlaw's Nemesis'' (1914, Short)
*''Jean of the Wilderness'' (1914 short)
*''Jean of the Wilderness'' (1914, Short)
*''Old Jackson's Girl'' (1914 short)
*''Old Jackson's Girl'' (1914, Short)
*''The Chasm'' (1914 short)
*''The Chasm'' (1914, Short)
*''Pawns of Fate'' (1914 short)
*''Pawns of Fate'' (1914, Short)
*''The Adventures of a Good Fellow'' (1914 short)
*''The Adventures of a Good Fellow'' (1914, Short)
*''The Celebrated Scandal'' (1915)
*''[[The Celebrated Scandal]]'' (1915)
*''Big Brother Bill'' (1915 short)
*''Big Brother Bill'' (1915, Short)
*''[[The Running Fight]]'' (1915)
*''[[The Running Fight]]'' (1915)
*''[[The Incorrigible Dukane]]'' (1915 short)
*''[[The Incorrigible Dukane]]'' (1915, Short)
*''[[The Mummy and the Hummingbird]]'' (1915)
*''[[The Mummy and the Hummingbird]]'' (1915)
*''The Clarion'' (1916)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXYwCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA59&dq=james+durkin+actor&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXyo6ajtLSAhUE7YMKHdqDCz04ChDoAQgvMAQ#v=onepage&q=james%20durkin%20actor&f=false|title=The Media in the Movies: A Catalog of American Journalism Films, 1900-1996|last=Langman|first=Larry|year=1998|publisher=McFarland|page=59|isbn=978-1-4766-0925-6}}</ref>
*''The Clarion'' (1916)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LXYwCgAAQBAJ&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA59|title=The Media in the Movies: A Catalog of American Journalism Films, 1900-1996|last=Langman|first=Larry|year=1998|publisher=McFarland|page=59|isbn=978-1-4766-0925-6|access-date=2021-12-01|archive-date=2023-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122035653/https://books.google.com/books?id=LXYwCgAAQBAJ&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA59|url-status=live}}</ref>
*''Who Killed Simon Baird?'' (1916)
*''Who Killed Simon Baird?'' (1916)
*''[[The Red Widow]]'' (1916 short)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gIuACgAAQBAJ&pg=PA61&dq=james+durkin+actor&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjXyo6ajtLSAhUE7YMKHdqDCz04ChDoAQg1MAU#v=onepage&q=james%20durkin%20actor&f=false|title=Radicalism in American Silent Films, 1909-1929: A Filmography and History|last=Shull|first=Michael Slade|publisher=McFarland|year=2000|page=61|isbn=978-1-4766-1103-7}}</ref>
*''[[The Red Widow]]'' (1916 short)<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gIuACgAAQBAJ&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA61|title=Radicalism in American Silent Films, 1909-1929: A Filmography and History|last=Shull|first=Michael Slade|publisher=McFarland|year=2000|page=61|isbn=978-1-4766-1103-7|access-date=2021-12-01|archive-date=2023-01-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230122024608/https://books.google.com/books?id=gIuACgAAQBAJ&dq=james+durkin+actor&pg=PA61|url-status=live}}</ref>
}}
}}


Line 90: Line 97:


==General references==
==General references==
*{{cite encyclopedia |title=James Durkin |encyclopedia=Who's Who in Music and Drama |editor1-last=Hines |editor1-first=Dixie |editor2-last=Hanaford |editor2-first=Harry Prescott |location=New York |publisher=Hanaford |year=1914 |page=105 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008264536;view=1up;seq=121|lccn= }}
*{{cite encyclopedia |title=James Durkin |encyclopedia=Who's Who in Music and Drama |editor1-last=Hines |editor1-first=Dixie |editor2-last=Hanaford |editor2-first=Harry Prescott |location=New York |publisher=Hanaford |year=1914 |page=105 |url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015008264536;view=1up;seq=121}}


==References==
==References==
Line 99: Line 106:
*{{allmovie name|20773|James Durkin}}
*{{allmovie name|20773|James Durkin}}
*[http://www.kinotv.com/page/bio.php?namecode=142185&q=0&l=en James Durkin](Kinotv)
*[http://www.kinotv.com/page/bio.php?namecode=142185&q=0&l=en James Durkin](Kinotv)

{{authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Durkin, James}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Durkin, James}}
[[Category:1876 births]]
[[Category:1876 births]]
[[Category:1934 deaths]]
[[Category:1934 deaths]]
[[Category:Actors from Quebec]]
[[Category:Male actors from Quebec]]
[[Category:Canadian male stage actors]]
[[Category:Canadian male stage actors]]
[[Category:Canadian theatre directors]]
[[Category:Canadian theatre directors]]
[[Category:Canadian male film actors]]
[[Category:Canadian male film actors]]
[[Category:Canadian film directors]]
[[Category:Film directors from Quebec]]
[[Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Canadian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male actors]]

Latest revision as of 13:45, 22 June 2023

James Durkin
Durkin in 1903
Born
James Peter Durkin

May 21, 1876
Quebec, Canada
DiedMarch 12, 1934 (aged 57)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery
Alma materDe La Salle College
Occupation(s)Actor, director
Years active1906–1934
Spouse(s)"Mrs. Durkin" (m.?–div. 1904)
Maude Fealy (m.1909–div.1917)
Alice (Naylor) Durkin

James Durkin (May 21, 1876 – March 12, 1934) was a Canadian-American actor and director of the stage and screen.

Biography

[edit]

He was born in Quebec on May 21, 1876.[citation needed] Durkin's father was a Commissioner of Crown Lands for the province of Quebec. He was a graduate of De La Salle College in Toronto.[1][2]

In 1904, he was part of a theater company in San Francisco, until his contract was terminated after it was revealed that he had been having an affair with Frances Starr, another member of the company; Durkin then abandoned his wife and "left [San Francisco] for the East".[3]

In 1906, he made his Broadway debut in the play Julie Bonbon.[4] The following year, he played the male lead in the play Margaret Fleming at Chicago's New Theatre.[5]

While working on Broadway, he met actress Maude Fealy and became her second husband on November 28, 1909.[6][7][5] They divorced in 1917.[7][8] According to the Internet Broadway Database, he acted in six Broadway productions from 1906 to 1923 and directed Chivalry (1925-1926).[4][a]

After several years on the stage, Durkin moved into film.[10] He worked for the Thanhouser Company from late spring 1913 to 1914,[5] acting and directing his wife.[5] When Fealy and Durkin left Thanhouser, the trade journal Variety speculated that the couple planned to start a film company of their own.[11] In June 1915, he signed on with the Famous Players Film Company as a director.[5] In December of the same year, Durkin left Famous-Players, signing a two-year contract with Lewis J. Selznick's Equitable Pictures.[12][b]

He continued working in film into the 1930s. He had two daughters, Alice Louise (born 1921) and Margaret Jane (born 1927), with his third wife, Alice Naylor.

He died on March 12, 1934, in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

[edit]

Actor

[edit]

Director

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Before making an entry into film work, Durkin had been able to work in stage productions as a leading actor and as a manager for theater companies.[9]
  2. ^ Durkin was actually under contract to Paramount Pictures, but on loan to Famous Players. Paramount had him under contract until May of 1916.[13]

General references

[edit]
  • Hines, Dixie; Hanaford, Harry Prescott, eds. (1914). "James Durkin". Who's Who in Music and Drama. New York: Hanaford. p. 105.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "The Stage". San Francisco Daily Times. Conklin & Haskin. October 3, 1903. p. 24. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  2. ^ Hines, Dixie; Hanaford, Harry Prescott, eds. (1914). Who's Who in Music and Drama. New York: Hanaford. p. 105. Archived from the original on January 22, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  3. ^ Actors Play At Lovemaking And Wreck A Happy Home, in The Tacoma Times, July 21, 1904; retrieved June 21, 2023, via Chronicling America
  4. ^ a b James Durkin at the Internet Broadway Database
  5. ^ a b c d e "Durkin, James". thanhouser.org (see Thanhouser Company). Archived from the original on 2017-02-14. Retrieved 2017-02-14.
  6. ^ "Maude Fealy Wed Secretly. Young Actress Divorcee Now Bride Of James B. Durkin Of 'The Barrier'". New York Times. December 15, 1909. Archived from the original on January 20, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Katie Rudolph (November 16, 2015). "Actress Maude Fealy: Called Denver 'Home'". Denver Public Library. Archived from the original on April 24, 2019. Retrieved February 14, 2017.
  8. ^ "Denver, June 27". Variety: 6. June 29, 1917. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  9. ^ Spivak, Jeffrey (2011). Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley. University Press of Kentucky. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8131-2643-2. Archived from the original on 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  10. ^ Motion Picture News Vol11 No. 25, June 26, 1915; James Durkin Joins Famous Producing Staff
  11. ^ "Durkin-Fealy Own Co. ?". Variety: 19. July 10, 1914. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  12. ^ "Durkin With Equitable". Variety: 21. December 17, 1915. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  13. ^ "Changes at Famous Players". Variety: 18. December 10, 1915. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  14. ^ Stumpf, Charles (2010). ZaSu Pitts: The Life and Career. McFarland. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-7864-6023-6. Archived from the original on 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  15. ^ Soister, John T. (2005). Of Gods and Monsters: A Critical Guide to Universal Studios' Science Fiction, Horror and Mystery Films, 1929-1939. McFarland. p. 379. ISBN 978-1-4766-0499-2. Archived from the original on 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  16. ^ Weaver, Tom; Brunas, Michael; Brunas, John (1990). Universal Horrors: The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946, 2d ed. McFarland. p. 73. ISBN 978-0-7864-9150-6. Archived from the original on 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  17. ^ Pitts, Michael R (2012). Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-6372-5. Archived from the original on 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  18. ^ Telotte, J.P. (2016). Robot Ecology and the Science Fiction Film. Routledge. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-3172-3301-5. Archived from the original on 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  19. ^ Langman, Larry (1998). The Media in the Movies: A Catalog of American Journalism Films, 1900-1996. McFarland. p. 59. ISBN 978-1-4766-0925-6. Archived from the original on 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
  20. ^ Shull, Michael Slade (2000). Radicalism in American Silent Films, 1909-1929: A Filmography and History. McFarland. p. 61. ISBN 978-1-4766-1103-7. Archived from the original on 2023-01-22. Retrieved 2021-12-01.
[edit]
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