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James Durkin (actor)

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James Durkin
Durkin in 1903
Born
James Peter Durkin

May 21, 1876
Quebec, Canada
DiedMarch 12, 1934 (aged 57)
Los Angeles, California
Resting placeHollywood Forever Cemetery
Occupation(s)Actor, director
Years active1906-1934
Spouse(s)Maude Fealy (1909-1917)
Alice Durkin

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

Biography

He was born in Quebec, Canada on May 21, 1876.[1] Durkin's father was a Commissioner of Crown Lands for the province of Quebec. He was a graduate of De La Salle College (Toronto)[2][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 third husband on 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, signing a two-year contract with Lewis J. Selznick's Equitable Pictures.[12][b]

He continued working in film into the 1930s. He died on November 11, 1971 in Los Angeles, California.

Filmography

Actor

2

Director

2

Notes

  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

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

References

  1. ^ James Peter Durkin at findagrave.com
  2. ^ "The Stage". San Francisco Daily Times. Conklin & Haskin. October 3, 1903. p. 24. Retrieved March 12, 2017.
  3. ^ Hines, Dixie; Hanaford, Harry Prescott, eds. (1914). Who's Who in Music and Drama. New York: Hanaford. p. 105. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
  4. ^ a b James Durkin at the Internet Broadway Database
  5. ^ a b c d e "Durkin, James". thanhouser.org (see Thanhouser Company).
  6. ^ "Maude Fealy Wed Secretly. Young Actress Divorcee Now Bride Of James B. Durkin Of 'The Barrier'". New York Times. December 15, 1909.
  7. ^ a b Katie Rudolph (November 16, 2015). "Actress Maude Fealy: Called Denver "Home"". Denver Public Library.
  8. ^ "Denver, June 27". Variety: 6. June 29, 1917. Retrieved February 15, 2017. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  9. ^ Spivak, Jeffrey (2011). Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley. University Press of Kentucky. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-8131-2643-2.
  10. ^ Motion Picture News Vol11 No. 25, June 26, 1915; James Durkin Joins Famous Producing Staff
  11. ^ "Durkin-Fealy Own Co. ?". Variety. Variety: 19. July 10, 1914. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  12. ^ "Durkin With Equitable". Variety. Variety: 21. December 17, 1915. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
  13. ^ "Changes at Famous Players". Variety. 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.
  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.
  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.
  17. ^ Pitts, Michael R, (2012). Western Movies: A Guide to 5,105 Feature Films, 2d ed. McFarland. ISBN 978-0-7864-6372-5.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  18. ^ Telotte, J.P. (2016). Robot Ecology and the Science Fiction Film. Routledge. p. 103. ISBN 978-1-3172-3301-5.
  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.
  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.
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