The youngest of three sons, he was born in Toronto, Canada and was educated at McGill University then In 1904 he moved to New York where he appeared in a number of plays on Broadway including The Blue Grass Handicap, The Superstition of Sue and successful The Chorus Lady after which he was invited by 大卫·格里菲斯 to join Biograph Studios where he made his film debut in The Greaser's Gauntlet (1908) followed by some 50 other films. Then, in 1910, he wrote his first film script, Sunshine Sue (1910), which was followed by many more. In 1912, he turned to directing with An Outcast Among Outcasts (1912) with a further 40 or so in the next 20 years. Acting wasn't neglected, with his appearing in Griffith's classic 党同伐异 (1916). 马克·森内特 hired him to direct and star in a number of films at his Keystone Studios. He made the successful transition from silents to sound and frequently returned to his roots on Broadway. He married twice, first to actress Alice Louise Perine in October 1898 and had two children After their divorce and while working at Biograph Studios, he met and married actress/screenwriter Bess Meredyth (1890-1969) with whom he had a son.
Son, with 贝斯·美瑞戴斯, 约翰·梅瑞迪斯.
Off-screen pseudonym: Alexander Harvey
Leading man who later in his career found his niche as a character actor.
Became a movie actor after 22 years on stage.
His lead role in Acquitted (1916) won him outstanding player awards from several movie magazines.
Associated with 大卫·格里菲斯 in early silent films, often cast as brawny types. Played various tough authority figures in the 1920s and 1930s. Was memorable as the prison warden in 斯坦·劳莱 and 奥列佛·哈台's Pardon Us (1931), the comedy team's first full-length feature film.
He's listed in the studio records/casting call lists for The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) but didn't appear and isn't recognizable in the film.
Two children, Alice and Kirke, with Alice Louise Lucas. All three were living in London at the time Alice Louise was granted a divorce on the grounds of desertion.
He joined the Keystone Studios with Mack Sennett in the mid 1920's where he directed Mary Pickford and Marie Dressler among others.
He appeared in some 375 films, many as lead actor, over 30 years.
