Directing
D.W. Griffith
EN, FR, XX cinema · 543 credits
Born
22 January 1875
Died
23 July 1948 (aged 73)
Birthplace
LaGrange, Kentucky, USA
Also known as David Llewelyn Wark Griffith · David Wark Griffith · David W. Griffith · Lawrence Griffith · Captain Victor Marier · Capt. Victor Marier
David Llewelyn Wark Griffith was a premier pioneering American film director. He is best known as the director of the controversial and groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation and the subsequent film Intolerance (1916). Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation made pioneering use of advanced camera and narrative techniques, and its immense popularity set the stage for the dominance of the feature-length film. It also proved extremely controversial at the time and ever since for its negative depiction of Black Americans and their supporters, and its positive portrayal of slavery and the Ku Klux Klan. Griffith responded to his critics with his next film, Intolerance, intended to show the dangers of prejudiced thought and behavior. The film was not the financial success that its predecessor had been, but was received warmly by critics. Several of his later films were also successful, but high production, promotional, and roadshow costs often made his ventures commercial failures. Even so, he is generally considered one of the most important figures of early cinema.
Known for
Filmography
Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty
as archive footage
Flashback: The First World War
as Self (archive footage)
Mary Pickford: The Muse of the Movies
as Self (archive footage)
Why Be Good?: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema
as Self (archive footage)
The Tramp and the Dictator
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
as Self (archive footage)
The First 100 Years: A Celebration of American Movies
as Self (archive footage)
The Making of 'The Birth of a Nation'
as Self (Archive footage)
Lillian Gish: The Actor's Life for Me
as Self (archive footage)
D.W. Griffith: An American Genius
as Self (archive)
The Legend of Rudolph Valentino
as Self (archive footage)
Footlight Varieties
Writer, Director
San Francisco
as Orchestra Conductor (uncredited), Second Assistant Director
The Struggle
Director, Producer, Original Music Composer, Screenplay
1930 Prelude to "The Birth of a Nation"
as Self, Director
Abraham Lincoln
Director
The Battle of the Sexes
Director, Producer
Drums of Love
Director
The King of Kings
Assistant Director
The Sorrows of Satan
Director, Producer
Sally of the Sawdust
Director
That Royle Girl
Director
America
Director, Producer
Isn't Life Wonderful
Director, Writer, Producer
The White Rose
Director, Writer, Producer
One Exciting Night
Producer, Director, Story
Orphans of the Storm
Director, Producer, Screenplay
Dream Street
Director, Producer, Writer
Way Down East
Director, Producer, Writer
The Love Flower
Writer, Director, Producer
The Idol Dancer
Director
Broken Blossoms or The Yellow Man and the Girl
Producer, Director, Writer
True Heart Susie
Director, Producer
The Greatest Question
Director, Producer
Scarlet Days
Director, Producer
A Romance of Happy Valley
Director, Story, Producer
The Mother and the Law
Story, Screenplay, Director, Producer
The Fall of Babylon
Director, Writer, Producer
The Girl Who Stayed at Home
Writer, Director, Producer
Hearts of the World
Director, Writer, Producer
The Great Love
Director, Writer, Producer
The Greatest Thing in Life
Producer, Director, Writer
Lillian Gish in a Liberty Loan Appeal
Writer, Director, Producer
A Girl of the Timber Claims
Supervising Producer
Betsy's Burglar
Supervising Producer
Intolerance: Love's Struggle Throughout the Ages
Director, Scenario Writer, Editor, Makeup Artist, Production Design, Costume Design, Presenter
The Half-Breed
Producer
The Social Secretary
Producer
Fifty-Fifty
Producer
The Missing Links
Production Supervisor, Writer
Hoodoo Ann
Writer
Betty of Greystone
Story, Supervisor of Production Resources
Macbeth
Producer
Don Quixote
1916
Don Quixote
Supervisor of Production Resources
Enoch Arden
as Mr. Ray, Writer
The Birth of a Nation
Writer, Producer, Editor, Original Music Composer, Presenter, Director
The Lily and the Rose
Producer, Writer
Ghosts
Producer
Double Trouble
Production Supervisor
Old Heidelberg
Supervising Producer
Martyrs of the Alamo
Producer
Waifs
1914
Waifs
Director
The Avenging Conscience
Writer, Director, Producer
The Escape
Director
Judith of Bethulia
Director
Brute Force
Director
Home, Sweet Home
Director, Writer
The Life of General Villa
Supervising Producer
The Odalisque
1914
The Odalisque
Supervising Producer
Just Gold
1913
Just Gold
Writer, Director
If We Only Knew
Director
Near To Earth
Director
The Mothering Heart
Director, Producer
The Battle at Elderbush Gulch
Director, Writer
Death's Marathon
Director
The Yaqui Cur
Director
The Wanderer
Director, Writer
Her Mother's Oath
1913
Her Mother's Oath
Writer, Director
The Adopted Brother
Director
The Lady and the Mouse
Writer, Director
Three Friends
Director
The Sheriff's Baby
Director
Broken Ways
Director
Fate
Director
The Unwelcome Guest
Director
The Little Tease
Director, Writer
Two Men of the Desert
Screenplay, Director
The Reformers
Director
Oil and Water
Director
Two Daughters of Eve
as At Stage Door, Director
Brutality
Writer, Director
My Hero
1912
My Hero
Writer, Director
Heredity
Director
The Musketeers of Pig Alley
Writer, Director
An Unseen Enemy
Director
The Old Actor
Director
The New York Hat
Director
Blind Love
Director
So Near, Yet So Far
Director
The Mender of Nets
Director, Writer
The Painted Lady
Director, Writer
The Eternal Mother
Director
A Beast at Bay
Director
Friends
Director, Writer
The Lesser Evil
Director
Under Burning Skies
Director
The Sands of Dee
Director
For His Son
Director
The Sunbeam
Director
The Narrow Road
Director
The Massacre
Director, Writer
Man's Genesis
Director, Writer
A Pueblo Legend
Director, Writer
Billy's Stratagem
Director
The Informer
Director
My Baby
Director
A Feud in the Kentucky Hills
Director, Writer
The Inner Circle
Director
An Indian Summer
Director
Lena and the Geese
Director, Producer
Iola's Promise
Director
Home Folks
Director
A Temporary Truce
Director
A Cry for Help
Director
The Goddess of Sagebrush Gulch
Producer, Director
The Adventures of Billy
as On Bench, Director
The Lonedale Operator
Producer, Director
His Trust
Director
Enoch Arden: Part I
Director
Enoch Arden: Part II
Director
The Miser's Heart
Director
The Battle
Director
A Country Cupid
Director
Fate's Turning
Director
His Trust Fulfilled
Director
Saved from Himself
Director
Fighting Blood
Director, Executive Producer
The Indian Brothers
Director
The Squaw's Love
Director
Swords and Hearts
Director
The Primal Call
Director
The Italian Barber
Director
The Rose of Kentucky
Director
His Daughter
Director
The Making of a Man
Director
When a Man Loves
Director
Enoch Arden
Director
Madame Rex
Director
The Long Road
Director
Fisher Folks
Director
The Two Paths
Director
The Failure
Director
Her Awakening
Director
The Fugitive
Director
In the Border States
Director
The Unchanging Sea
Director
Ramona
Director
An Arcadian Maid
Director
The Usurer
Director
Wilful Peggy
Director
Faithful
Director
The Oath and the Man
Director
Rose o' Salem Town
Director
What the Daisy Said
Director
A Flash of Light
Director
Her Terrible Ordeal
Director, Writer
Over Silent Paths
Director
The Modern Prodigal
Director
Love Among the Roses
Director
The Golden Supper
Director
The Rocky Road
Director, Writer
The Thread of Destiny
Story, Director
A Plain Song
Director
The Newlyweds
Director, Writer
A Child's Impulse
Director
The Call to Arms
Director
Waiter No. 5
Director
Simple Charity
Director
Sunshine Sue
Director
Thou Shalt Not
Director
His Sister-In-Law
1910
His Sister-In-Law
Director, Producer
The Last Deal
1910
The Last Deal
Director, Writer
The Call
1910
The Call
Writer, Director
The Duke’s Plan
1910
The Duke’s Plan
Writer, Director
On the Reef
1910
On the Reef
Director, Writer
A Gold Necklace
Producer
At the Altar
Actor, Director, Writer
1776, or The Hessian Renegades
Actor, Director, Writer
The Politician's Love Story
as Man - First Couple, Writer, Director
The Girls and Daddy
as At Black & Tan Ball, Director, Writer
The Sealed Room
Director
A Drunkard's Reformation
Writer, Director
What Drink Did
Writer, Director
Confidence
Writer, Director
The Lure of the Gown
Writer, Director
A Corner in Wheat
Director, Producer, Writer
Sweet Revenge
1909
Sweet Revenge
Writer, Director
I Did It, Mamma
Director
The Curtain Pole
Writer, Director
The Lonely Villa
Director
Those Awful Hats
Director, Writer
The Mended Lute
Director
The Golden Louis
Director, Writer
The Little Darling
Director, Writer
The Redman's View
Director
The Gibson Goddess
Director, Writer
The Renunciation
Director, Writer
The Voice of the Violin
Director, Writer
Lucky Jim
Director
Nursing a Viper
Director, Writer
Edgar Allen Poe
Director, Writer
The Mountaineer's Honor
Director, Writer
The Joneses Have Amateur Theatricals
Director, Writer
The Country Doctor
Director, Writer
Resurrection
Director
Her First Biscuits
Director
The Cord of Life
Director, Writer
Getting Even
Director, Writer
Pippa Passes
Director, Writer
The Son's Return
Director, Screenplay
The Light That Came
Director, Writer
The Broken Locket
Writer, Director
Lines of White on a Sullen Sea
Writer, Director
In Old Kentucky
Director
A Strange Meeting
Director, Writer
The Way of Man
Director, Writer
The Awakening
Director
Love Finds a Way
1909
Love Finds a Way
Writer, Director
A Rural Elopement
1909
A Rural Elopement
Director, Writer
The Sacrifice
1909
The Sacrifice
Director, Writer
The Criminal Hypnotist
1909
The Criminal Hypnotist
Director, Writer
Mr. Jones Has a Card Party
Director, Writer
The Honor of Thieves
1909
The Honor of Thieves
Director, Writer
The Maniac Cook
1909
The Maniac Cook
Writer, Director
The Welcome Burglar
1909
The Welcome Burglar
Director, Writer
The Salvation Army Lass
Director, Writer
Fools of Fate
Director
Two Memories
Writer, Director
Sweet and Twenty
Director
The Day After
Producer, Director
His Wife's Visitor
Director
The Faded Lilies
Director, Writer
Tender Hearts
Director, Writer
The Slave
Director, Writer
The Peachbasket Hat
Director, Writer
They Would Elope
Director
The Necklace
Director
His Duty
Director
His Lost Love
Director, Writer
The Seventh Day
Director
Oh, Uncle!
Director, Writer
What's Your Hurry?
Director, Writer
The Restoration
Director, Writer
The Test
1909
The Test
Director
Through the Breakers
Director
To Save Her Soul
Director, Writer
Comata, the Sioux
Director
Pranks
Director
The Jilt
1909
The Jilt
Writer, Director
Mr. Jones' Burglar
Director, Writer
Jones and His New Neighbors
Director, Writer
The Medicine Bottle
Director, Writer
The Note in the Shoe
1909
The Note in the Shoe
Writer, Director
Mrs. Jones' Lover or, I Want My Hat
1909
Mrs. Jones' Lover or, I Want My Hat
Writer, Director
The Prussian Spy
Writer, Director
The Road to the Heart
1909
The Road to the Heart
Writer, Director
The Roue’s Heart
Writer, Director
Those Boys!
1909
Those Boys!
Writer, Director
The Winning Coat
1909
The Winning Coat
Writer, Director
Tis an Ill Wind That Blows No Good
1909
Tis an Ill Wind That Blows No Good
Director, Writer
The Wooden Leg
1909
The Wooden Leg
Director, Writer
A Wreath in Time
1909
A Wreath in Time
Writer, Director
A Baby's Shoe
1909
A Baby's Shoe
Writer, Director
The Brahma Diamond
1909
The Brahma Diamond
Director, Writer
Drive for a Life
1909
Drive for a Life
Writer, Director
Eloping with Auntie
1909
Eloping with Auntie
Director, Writer
His Wife's Mother
Writer, Director
Eradicating Aunty
Director, Writer
Jealousy and the Man
1909
Jealousy and the Man
Writer, Director
His Ward's Love
1909
His Ward's Love
Writer, Director
A New Trick
1909
A New Trick
Director, Writer
The Mills of the Gods
1909
The Mills of the Gods
Director, Writer
Tragic Love
1909
Tragic Love
Director, Writer
A Rude Hostess
1909
A Rude Hostess
Writer, Director
And a Little Child Shall Lead Them
1909
And a Little Child Shall Lead Them
Director, Writer
A Burglar’s Mistake
1909
A Burglar’s Mistake
Director, Writer
The Eavesdropper
1909
The Eavesdropper
Director, Writer
The Expiation
1909
The Expiation
Writer, Director
A Fool's Revenge
Director, Writer
The Hindoo Dagger
1909
The Hindoo Dagger
Director, Writer
Leather Stocking
1909
Leather Stocking
Director, Producer
At the Crossroads of Life
1908
At the Crossroads of Life
as Suitor, Writer
The Black Viper
as Rescuer, Director
The Fatal Hour
as Policeman, Director
Balked at the Altar
Actor, Director, Writer
King of the Cannibal Islands
1908
King of the Cannibal Islands
as Cannibal in top hat
Her First Adventure
as Father
Cupid’s Pranks
as Extra at ball
Old Isaacs, the Pawnbroker
1908
Old Isaacs, the Pawnbroker
as Doctor, Charity worker, Scenario Writer
The Invisible Fluid
as Mailman
The Man in the Box
1908
The Man in the Box
as Station Agent
The Stage Rustler
1908
The Stage Rustler
as Phil Bowen
Deceived Slumming Party
as Reginald O.C. Wittington, Director
The Red Girl
1908
The Red Girl
as Man on Footpath, Director
The Heart of O Yama
1908
The Heart of O Yama
as Footman, Director
The Music Master
Actor, Writer
The Yellow Peril
1908
The Yellow Peril
as Mr. Phlipp
Hulda's Lovers
1908
Hulda's Lovers
as Handy Hank
Falsely Accused!
as Cop in Court
A Calamitous Elopement
as Policeman, Director, Writer
When Knights Were Bold
Actor, Writer
Professional Jealousy
1908
Professional Jealousy
as Extra on stage
'Ostler Joe
1908
'Ostler Joe
as Lover, Author
An Awful Moment
Writer, Director
For Love of Gold
Director
Romance of a Jewess
Director, Writer
Money Mad
Director, Writer
Betrayed by a Handprint
Director, Writer
The Song of the Shirt
Director, Writer
The Taming of the Shrew
Director, Writer
The Redman and the Child
1908
The Redman and the Child
Writer, Director
Where the Breakers Roar
Director, Writer
The Call of the Wild
Director, Writer
The Feud and the Turkey
1908
The Feud and the Turkey
Director, Writer
A Smoked Husband
Director
The Devil
Director
The Helping Hand
1908
The Helping Hand
Director, Writer
The Christmas Burglars
1908
The Christmas Burglars
Writer, Director
Mr. Jones at the Ball
Director, Writer
The Zulu's Heart
Writer, Director
Mixed Babies
Writer
The Greaser's Gauntlet
Writer, Director
The Ingrate
1908
The Ingrate
Director, Writer
The Planter's Wife
Director, Writer
The Stolen Jewels
1908
The Stolen Jewels
Director, Writer
A Woman's Way
1908
A Woman's Way
Writer, Director