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D.W. Griffith (I) (1875–1948)

David Wark Griffith was born in rural Kentucky to Jacob "Roaring Jake" Griffith, a former Confederate Army colonel and Civil War veteran. Young Griffith grew up with his father's romantic war stories and melodramatic nineteenth-century literature that were to eventually shape his movies. In 1897 Griffith set out to pursue a career both acting and ... See full bio »

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4 wins. See more awards »

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Known For

The Birth of a Nation
The Birth of a Nation Director
(1915)
Intolerance
Intolerance Director
(1916)
The Mother and the Law
The Mother and the Law Director
(1919)
A Romance of Happy Valley
A Romance of Happy Valley Director
(1919)
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Filmography

Hide Hide Show Show Director (520 credits)
 1951 Footlight Varieties (segment "Confidence")
 1947 Flicker Flashbacks No. 1, Series 5 (Short) (archive footage from "The Last Deal, 1910", uncredited)
 1931 The Struggle
 1930 Abraham Lincoln (personally directed by)
 1928 Drums of Love
 1927/I Topsy and Eva (uncredited)
 1924 America
 1923 Mammy's Boy (Short)
 1921 Dream Street
 1920 Way Down East
 1920 Remodeling Her Husband (uncredited)
 1919 The World of Columbus (Short documentary)
 1919 Scarlet Days
 1919 Broken Blossoms (under the personal direction of)
 1918 Lillian Gish in a Liberty Loan Appeal (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1918 Hearts of the World (under the personal direction of)
 1916 A Day with Governor Whitman (Documentary short)
 1916 Intolerance
 1914 The Escape
 1914 The Primitive Man (Short)
 1914 Waifs (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1913 The Conscience of Hassan Bey (Short) (supervising)
 1913 Madonna of the Storm (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1913 The Adopted Brother (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1913 Two Men of the Desert (Short)
 1913 The Coming of Angelo (Short)
 1913 The Mistake (Short)
 1913 The Enemy's Baby (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1913 The Sorrowful Shore (Short)
 1913 Her Mother's Oath (Short)
 1913 The Mothering Heart (Short)
 1913 Death's Marathon (Short)
 1913 A Timely Interception (Short)
 1913 The Ranchero's Revenge (Short)
 1913 His Mother's Son (Short)
 1913 Just Gold (Short)
 1913 The Yaqui Cur (Short)
 1913 The House of Darkness (Short)
 1913 The Stolen Loaf (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1913/II The Wanderer (Short)
 1913 If We Only Knew (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1913 The Lady and the Mouse (Short)
 1913 The Left-Handed Man (Short)
 1913 A Misunderstood Boy (Short)
 1913 The Little Tease (Short)
 1913 The Perfidy of Mary (Short)
 1913 The Hero of Little Italy (Short)
 1913 The Sheriff's Baby (Short)
 1913 Fate (Short)
 1913 Near to Earth (Short)
 1913 The Unwelcome Guest (Short)
 1913 A Girl's Stratagem (Short)
 1913 Broken Ways (Short)
 1913 A Chance Deception (Short)
 1913 Drink's Lure (Short)
 1913 Oil and Water (Short)
 1913 Brothers (Short)
 1913 A Misappropriated Turkey (Short)
 1913 The Tender Hearted Boy (Short)
 1913 Three Friends (Short)
 1912 Grannie
 1912 The God Within (Short)
 1912 A Cry for Help (Short)
 1912 The Massacre (Short)
 1912 The Burglar's Dilemma (Short)
 1912 My Hero (Short)
 1912 The New York Hat (Short)
 1912 Brutality (Short)
 1912 The Informer (Short)
 1912 My Baby (Short)
 1912 Gold and Glitter (Short)
 1912 Heredity (Short)
 1912 The Painted Lady (Short)
 1912 The One She Loved (Short)
 1912 In the Aisles of the Wild (Short)
 1912 The Chief's Blanket (Short)
 1912 So Near, Yet So Far (Short)
 1912 Friends (Short)
 1912 Two Daughters of Eve (Short)
 1912 Blind Love (Short)
 1912 An Unseen Enemy (Short)
 1912 In the North Woods (Short)
 1912 A Pueblo Legend (Short)
 1912 A Change of Spirit (Short)
 1912 The Inner Circle (Short)
 1912 A Child's Remorse (Short)
 1912 The Narrow Road (Short)
 1912/I Black Sheep (Short)
 1912 The Sands of Dee (Short)
 1912 Heaven Avenges (Short)
 1912 Man's Genesis (Short)
 1912 An Indian Summer (Short)
 1912 Man's Lust for Gold (Short)
 1912 The Spirit Awakened (Short)
 1912 Lena and the Geese (Short)
 1912 A Temporary Truce (Short)
 1912 Home Folks (Short)
 1912 An Outcast Among Outcasts (Short)
 1912 A Beast at Bay (Short)
 1912 When Kings Were the Law (Short)
 1912 His Lesson (Short)
 1912 A Lodging for the Night (Short)
 1912 The Old Actor (Short)
 1912 The Lesser Evil (Short)
 1912 Just Like a Woman (Short)
 1912 The Female of the Species (Short)
 1912 Fate's Interception (Short)
 1912 The Punishment (Short)
 1912 The Root of Evil (Short)
 1912 Iola's Promise (Short)
 1912 The Girl and Her Trust (Short)
 1912 A String of Pearls (Short)
 1912 A Siren of Impulse (Short)
 1912 The Sunbeam (Short)
 1912 Under Burning Skies (Short)
 1912 The Mender of Nets (Short)
 1912 Billy's Stratagem (Short)
 1912 A Sister's Love (Short)
 1912 A Blot on the 'Scutcheon (Short)
 1912 For His Son (Short)
 1912 The Old Bookkeeper (Short)
 1912 The Eternal Mother (Short)
 1912 A Tale of the Wilderness (Short)
 1912 The Baby and the Stork (Short)
 1911 The Voice of the Child (Short)
 1911 A Terrible Discovery (Short)
 1911/I As in a Looking Glass (Short)
 1911 Saved from Himself (Short)
 1911 The Failure (Short)
 1911 A Woman Scorned (Short)
 1911 Sunshine Through the Dark (Short)
 1911 The Miser's Heart (Short)
 1911 Through Darkened Vales (Short)
 1911 The Trail of Books (Short)
 1911 The Battle (Short)
 1911/I Love in the Hills (Short)
 1911 The Long Road (Short)
 1911 The Adventures of Billy (Short)
 1911 The Unveiling (Short)
 1911 Italian Blood (Short)
 1911 The Making of a Man (Short)
 1911 Her Awakening (Short)
 1911 Dan the Dandy (Short)
 1911 The Squaw's Love (Short)
 1911 Swords and Hearts (Short)
 1911 The Rose of Kentucky (Short)
 1911 The Sorrowful Example (Short)
 1911 The Ruling Passion (Short)
 1911 Out from the Shadow (Short)
 1911 The Last Drop of Water (Short)
 1911 A Country Cupid (Short)
 1911 The Indian Brothers (Short)
 1911 Bobby, the Coward (Short)
 1911 The Jealous Husband (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1911 The Thief and the Girl (Short)
 1911 Fighting Blood (Short)
 1911 Her Sacrifice (Short)
 1911 The Primal Call (Short)
 1911 Enoch Arden: Part II (Short)
 1911 Enoch Arden: Part I (Short)
 1911 The Smile of a Child (Short)
 1911 A Romany Tragedy (Short)
 1911 The Crooked Road (Short)
 1911 The New Dress (Short)
 1911 In the Days of '49 (Short)
 1911 The Two Sides (Short)
 1911 How She Triumphed (Short)
 1911 His Mother's Scarf (Short)
 1911 A Knight of the Road (Short)
 1911 Madame Rex (Short)
 1911/I The Chief's Daughter (Short)
 1911 The Broken Cross (Short)
 1911 The Spanish Gypsy (Short)
 1911 The Lonedale Operator (Short) (uncredited)
 1911 Teaching Dad to Like Her (Short)
 1911 Was He a Coward? (Short)
 1911 Conscience (Short)
 1911 A Decree of Destiny (Short)
 1911 The Heart of a Savage (Short)
 1911 The Lily of the Tenements (Short)
 1911 His Daughter (Short)
 1911 The Diamond Star (Short)
 1911 Fisher Folks (Short)
 1911 Heart Beats of Long Ago (Short)
 1911 Three Sisters (Short)
 1911 Fate's Turning (Short)
 1911 His Trust Fulfilled (Short)
 1911 The Italian Barber (Short)
 1911 When a Man Loves (Short)
 1911 The Two Paths (Short)
 1910 Winning Back His Love (Short)
 1910 The Lesson (Short)
 1910 His Sister-In-Law (Short)
 1910 The Golden Supper (Short)
 1910 A Child's Stratagem (Short)
 1910 A Plain Song (Short)
 1910 Sunshine Sue (Short)
 1910 Simple Charity (Short)
 1910 The Fugitive (Short)
 1910 Waiter No. 5 (Short)
 1910 Two Little Waifs (Short)
 1910 The Message of the Violin (Short)
 1910 The Banker's Daughters (Short)
 1910 The Broken Doll (Short)
 1910 The Iconoclast (Short)
 1910 Examination Day at School (Short)
 1910 Rose o' Salem Town (Short)
 1910 The Oath and the Man (Short)
 1910 In Life's Cycle (Short)
 1910 A Mohawk's Way (Short)
 1910 Little Angels of Luck (Short)
 1910 A Summer Idyll (Short)
 1910 The Modern Prodigal (Short)
 1910 Wilful Peggy (Short)
 1910 The Usurer (Short)
 1910 A Salutary Lesson (Short)
 1910 Her Father's Pride (Short)
 1910 An Arcadian Maid (Short)
 1910 Unexpected Help (Short)
 1910 The Call to Arms (Short)
 1910 As the Bells Rang Out! (Short)
 1910 Serious Sixteen (Short)
 1910 A Flash of Light (Short)
 1910 A Child's Faith (Short)
 1910 What the Daisy Said (Short) (uncredited)
 1910 A Midnight Cupid (Short)
 1910 Muggsy's First Sweetheart (Short)
 1910 A Child's Impulse (Short)
 1910 The Marked Time-Table (Short)
 1910 The Face at the Window (Short)
 1910 In the Border States (Short)
 1910 A Victim of Jealousy (Short)
 1910 A Child of the Ghetto (Short)
 1910 The Purgation (Short)
 1910 In the Season of Buds (Short)
 1910 The Impalement (Short)
 1910 Bill Sharkey's Last Game (Short)
 1910 Ramona (Short)
 1910 Over Silent Paths (Short)
 1910 Love Among the Roses (Short)
 1910 The Unchanging Sea (Short)
 1910 The Gold Seekers (Short)
 1910 The Way of the World (Short)
 1910 Thou Shalt Not (Short)
 1910 A Rich Revenge (Short)
 1910 As It Is in Life (Short)
 1910/I The Two Brothers (Short)
 1910 His Last Dollar (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1910 Gold Is Not All (Short)
 1910 The Twisted Trail (Short)
 1910 Faithful (Short)
 1910 The Converts (Short)
 1910 The Man (Short)
 1910 In Old California (Short)
 1910 The Thread of Destiny (Short)
 1910 The Newlyweds (Short)
 1910 The Final Settlement (Short)
 1910 Taming a Husband (Short)
 1910 His Last Burglary (Short)
 1910 One Night, and Then -- (Short)
 1910 The Duke's Plan (Short)
 1910 The Course of True Love (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1910 The Woman from Mellon's (Short)
 1910 The Cloister's Touch (Short)
 1910 The Last Deal (Short)
 1910 The Honor of His Family (Short)
 1910 The Call (Short)
 1910 On the Reef (Short)
 1910 Her Terrible Ordeal (Short)
 1910 The Dancing Girl of Butte (Short)
 1910 The Rocky Road (Short)
 1909 Mamma (Short)
 1909 The Heart of an Outlaw (Short)
 1909 Choosing a Husband (Short)
 1909 The Day After (Short)
 1909 To Save Her Soul (Short)
 1909 In Little Italy (Short)
 1909 A Trap for Santa Claus (Short)
 1909 In a Hempen Bag (Short)
 1909 The Test (Short)
 1909 A Corner in Wheat (Short)
 1909 The Redman's View (Short)
 1909 Through the Breakers (Short)
 1909 In the Window Recess (Short)
 1909 The Trick That Failed (Short)
 1909 The Mountaineer's Honor (Short)
 1909 The Open Gate (Short)
 1909 A Midnight Adventure (Short)
 1909 A Sweet Revenge (Short)
 1909 Two Women and a Man (Short)
 1909 The Restoration (Short)
 1909 The Light That Came (Short)
 1909 Nursing a Viper (Short)
 1909 The Gibson Goddess (Short)
 1909 What's Your Hurry? (Short)
 1909 The Expiation (Short)
 1909 His Lost Love (Short)
 1909 A Change of Heart (Short)
 1909 The Little Teacher (Short)
 1909 Fools of Fate (Short)
 1909 The Awakening (Short)
 1909 Wanted, a Child (Short)
 1909 Leather Stocking (Short)
 1909 A Fair Exchange (Short)
 1909 In Old Kentucky (Short)
 1909 The Broken Locket (Short)
 1909 Getting Even (Short)
 1909 The Children's Friend (Short)
 1909 Comata, the Sioux (Short)
 1909 The Hessian Renegades (Short)
 1909 The Little Darling (Short)
 1909 The Sealed Room (Short)
 1909 Pranks (Short)
 1909 The Mills of the Gods (Short)
 1909 Oh, Uncle! (Short)
 1909 The Seventh Day (Short)
 1909 His Wife's Visitor (Short)
 1909 With Her Card (Short)
 1909 The Better Way (Short)
 1909 Mr. Jones' Burglar (Short)
 1909 They Would Elope (Short)
 1909 The Mended Lute (Short)
 1909 A Strange Meeting (Short)
 1909 The Slave (Short)
 1909 A Convict's Sacrifice (Short)
 1909 Jealousy and the Man (Short)
 1909 Sweet and Twenty (Short)
 1909 The Renunciation (Short)
 1909 Tender Hearts (Short)
 1909 The Friend of the Family (Short)
 1909 The Cardinal's Conspiracy (Short)
 1909 The Country Doctor (Short) (uncredited)
 1909 The Message (Short)
 1909 The Necklace (Short)
 1909 The Way of Man (Short)
 1909 The Mexican Sweethearts (Short)
 1909 The Peachbasket Hat (Short)
 1909 Was Justice Served? (Short)
 1909 Her First Biscuits (Short)
 1909 The Faded Lilies (Short)
 1909 The Son's Return (Short)
 1909 A New Trick (Short)
 1909 The Lonely Villa (Short)
 1909 Eradicating Aunty (Short)
 1909 His Duty (Short)
 1909 What Drink Did (Short)
 1909 The Cricket on the Hearth (Short)
 1909 Eloping with Auntie (Short)
 1909 Two Memories (Short)
 1909 Resurrection (Short)
 1909 The Jilt (Short)
 1909 A Baby's Shoe (Short)
 1909 The French Duel (Short)
 1909 One Busy Hour (Short)
 1909 The Note in the Shoe (Short)
 1909 The Eavesdropper (Short)
 1909 The Suicide Club (Short)
 1909 Lucky Jim (Short)
 1909 Twin Brothers (Short)
 1909 The Drive for a Life (Short)
 1909 A Troublesome Satchel (Short)
 1909 Lady Helen's Escapade (Short)
 1909 Confidence (Short)
 1909 A Sound Sleeper (Short)
 1909 The Winning Coat (Short)
 1909 A Rude Hostess (Short)
 1909 The Road to the Heart (Short)
 1909 Trying to Get Arrested (Short)
 1909 A Drunkard's Reformation (Short)
 1909 The Medicine Bottle (Short)
 1909 A Burglar's Mistake (Short)
 1909 The Deception (Short)
 1909 The Voice of the Violin (Short)
 1909 I Did It (Short)
 1909 The Lure of the Gown (Short)
 1909 The Salvation Army Lass (Short)
 1909 The Roue's Heart (Short)
 1909 The Wooden Leg (Short)
 1909 A Fool's Revenge (Short)
 1909 His Wife's Mother (Short)
 1909 The Prussian Spy (Short)
 1909 At the Altar (Short)
 1909 The Golden Louis (Short)
 1909 The Hindoo Dagger (Short)
 1909 His Ward's Love (Short)
 1909 The Curtain Pole (Short)
 1909 Tragic Love (Short)
 1909 A Wreath in Time (Short)
 1909 Edgar Allan Poe (Short)
 1909 The Brahma Diamond (Short)
 1909 The Girls and Daddy (Short)
 1909 The Cord of Life (Short)
 1909 The Welcome Burglar (Short)
 1909 Those Awful Hats (Short)
 1909 The Criminal Hypnotist (Short)
 1909 Those Boys! (Short)
 1909 A Rural Elopement (Short)
 1909/I The Sacrifice (Short)
 1909 Love Finds a Way (Short)
 1909 The Honor of Thieves (Short)
 1909 Mrs. Jones Entertains (Short)
 1909 The Maniac Cook (Short)
 1909/I One Touch of Nature (Short)
 1908 The Helping Hand (Short)
 1908 Mr. Jones at the Ball (Short)
 1908 The Christmas Burglars (Short)
 1908 An Awful Moment (Short)
 1908 The Test of Friendship (Short)
 1908 The Reckoning (Short)
 1908 The Feud and the Turkey (Short)
 1908 The Valet's Wife (Short)
 1908 Money Mad (Short)
 1908 The Clubman and the Tramp (Short)
 1908 A Woman's Way (Short)
 1908 The Ingrate (Short)
 1908 The Song of the Shirt (Short)
 1908 The Guerrilla (Short)
 1908 The Taming of the Shrew (Short)
 1908 The Pirate's Gold (Short)
 1908 After Many Years (Short)
 1908 Concealing a Burglar (Short)
 1908 The Call of the Wild (Short)
 1908 Romance of a Jewess (Short)
 1908 The Planter's Wife (Short)
 1908 The Vaquero's Vow (Short)
 1908 Ingomar, the Barbarian (Short)
 1908 Father Gets in the Game (Short)
 1908 The Zulu's Heart (Short)
 1908/I The Devil (Short)
 1908 The Stolen Jewels (Short)
 1908 A Smoked Husband (Short)
 1908 Where the Breakers Roar (Short)
 1908 The Heart of O Yama (Short)
 1908 The Red Girl (Short)
 1908 Behind the Scenes (Short)
 1908 The Girl and the Outlaw (Short)
 1908 Monday Morning in a Coney Island Police Court (Short) (unconfirmed)
 1908 Betrayed by a Handprint (Short)
 1908 For a Wife's Honor (Short)
 1908 Balked at the Altar (Short)
 1908 For Love of Gold (Short)
 1908 The Fatal Hour (Short)
 1908 The Man and the Woman (Short)
 1908 The Greaser's Gauntlet (Short)
 1908 A Calamitous Elopement (Short)
 1908 The Bandit's Waterloo (Short)
 1908 Deceived Slumming Party (Short)
 1908 The Red Man and the Child (Short)
 1908 The Black Viper (Short)
 1908 The Fight for Freedom (Short)
 1908 The Adventures of Dollie (Short)
Show Show Writer (228 credits)
Show Show Producer (97 credits)
Show Show Additional Crew (48 credits)
Show Show Actor (44 credits)
Show Show Composer (2 credits)
Show Show Editor (2 credits)
Show Show Music department (2 credits)
Show Show Costume designer (1 credit)
Show Show Makeup Department (1 credit)
Show Show Production designer (1 credit)
Show Show Production manager (1 credit)
Show Show Thanks (1 credit)
Show Show Self (7 credits)
Show Show Archive footage (37 credits)
Edit

Personal Details

Other Works:

Radio show: Appeared on an NBC radio special: "The Dodge Hour", March 29, 1928, with Douglas Fairbanks, Charles Chaplin and John Barrymore. Griffith spoke on "Love". Sponsored by Dodge Brothers to introduce its newest automobile, it was broadcast from New York, Detroit and Hollywood. No recording is known to exist. See more »

Publicity Listings:

3 Biographical Movies | 29 Print Biographies | 3 Portrayals | 129 Articles | 1 Magazine Cover Photo | See more »

Alternate Names:

David W. Griffith | David Wark Griffith | Lawrence Griffith | Granville Hicks | Capt. Victor Marier | Captain Victor Marier | Victor Marier | Irene Sinclair | Roy Sinclair | Granville Warwick | Gaston de Tolignac | M. Gaston de Tolignac

Height:

5' 11" (1.8 m)
Edit

Did You Know?

Personal Quote:

Talkies, squeakies, moanies, songies, squawkies . . . Just give them ten years to develop and you're going to see the greatest artistic medium the world has known. See more »

Trivia:

Ironically, he produced and directed the Biograph film The Rose of Kentucky (1911), which showed the Ku Klux Klan as villainous, a sharp contrast to The Birth of a Nation (1915) made four years later, in which the KKK was portrayed in a very favorable light. See more »

Trademark:

His films depict the cruelty of humankind.

Star Sign:

Aquarius
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