Henry Lehrman(1886-1946)
- Producer
- Director
- Actor
Austrian-born Henry Lehrman entered the film industry in 1909 while
working as a trolley conductor. Legend has it that he cornered director
D.W. Griffith and claimed to be an agent for the French-based Pathe company,
sent by them to work with Griffith. By the time Griffith found out that
Lehrman's claims were untrue, he had already impressed Griffith with
his talents as an actor and gagman; instead of firing him, Griffith
made him a director, and Lehrman had earned the nickname "Pathe"
Lehrman. He soon left Griffith and went to work as an actor, gagman and
director for Mack Sennett at Keystone, appearing in (and directing) many
entries in the Keystone Kops series. Lehrman struck out on his own and
formed L-KO (Lehrman Knock-Out) Pictures, which made two-reel comedies
for release by Universal. By 1917 Lehrman was working for Fox,
directing the studio's Sunshine comedies. Although he was a major
talent in his day, the thing he will probably be remembered for most is
his involvement in the Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle scandal of the
early 1920s. Lehrman was the boyfriend of actress Virginia Rappe, who died
after a night of partying in a hotel room with Arbuckle.
