William Beaudine

William Beaudine began his tenure in film as an assistant to the legendary D. W. Griffith. At the height of his career, Beaudine worked for every major studio and directed many greats of the silent era including Mabel Normand, George Sidney, Laura LaPlante, and Tom Mix. When Mary Pickford returned to the screen after a year-long hiatus, she chose Beaudine to direct her comeback film, Little Annie Rooney.

Beaudine’s career continued through the sound era and well into golden age of television and beyond, where he worked on such programs as The Green Hornet and Lassie. In his unsurpassed employment of 60 years in the business, Beaudine racked up more than 500 films and in excess of 350 television programs. Until his death at age 78, he was the oldest active director in the business. Just before he died, The Canadian, his 1926 film starring Thomas Meighan, was acknowledged as one of the best films of the pre-sound era and received the Film Critics Award of the New York Arts Institute.
In this detailed biography, author Wendy Marshall chronicles Beaudine’s swift rise through the ranks, his triumph as one of the most successful directors of British comedies, his accumulation and loss of personal fortunes, his fall from fame, and his prolific work in television. Marshall corrects much misinformation that has been written about the director and has compiled the most complete list of his directorial credits to date. This volume will serve as the ultimate authority on William Beaudine’s life and career.

Author Biography

Wendy Marshall has an MFA in Creative Writing from Arizona State University, and has written extensively for newspapers. She is the granddaughter of William Beaudine.