Lorimer Johnston

(b. Maysville, Kentucky, 02/11/1858 – d. Hollywood, 20/02/1941). American director and actor. Lorimer Johnston was born on 2 November 1858 in the town of Maysville, Kentucky, which was also the birthplace of singer Rosemary Clooney. He came to filmmaking relatively late in life, but had a long career as stage actor before he directed his first films for the Selig Polyscope Company in Chicago. However, he made most of his many shorts for the American Film Manufacturing Company, which poached him from Selig after Allan Dwan had left the Santa Barbara-based firm. Between 1913 and 1914 he made more than 45 shorts for AFMC, often released within a few days of each other. They all starred members of its stock company, amongst them Caroline Cooke, who was married to Johnston. In 1915 he made a few more shorts for companies like Universal and Vitagraph, but during 1916 he disappeared from the United States movie map because he had been recruited by I.W. Schlesinger to make the first films for African Film Productions. By the time he and his wife left South Africa in October 1916, he had directed A Story of the Rand, The Splendid Waster, A Zulu’s Devotion, The Silver Wolf, The Illicit Liquor Seller, The Gun Runner (not completed), Sonny’s Little Bit, Gloria and possibly A Tragedy of the Veld , a number of them featuring Mrs. Johnston. After his return to the United States he directed only three more films, but continued to act in supporting, sometimes uncredited roles in films by others, amongst them A fool’s awakening by Harold M. Shaw, a fellow-American who had also been employed by AFP. He died in Hollywood on 20 February 1941. (FO)