Francis Lyndhurst | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Painter, film producer, film director  |
Francis Leonard Lyndhurst (born Lindhurst Francis Schmitz; 2 March 1878 – 31 May 1952) was an English theatrical scenery painter, film producer and film director, who set up an early film studio at Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.[1]
Lyndhurst was born in Kensington to Francis Schmitz, a clerk from Paris, and Annie Mower.[2][3]
In 1916, during the First World War, he legally changed his surname from Schmitz to Lyndhurst because of anti-German sentiment. He unsuccessfully sued a man for libel for calling him "German," claiming it was the worst possible insult.[4]
Lyndhurst's first films, beginning with The Showman's Dream in 1914, were made at Shoreham Fort by his production company (called Sealite[1] or Sunny South Film Company[5]). The next year, he set up the Glasshouse Studio in a nearby, glass-sided, building.[6] The business failed and Lyndhurst returned to his former occupation of scenery painting.[5][6]
During World War II, the barn in which Lyndhurst stored his films was destroyed by bombing. No copies of any of his films are known to survive.[6]
Lyndhurst had four sons; in order that they should avoid fighting in the Second World War, he bought a farm.[clarification needed] Later, a portion of land was used to build chalets and set up a holiday camp. One of his four grandchildren is the actor Nicholas Lyndhurst.[1][7]
He died in 1952 in Birdham, Sussex.[8]
- ^ a b c "Film Studio". Shoreham Fort. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ^ 1881 England Census
- ^ London, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813–1923
- ^ ""German" The Worst Insult - Mr. Francis L. Lindhurst Explains Why He Is No Longer Schmitz". Weekly Dispatch. 15 October 1916. p. 12. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
- ^ a b McKie, David (10 November 2008). "Bungalow town boom". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ^ a b c "Series 7: Episode 4". Celebrity Antiques Road Trip. Series 7. Episode 4. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
- ^ Hassell, Katherine (21 August 2015). "Nicholas Lyndhurst: my family values". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
- ^ "Deaths". West Sussex Gazette. 5 June 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 1 April 2024.