William P. S. Earle

William Pitt Striker Earle
Earle in 1921
Born(1882-12-28)December 28, 1882
DiedNovember 30, 1972(1972-11-30) (aged 89)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Burial placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
OccupationFilm director
Years active1915–1926
Spouse(s)Valerie Damon De Blois (m. 1905;div. 1915)
Blanche Earle (m. 1952; her death)
Evangeline Russell (m. 1966; her death)
FatherFerdinand P. Earle

William Pitt Striker Earle (December 28, 1882 – November 30, 1972) was an American director of the silent film era. He attended Columbia University and worked for a time as a photographer before breaking into the movie business by sneaking onto the lot of Vitagraph Company of America to observe how directors worked. After a few days of this, Earle approached the studio president and was given his first movie to direct, For the Honor of the Crew, a short about a crew race at Columbia University.[1] He subsequently directed a number of features and shorts for Vitagraph. Later he worked with producer David O. Selznick. Earle founded his own, short-lived production company called Amex Production Corporation with J. S. Joffe, and shot the final two films of his career in Mexico.[2]

  1. ^ Shields, David S. (2013). Still: American Silent Motion Picture Photography. University of Chicago Press. p. 223. ISBN 978-0-226-01343-5.
  2. ^ Garcia Riera, Emilio (1998). Breve historia del cine mexicano : primer siglo, 1897-1997. Mexico City: Ediciones Mapa. p. 69 – via Internet Archive.