William Pitt Striker Earle | |
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Born | New York City, U.S. | December 28, 1882
Died | November 30, 1972 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 89)
Burial place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
Occupation | Film director |
Years active | 1915–1926 |
Spouse(s) | Valerie Damon De Blois (m. 1905;div. 1915) Blanche Earle (m. 1952; her death) Evangeline Russell (m. 1966; her death) |
Father | Ferdinand 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]