Prolific silent film director, the son of Irish immigrants. Olcott started
as an actor on the New York stage and then appeared in films for
Mutoscope in 1904, eventually working his way up to general manager of
Biograph. Lured away to a rival company he began to direct features
for Kalem by 1907. That year, he became embroiled in a hitherto
unprecedented lawsuit (which dragged on for four years), since he had filmed
Ben Hur (1907) in blatant disregard of
copyright. Publishers and the estate of author
Lew Wallace sued Kalem to the tune of
$25,000.
In addition to shooting films in Jacksonville, Florida, and Ireland
(where Kalem had their studios), Olcott also took his film crews to
far-flung overseas locations -- in the process becoming the first-ever filmmaker to do
so. He went to Egypt and Palestine to film the life of Christ,
From the Manger to the Cross (1912) which proved a big money-spinner
for Kalem. However, a dispute over Olcott's salary led to his name
being removed from the credits and he consequently resigned.
Not out of work for long, he signed with Famous Players Lasky (which
later became Paramount) in 1915. Until his retirement in 1927, Olcott
directed some of the studio's biggest stars, from
Mary Pickford and
Gloria Swanson to
Norma Talmadge and
Rudolph Valentino.
The Claw(1927)
The White Black Sheep(1926)
The Amateur Gentleman(1926)
Ranson's Folly(1926)
The Best People(1925)
Nan o' the Backwoods(1915)
All for Old Ireland(1915)
For Ireland's Sake(1914)
Perils of the Sea(1913)
The Idle Rich(1914)as The Manager of the Mine
The Mother of Men(1914)as The Judge, Nelson - the 2nd Son
The Eye of the Government(1914)as The Detective
Monsieur Beaucaire(1924)
The Belgian(1918)
History of World Cinema: Part I(2021)
Making Photoplays in Egypt(1912)as Self
The Railroad Raiders of '62(1915)as Captain Andrews
