John Emerson (filmmaker)

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John Emerson , actually Clifton Paden , (born May 29, 1874 in Sandusky , Ohio , † March 7, 1956 in Pasadena , California ) was an American screenwriter , film director and film producer , who mainly worked in the silent film era.

Life

Emerson studied, with the professional goal of a ministry , at Oberlin College , in Heidelberg and at the University of Chicago , but dropped out in favor of an acting career. He worked as an actor from 1904 and was seen as such in a few films in the early 1910s. From 1912 he worked as a director and screenwriter. In 1919 he married Anita Loos , with whom he wrote joint scripts until the 1930s. The two were also responsible for several films with Douglas Fairbanks senior , which helped them to greater awareness and with whom they were also friends. The two also wrote the books Breaking Into the Movie (1919) and How to Write Photoplays (1921). Between 1912 and 1922, Emerson directed around a dozen films. As a screenwriter he has been involved in more than 40 productions, as a producer he is responsible for eleven films, most recently for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .

From 1920 to 1928 he was president of the Actors' Equity Association. An illness, from the consequences of which he died, forced him to withdraw from the active film business. In her autobiography, Anita Loos describes the collaboration with her husband, although his role is less than what his filmography suggests.

For San Francisco he was nominated together with Bernard H. Hyman at the Academy Awards in 1937 for the Oscar in the category of best film .

Filmography (selection)

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Emerson, John
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Paden, Clifton (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American screenwriter, film director and film producer
DATE OF BIRTH May 29, 1874
PLACE OF BIRTH Sandusky , Ohio
DATE OF DEATH March 7, 1956
Place of death Pasadena , California