William Beaudine
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Began his career as a prop boy for D.W. Griffith in 1909 and worked his way up to the director's chair six years later. Handling features from 1922, Beaudine was a prolific craftsman rather than an auteur; he worked dependably across a wide range of genres and did on occasion turn out noteworthy films such as the Mary Pickford vehicle, "Sparrows" (1926). From 1934 to 1937 Beaudine piloted over ten features in Great Britain and, after returning to the US, continued his prolific output, working for various low-budget producers and directing a number of the "Bowery Boys" movies. From the early 1950s he worked increasingly in TV, directing some 200 shows including over 80 episodes of "Lassie" and over 50 instalments of the "Walt Disney" series.
Filmography
Director (Feature Film)
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Director (Short)
Assistant Direction (Short)
Cast (Short)
Life Events
1909
Entered films as production assistant at Biograph; worked first under D.W. Griffith (until 1912), then Dell Henderson (1913-1914), and finally Marshall Neilan (1914-1915)
1915
Began directing career on October 11 with an episode (a short) of the "Ham and Bud" comedy series
1922
Feature film directing debut, "Watch Your Step"
1951
Directed over 350 TV shows, including over 80 episodes of "Lassie", 20 episodes of "Rin Tin Tin", and over 50 installments of the Walt Disney series