Gordon Griffith or Gordon S. Griffith was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in over sixty films, and surviving the transition from silent films to talkies—films with sound. During his acting career, he worked with Charlie Chaplin, and was the first actor to portray both Tom Sawyer and Tarzan on film.

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  • Gordon Griffith or Gordon S. Griffith was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in over sixty films, and surviving the transition from silent films to talkies—films with sound. During his acting career, he worked with Charlie Chaplin, and was the first actor to portray both Tom Sawyer and Tarzan on film. Griffith was born on July 4, 1907 in Chicago, Illinois, to actors Harry Sutherland Griffith and Katherine Kiemar Griffith.. He had two siblings, an older sister Gertrude, and a younger brother Graham—also an actor. Griffith was already an experienced actor when, at age seven, he got his first acting role as a regular character in the Little Billy serials. Mack Sennett of Keystone Studios cast Griffith in many of his slapstick features, where he eventually earned supporting roles in Charlie Chaplin films, including Tillie's Punctured Romance (Milton Berle spuriously claimed in his later years to have played this role). His big break came with the role of young Tarzan, in the 1918 film Tarzan of the Apes. He was required to do his own stunts, such as climbing trees, swinging from vines, and interacting closely with a chimpanzee. Griffith also has several nude scenes in the first half of the film, making him one of the first pre-teens to appear on screen naked. Griffith appears before the actor portraying the adult Tarzan—Elmo Lincoln—making him the first actor to portray Tarzan in film. After seeing the movie, a critic described Griffith as "a youthful actor of uncommon gifts. " Griffith received the role of Tom Sawyer in Huckleberry Finn. Later he was again cast in the first Tarzan serial as Tarzan's son, Korak, a role that has been described as "anticipating John Sheffield's 'Boy' roles [in later Tarzan films]. " Both of his parents died in the 1920s—his mother in 1921 and his father in 1926. At the time of the 1930 census, he and his brother were living with his sister and her family in Pasadena, California. Although his career survived the transition from silent films to sound, Griffith received smaller and smaller roles—occasionally not even being credited for his performances. As his acting career cooled, Griffith moved into other areas of the film industry. At the age of twenty-three he got his first job as an assistant director. His final acting credit came six years later in 1936's Bars of Hate. Griffith continued to work in the film industry until his death, working as an assistant director at Monogram Pictures, an associate producer under Robert Sherwood, and as a director and then as an associate producer for Gregory Ratoff Productions. In 1941, Griffith became production manager at Columbia Pictures, and later served as an associate producer for RKO, eventually becoming a producer for films such as 1956's Alexander the Great. In 1958, Griffith died of a heart attack in Hollywood, and was survived by his sister.
  • Gordon Griffith o Gordon S. Griffith fue un asistente de dirección, productor de cine y uno de los primeros actores infantiles en Estados Unidos. Griffith trabajó en la industria del cine durante cinco décadas, actuando en aproximadamente sesenta películas, sobreviviendo la transición del cine mudo al sonoro. Durante su carrera, trabajó con Charlie Chaplin, y fue el primer actor en interpretar a Tom Sawyer y Tarzán en el cine. Griffith nació el 4 de julio de 1907 en Chicago, Illinois, sus padres fueron los actores Harry Sutherland Griffith y Katherine Kiemar Griffith. Tuvo dos hermanos, la mayor llamada Gertrude, y el menor llamado Graham—quien también era actor. Griffith era ya un actor con experiencia, a los siete años de edad, cuando obtuvo su primer papel en la serie de películas Little Billy. Mack Sennett de Keystone Studios ayudó a Griffith en varias escenas donde debía utilizar slapstick, gracias a esto obtuvo papeles en algunas películas de Charlie Chaplin, incluyendo Tillie's Punctured Romance (Milton Berle diría años más tarde que él habría interpretado ese papel). Su gran oportunidad vino cuando tuvo que interpretar al joven Tarzán, en la película de 1918 Tarzán de los monos. Tuvo que hacer sus propias acrobacias, como trepar árboles, balancearse en lianas, e interactuar con un chimpancé. Griffith aparece antes que el actor que interpreta al Tarzán adulto—Elmo Lincoln—convirtiéndose en el primer actor que hace de este personaje. Tras ver la película, un crítico describió a Griffith como "un actor lleno de energía y características poco comunes. " Griffith recibió el papel de Tom Sawyer en la versión cinematográfica de 1920 de Huckleberry Finn. Luego participó nuevamente en una película de Tarzán como su hijo, Korak, rol que ha sido descrito como "anticipando los papeles de John Sheffield [en otras películas de Tarzán]. " Sus padres murieron en los años 20—su madre en 1921 y su padre en 1926. Cuando se realizó el censo de 1930, vivía junto a sus hermanos y familia en Pasadena, California. Aunque su carrera sobrevivió la transición del cine mudo al sonoro, Griffith comenzó a recibir papeles cada vez más pequeños—algunas veces ni siquiera era acreditado. Debido a esto se dedicó a otras áreas de la industria del cine. A los veintitrés años obtuvo su primer trabajo como asistente de dirección. Su último trabajo como actor fue seis años más tarde en la película de 1936 Bars of Hate. Griffith continuó trabajando en el cine hasta su muerte, como asistente de dirección en Monogram Pictures, como productor para Robert Sherwood, y como director y luego productor de Gregory Ratoff Productions. En 1941, Griffith se convirtió en gerente de producción de Columbia Pictures, y luego trabajó como productor asociado en RKO, produjo películas como Alexander the Great de 1956. En 1958, Griffith murió de un ataque cardíaco en Hollywood.
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  • Actors to portray Tarzan
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  • 1918-1920
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  • Gordon Griffith or Gordon S. Griffith was an American assistant director, film producer, and one of the first child actors. Griffith worked in the film industry for five decades, acting in over sixty films, and surviving the transition from silent films to talkies—films with sound. During his acting career, he worked with Charlie Chaplin, and was the first actor to portray both Tom Sawyer and Tarzan on film.
  • Gordon Griffith o Gordon S. Griffith fue un asistente de dirección, productor de cine y uno de los primeros actores infantiles en Estados Unidos. Griffith trabajó en la industria del cine durante cinco décadas, actuando en aproximadamente sesenta películas, sobreviviendo la transición del cine mudo al sonoro. Durante su carrera, trabajó con Charlie Chaplin, y fue el primer actor en interpretar a Tom Sawyer y Tarzán en el cine.
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  • Gordon Griffith
  • Gordon Griffith
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