Robert G. Vignola
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Robert G. Vignola (born Rocco Giuseppe Vignola, August 5, 1882 – October 25, 1953) was an Italian-born American actor, screenwriter and film director in American cinema. One of the silent screen's most prolific directors, he made a handful of sound films in the early years of talkies but his career essentially ended in the silent era. Born at Trivigno, in the province of Potenza, Vignola left Italy with his family at the age of 3 and was raised in upstate New York. He made his acting debut at 19 performing in "Romeo and Juliet", with Eleanor Robson Belmont and Kyrle Bellew. He began his film career as an actor in 1906 with the short film The Black Hand, directed by Wallace McCutcheon and produced by Biograph Company, generally considered the film that launched the mafia genre. In 1907 he joined Kalem Studios, for which he made numerous movies. One of Vignola's most notable film roles was as Judas Iscariot in From the Manger to the Cross (1912), directed by Sidney Olcott, one of the most successful films of the period. Vignola directed 87 films, most notably The Vampire (1913), sometimes cited as the first "vamp" movie, and Seventeen (1916), where Rudolph Valentino did an uncredited cameo. He had a long association directing the early movies of Pauline Frederick such as Audrey (1916) and Double Crossed (1917). His biggest success was the big-budget epic When Knighthood Was in Flower (1922), starring Marion Davies, which achieved critical and commercial acclaim. Other films include Déclassée (1925), with the uncredited appearance of the then unknown Clark Gable; Broken Dreams (1933), which received a nomination for Best Foreign Film at the Venice Film Festival, and The Scarlet Letter (1934), the last film of Colleen Moore. Vignola died in Hollywood, California in 1953. He lived in a mansion at Whitley Heights owned by William Randolph Hearst. Hearst's mistress Marion Davies was allowed to stay without him at Vignola's mansion, worried that she was having affairs and considering Vignola a trusted companion for her as he was homosexual. He was buried in St. Agnes Cemetery, Menands, New York.
Filmography
Honor Thy Father
as Chick Fenway - a Thief
Honor Thy Father
as Chick Fenway - a Thief
The Railroad Raiders of '62
as Railroad Engineer (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Railroad Raiders of '62
as Railroad Engineer (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Show Girl's Glove
The Show Girl's Glove
The Padrone's Plot
as Tony
The Padrone's Plot
as Tony
The Vampire
The Vampire
Shenandoah
as Undetermined Role
Shenandoah
as Undetermined Role
The Alien
as Paola
The Alien
as Paola
The Scimitar of the Prophet
as Hadjji - a Mohammedan Priest
The Scimitar of the Prophet
as Hadjji - a Mohammedan Priest
The War Correspondent
as Hal Martin - the Star Reporter
The War Correspondent
as Hal Martin - the Star Reporter
The Message of the Palms
as Uncle Tom - the Colonel's Servant
The Message of the Palms
as Uncle Tom - the Colonel's Servant
The Peril of the Dance Hall
as Pablo Florenti - Pepita's Father
The Peril of the Dance Hall
as Pablo Florenti - Pepita's Father
Lady Peggy’s Escape
as Preston
Lady Peggy’s Escape
as Preston
The Prosecuting Attorney
as The Criminal
The Prosecuting Attorney
as The Criminal
A Desperate Chance
as Joe Mellon - the Brakeman
A Desperate Chance
as Joe Mellon - the Brakeman
A Sawmill Hazard
as Geoffrey Stern
A Sawmill Hazard
as Geoffrey Stern
The Wives of Jamestown
as Shamus O’Daly
The Wives of Jamestown
as Shamus O’Daly
The Shaughraun
as Harvey Duff
The Shaughraun
as Harvey Duff
Ireland, the Oppressed
as Michael Dee
Ireland, the Oppressed
as Michael Dee
The Little Gluers
as Darby O'Drive
The Little Gluers
as Darby O'Drive
From the Manger to the Cross
as Judas
From the Manger to the Cross
as Judas
A Prisoner of the Harem
as Mahmoud Pasha
A Prisoner of the Harem
as Mahmoud Pasha
Tragedy of the Desert
as The Flirtatious Malmoud Bey
Tragedy of the Desert
as The Flirtatious Malmoud Bey
Captured by Bedouins
as Judge Barnett - the Father
Captured by Bedouins
as Judge Barnett - the Father
An Arabian Tragedy
as Ayub Kashif
An Arabian Tragedy
as Ayub Kashif
The O'Neill
The O'Neill
The Colleen Bawn
as Mr. Corrigan
The Colleen Bawn
as Mr. Corrigan
Rory O'More
as Black William
Rory O'More
as Black William
Railroad Raiders of '62
as Engineer
Railroad Raiders of '62
as Engineer
The Fiddler’s Requiem
as Dolores' fiance
The Fiddler’s Requiem
as Dolores' fiance
A Sawmill Hero
A Sawmill Hero
When Lovers Part
When Lovers Part
The Lad from Old Ireland
as Man in Campaign Office
The Lad from Old Ireland
as Man in Campaign Office
The Fight for Freedom
The Fight for Freedom
Over the Hills to the Poor House
Over the Hills to the Poor House
The Black Hand
The Black Hand