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John S. Robertson

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B: June 14, 1878 in London, Ontario
D: November 5, 1964 in Escondido, California

John Stuart Robertson began his two-decade Hollywood career at Vitagraph in 1915. From Vitagraph he went to Famous Players-Lasky, where for five years he turned out some of their finest productions. In addition to directing he also did acting and scriptwriting. Speaking of Mary Pickford, he once said, “She is the most wonderful girl I ever met. She knows everything about picture making, from the most technical side to the dramatic possibilities. I thought with her fame and success she would probably resent taking direction. But she sought it.” The great John Barrymore’s performance in Robertson`s 1920 version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde led many critics of the time to acclaim him the greatest screen actor yet.