A Thanhouser Company player, in 2 films you can watch free online.
Biography
George Barnes, a veteran of the early film industry, played supporting roles in Thanhouser films from at least 1910 to 1915. A 1914 note in The New Rochelle Pioneer marked his twelfth year as a film character lead, and credited him with firing the “fatal shot” in Edison’s The Great Train Robbery (1903).
Bowers notes that he should not be confused with several other actors, and a cameraman, of the same name.
A short summary written from the encyclopedia.Read Bowers’ full biography on this page ↓
Filmography
These have no online copy. Each page says what is known about where a print is held.
From the encyclopedia
From Volume III: Biographies of Q. David Bowers’ Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, reproduced with permission and unchanged. 170 words.
George Barnes appeared in Thanhouser films during the 1910-1915 period.
George Barnes, an old-timer in the film industry, played supporting roles in Thanhouser films from at least 1910 to 1915. The New Rochelle Pioneer, October 10, 1914, printed an interesting note concerning the actor: “George Barnes has just celebrated his twelfth year as a movie character lead. Not many know that it was Mr. Barnes that fired the ‘fatal shot’ that killed ‘Broncho Billy’ in Edison’s first big picture, The Great Train Robbery, and his reminiscences of the old days are very interesting.”
Note: The Thanhouser actor is not to be confused with any one of at least three other actors (two of whom are described below) and a cameraman named George Barnes: (1) One actor had life dates of 1890-November 18, 1949. (2) George Freeman Barnes, a Shakespearean actor, died at the age of 71 years in West Palm Beach, Florida, on July 20, 1951. (3) Cameraman George Barnes died on May 31, 1953 at the age of 60.
Bowers’ own filmography list is left out here: the filmography above lists the same films. Cite as: Bowers, Q. David. Thanhouser Films: An Encyclopedia and History, “BARNES, George.” thanhouser.org/research/people/george-barnes/
