Volume III: Biographies

MIDDLETON, George *

Actor (1910-1911)

Thanhouser Career Synopsis: George Middleton appeared in lobby displays in late 1910 and early 1911 as one of 12 leading members of the Thanhouser stock company.

Biographical Notes: There were several George Middletons, one of whom may have been the Thanhouser player:

1. The first was the subject of an obituary notice in The New York Dramatic Mirror, February 5, 1916: "George Middleton, an old-time actor who recently had been appearing in motion pictures, died January 25 in Bellevue Hospital [New York City] of pneumonia. He had been associated on the stage with Ada Rehan and James K. Hackett."

It may have been this George Middleton who was the subject of an item in Motion Picture Magazine, June 1915: "But of all the old-time actors who have found a new vogue in filmdom, the name of George Middleton stands out prominently. Here we have one of the real patriarchs of the stage who, in the evening of life, found a new outlet for his artistry in the film studio. If Middleton would himself recite the story of his amazing career, theatrical history would indeed be enriched. In all picturedom one may not gaze upon a more inspiring spectacle than that which these survivors of a precarious stage era present in the drama of silence."

2. George Middleton was born on October 27, 1880, the son of George Clinton and Ida V. (Blakeslee) Middleton. His father was a businessman. Young George attended Public School No. 40 in New York City from 1886 to 1894, after which he went to the Nazareth (Pennsylvania) Military Academy 1894-1896, then to the Dwight Preparatory School in New York City, from which he graduated in 1898 and was named the class poet. In 1902 he graduated from Columbia University with a B.A. degree. Under Brander Matthews he studied drama. He also followed a writing career, and was on the staffs of Spectator, Morningside, and Literary Monthly. As a playwright this George Middleton had many credits, notably The Cavalier, written with Paul Kester, which was staged by Charles Frohman, with Julia Marlowe as the star, at the Criterion Theatre in New York City, December 8, 1902. His A Wife's Strategy opened January 23, 1905 at Ford's Theatre in Baltimore, The Sinner opened on January 2, 1908 at the Chestnut Street Opera House in Philadelphia, and his adaptation of Meredith Nicholson's The House of A Thousand Candles had its first performance at Daly's Theatre in New York City on January 6th of the same year. His list of later credits is lengthy. On October 29, 1911 he married Fola LaFollette, an actress and author, who was the daughter of Senator Robert LaFollette. In 1914, he wrote film synopses and scenarios for Jesse K. Lasky. In March 1917, he was with Ultra Pictures Corporation as a director. For Fox in Hollywood he was a producer and writer, circa 1929-1931. In addition to his film career, he was seen on stage in later years, often reading his plays. From 1942 to 1958 he was a specialist in copyrights with the Justice Department's Office of Alien Property. He died in Washington, D.C. on December 23, 1967.

3. Another George Middleton was a Chicago theatre man who in October 1908 married Mrs. Ruth Overman, a well-known horsewoman.

4. Another contender, George W. Middleton, a former California newspaper publisher, in 1909 was on stage in The Fourth Estate.

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