Volume III: Biographies

MC NULTY, William

Studio employee (1915-1916)

Thanhouser Career Synopsis: William McNulty was hired in 1915 and worked with Thanhouser's Jacksonville studio in 1916.

Biographical Notes: William McNulty worked with the Kalem studio in Jacksonville, Florida. After operations were curtailed he was at liberty. On behalf of himself and a number of other former Kalemites (including William Alexander, A.B. Flower, Harry Hembron, Billie Kraus, C.R. Meikle, and Charles Owens) he contacted Edwin Thanhouser and was hired in autumn 1915 to work at Thanhouser's Jacksonville studio, which commenced full operations in January of the next year. Among other duties he served as a stage director for The Oval Diamond.

An article in The Sunday Times-Union, Jacksonville, January 30, 1916, told of McNulty's career: "His art training has been derived from Julien Academie, Paris, where he polished the rough edges after having studied previously at the Art Students' League in New York City and at the Pratt Institute. Entering the newspaper field and doing newspaper work he early realized the possibilities of the movies and was one of the first to work with the Vitagraph Company, later going to the old original Essanay in Chicago, from there to the Coast, and returning again to New York. He has been a leading man, character man, and worked at every department in the business. Prior to his association with the Thanhouser Company he was with Harry Millarde, the popular Kalem director and star. Early last fall he negotiated personally with Edwin Thanhouser and his technical expert, Alfred Moses, for not only his own position but the pick of the old Kalem technical forces to go with him, the Kalem Company having closed their studio at that time."

Thanhouser Filmography:

1916: The Oval Diamond (2-24-1916)

# # #