Volume III: Biographies

NICHOLS, George O., Jr. *

Actor (1912)

Thanhouser Career Synopsis: George O. Nichols, Jr. appeared in a 1912 Thanhouser film.

Biographical Notes: George O. Nichols, Jr. was born in San Francisco, California on May 5, 1897. He entered films as a child actor with Biograph. When his father went to Thanhouser, young George followed and was seen in at least one Thanhouser film, as Willie in Pa's Medicine, a 1912 release. A photograph of him seated in an automobile with his parents appeared in the May 24, 1913 issue of The Moving Picture World. At the time his father was with Lubin. Later, George O. Nichols, Jr. pursued an acting career with other studios, eventually becoming a director.

The New York Times, November 14, 1939, carried this notice: "HOLLYWOOD, Nov. 13 (AP) - George Nicholls [sic], Jr., 42, motion-picture director, plunged to his death early today in his automobile, which slipped from its parking on a mountain lookout point and rolled 500 feet to the bottom of a canyon. His sister-in-law, Mrs. Acta Barnett, 25, was thrown clear about 300 feet from the bottom. Her skull was believed fractured. She lay unconscious several hours before crawling to the top of the mountain and staggering more than a mile along the road to call help. Mr. Nicholls was under contract to RKO Studios, where he has directed numerous important pictures, including several starring Ann Shirley. He was to have assumed work today on a film starring Richard Dix and Chester Morris.

"Mr. Nicholls was born in San Francisco. His father, George Nicholls Sr., was one of the first directors for the old Biograph Company in New York, where the son got his start as an actor. The younger Nicholls played in numerous pictures with Mary Pickford and other early-day stars. Deserting acting, he became an assistant cameraman and then a top cameraman. He became a director in 1934, handling Ginger Rogers in Finishing School. He is survived by his widow, Theos, and two children, George, 16, and Sue, 9."

Note: His surname was also spelled as Nicholls in many trade notices.

Thanhouser Filmography:

1912: Pa's Medicine (7-9-1912)

# # #