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Cullen Landis

From Wikipedia Cullen Landis (July 9, 1896 – August 26, 1975) was an American motion picture actor and director whose career began in the early years of the silent film era. James Cullen Landis was the middle of three siblings (two sons and a daughter) raised by Lulan and Margaret (née Cullen) Landis in Nashville, Tennessee, where his father supported his family as a stock broker. As a boy, James was a train enthusiast and dreamed to be an railroad engineer. Though the ambition eventually faded, his interest in railroads did not, and some years later he helped design for himself a model train set powered by steam. He began working in the fledgling film industry at age 18 around the time his older sister, Margaret Landis, appeared in her first film. In 1928 Cullen Landis starred in the first ‘all talking’ motion picture, Lights of New York. He once confided in a friend that talkies were perfect for musicals and that he was no "song and dance man". He left Hollywood for Detroit in 1930 to produce and direct industrial films for automobile companies. Landis began as a movie director, only turning to acting after his lead player broke a leg and it was discovered that the actor’s costumes fit him. He went on to become one of the more popular lead actors of the silent era, appearing in some one hundred films over 14 years. During World War II, he served as a captain with US Army Signal Corps producing training films in the South Pacific. By war’s end he was twice decorated and promoted to major. In the post war years he made documentaries for the US State Department that took him to the far corners of the world. James Cullen Landis died on August 28, 1975, aged 79, at a nursing home in Bloomfield, Michigan, three months after the death of his wife, Jane.


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Born:
Jul 9, 1896 In Nashville - Tennessee - USA
Movie/TV Credits:
38
First Appeared:
In the movie Sunny Jane 1917-03-26
Latest Project:
Movie The Voice That Thrilled the World 1943-10-16
Known For
Poster of Christine of the Big Tops
Poster of Upstairs
Filmography
Movie The Voice That Thrilled the World Self (segment 'Lights of New York') (archive footage) 1943-10-16
Movie Lights of New York Eddie Morgan 1928-07-18
Movie The Devil's Skipper John Dubray 1928-02-01
Movie The Little Wild Girl Jules Barbier 1928-08-01
Movie We're All Gamblers Georgie McCarver 1927-09-03
Movie With Buffalo Bill on the U. P. Trail Gordon Kent 1926-03-01
Movie The Dixie Flyer 'Sunrise' Smith 1926-07-29
Movie My Old Dutch Herbert Brown 1926-05-23
Movie With Davy Crockett at the Fall of the Alamo Davy Crockett 1926-08-01
Movie Christine of the Big Tops Bob Hastings 1926-08-20
Movie The Fighting Failure Denny O'Brien 1926-12-02
Movie A Broadway Butterfly Ronald Steel 1925-03-29
Movie Pampered Youth George Minafer 1925-02-01
Movie Peacock Feathers Jerry Chandler 1925-10-18
Movie Born Rich Jack Le Moyne 1924-12-07
Movie The Fighting Coward Tom Rumford 1924-03-14
Movie Cheap Kisses Donald Dillingham 1924-12-21
Movie The Famous Mrs. Fair Alan Fair 1923-02-19
Movie The Fog Nathan Forge 1923-01-18
Movie Crashin' Thru Cons Saunders 1923-04-01
Movie Soul of the Beast Paul Nadeau 1923-05-06
Movie Pioneer Trails Jack Dale / Jack Plains 1923-05-01
Movie The Man Life Passed By Harold Trevis 1923-12-24
Movie Watch Your Step Elmer Slocum 1922-02-16
Movie Gay and Devilish Peter Armitage 1922-05-14
Movie Remembrance Seth Smith 1922-10-01
Movie The Old Nest Jim at 22-32 1921-06-28
Movie Voices of the City Jimmy 1921-12-01
Movie The Ace of Hearts Young Man in Restaurant (uncredited) 1921-09-17
Movie Pinto Bob DeWitt 1920-01-10
Movie Jinx Slicker Evans 1919-12-13
Movie Upstairs Lemuel Stallings 1919-08-03
Movie Almost a Husband Jerry Wilson 1919-10-11
Movie Somebody's Widow Jack Random 1918-01-29
Movie Cupid In Quarantine The Boyfriend 1918-09-10
Movie Her Rustic Romeo Jack 1918-05-28
Movie Sunny Jane Thomas 1917-03-26
Movie Who Is Number One? Tommy Hale 1917-10-29