Larry Semon

Biography

American silent film comedian whose hugely successful career disappeared virtually overnight, Larry Semon was the son of a traveling vaudeville magician, Zera the Great. He grew up in show business and was trained in stage comedy and acrobatics. A talent for drawing and cartooning led to art school and then work as a cartoonist for various New York City newspapers. The humor evident in his published cartoons prompted executives at New York's Vitagraph Studios to hire him as a gag writer in 1916. He quickly proved himself and was promoted to director for the Hughie Mack series of comedies. His background in magic helped him create interesting new gags for the comedian. When Mack left the studio in 1917, Semon took over the starring role himself. His one-reelers were quite successful, and Vitagraph sent him to California to participate in its new West Coast operation. He produced as well as wrote, starred in and directed his own films, at the same time also producing films for other comics. In the summer of 1928 Semon apparently fell ill with tuberculosis and simultaneously, it seems, suffered a nervous breakdown. He entered a sanitarium near San Bernardino, CA, where he reportedly …

Directed

1. The Wizard of Oz (1925) — Director
2. The Sawmill (1922) — Director
3. Kid Speed (1924) — Director
4. The Show (1922) — Director
5. The Rent Collector (1921) — Director
6. Frauds and Frenzies (1918) — Director
7. Horseshoes (1923) — Director
8. Huns and Hyphens (1918) — Director
9. The Grocery Clerk (1919) — Director
10. Her Boy Friend (1924) — Director
11. The Cloudhopper (1925) — Director
12. Golf (1922) — Director
13. School Days (1920) — Director
14. Plagues And Puppy Love (1917) — Director
15. The Bakery (1921) — Director
16. The Bell Hop (1921) — Director
17. Lightning Love (1923) — Director
18. The Man from Egypt (1916) — Director
19. The Fly-Cop (1920) — Director
20. The Suitor (1920) — Director
21. Dunces and Dangers (1918) — Director
22. Bears and Bad Men (1918) — Director
23. Dull Care (1919) — Director
24. The Fall Guy (1921) — Director
25. The Counter Jumper (1922) — Director
26. A Pair of Kings (1922) — Director
27. No Wedding Bells (1923) — Director
28. The Gown Shop (1923) — Director
29. Bathing Beauties and Big Boobs (1918) — Director
30. Passing the Buck (1919) — Director
31. Pluck and Plotters (1918) — Director
32. Scamps and Scandals (1919) — Director
33. Between the Acts (1919) — Director
34. The Hick (1921) — Director
35. The Star Boarder (1919) — Director
36. The Sportsman (1921) — Director
37. The Stunt Man (1927) — Director
38. The Midnight Cabaret (1923) — Director
39. Gall and Golf (1917) — Director
40. The Barnyard (1923) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Underworld (1927) — Slippy Lewis
2. The Wizard of Oz (1925) — Scarecrow / Toymaker
3. The Sawmill (1922) — The Dumb-Bell
4. Kid Speed (1924) — The Speed Kid
5. The Show (1922) — The Prop Man / Gentle Onlooker
6. The Rent Collector (1921) — Larry, the Rent Collector
7. Frauds and Frenzies (1918) — Larry, First Prisoner
8. Horseshoes (1923) — Larry
9. The Grocery Clerk (1919) — The Grocery Clerk
10. The Cloudhopper (1925) — Borden Rhoom / Getz A. Bunn
11. Huns and Hyphens (1918) — Larry
12. Her Boy Friend (1924) — Larry, the Chief's son
13. Golf (1922) — The son
14. School Days (1920) — Joe
15. Plagues And Puppy Love (1917) — Larry
16. The Bakery (1921) — Larry, a Bakery Clerk
17. The Bell Hop (1921) — The Bellhop
18. Lightning Love (1923) — Larry, a Suitor
19. The Fly-Cop (1920) — The Fly Cop
20. The Suitor (1920) — The Suitor
21. Bears and Bad Men (1918) — Larry Cutshaw
22. Dunces and Dangers (1918) — Larry
23. Dull Care (1919) — Larry, a Detective
24. The Fall Guy (1921) — Larry, the Fall Guy
25. The Counter Jumper (1922) — Larry, the Counter Jumper
26. A Pair of Kings (1922) — King August / Stranger
27. The Gown Shop (1923) — Larry, a salesman
28. No Wedding Bells (1923) — Larry
29. Bathing Beauties and Big Boobs (1918) — Lawrence
30. Pluck and Plotters (1918) — The Janitor
31. Passing the Buck (1919) — The House Detective
32. Between the Acts (1919) — Larry, the Handy Man and a Drunkard
33. Scamps and Scandals (1919) — Larry
34. The Hick (1921) — Larry, the Hick
35. The Star Boarder (1919) — Star Boarder / Little Joe, Escaped Convict
36. The Perfect Clown (1925) — Bert Larry
37. The Sportsman (1921) — The Sportsman
38. The Stunt Man (1927) — Larry
39. The Midnight Cabaret (1923) — Larry, a Waiter
40. Gall and Golf (1917) — O.U. Dubb