Wilton Lackaye
1862 - 1932Wilton Lackaye (September 30, 1862 – August 22, 1932) was an American stage and film actor, who originated the role of Svengali (from the 1895 novel Trilby) in both stage and film.
He created the role of Svengali in the play Trilby in 1895 which he played on screen in 1915 opposite Clara Kimball Young. He enjoyed a lengthy and distinguished stage career before entering silent films in middle age. He was a unique and distinctive looking actor with large round eyes particularly effective when playing the control-freak Svengali.
Trilby
Maurice Tourneur
Wilton Lackaye, Clara Kimball Young
The hypnotic Svengali controls the singing voice of a young starlet, but he cannot control her heart. This 1915 Maurice Tourneur film is a version of the famous du Maurier novel. It was later done in a more famous 1931 film named Svengali with John Barrymore. The later film obviously changed the title due to the huge presence of its star.
Trilby
The Man of Shame
Harry Myers
Wilton Lackaye, Harry Myers
After Roger Laroque maims Louversan, his look-alike, in an honorable duel during the Franco-Prussian War, Louversan swears revenge on his better. In Paris, Roger falls in love with Julia, who he later discovers is married to Lucien, his close army friend. Out of duty to Lucien, Roger ends the affair and leaves for the country where he meets and marries Marie Greville, his uncle's ward. Furious at Roger's desertion, Julia vows revenge and joins forces with Louversan.
The Man of Shame