Adolph Lestina

Adolph Lestina (1861– August 23, 1923) was an American stage and film actor who was a member of D. W. Griffith's stock company of film actors.[1]

Career

He received positive notice for his performance in Justin McCarthy's If I Were King and in Laurence Irving's The Fool Hath Said There Is No God.[2][3]

Lestina's performance in the play A Citizen's Home was noted as being "sympathetic".[4]

Lestina was credited with "discovering" D. W. Griffith. "This gentleman saw to it that young Griffith played the role of Old Man Marks in The Lights o' London with the Meffert company [...] The gentleman who "discovered Griffith as an actor, Adolphe Lestina, later appeared in many D. W. Griffith film productions, including Hearts of the World (1918) and The Love Flower (1920)".[5] Griffith, speaking of his time with the Meffert Stock Company, said that Lestina told him that to be a playwright, one first had to be an actor.[6]

Personal life

Adolph Lestina was married to Bessie Lee Lestina.[7]

He died of heart disease in New Rochelle, New York on August 23, 1923.[8][9][10]

Broadway credits

  • Children of the Ghetto (October 16, 1899 – December 1899)[11]
  • The School for Scandal (January 31, 1902 – January 31, 1902)
  • The Eternal City (November 17, 1902 – February 1903)
  • Our American Cousin (January 27, 1908 – April 25, 1908)[12]
  • A Citizen's Home (October 1, 1909 – October 1909)[4]

Filmography

|* The Idol Dancer (1920) as Black Slave[17]

References

  1. "Mr. Griffith in Florida". The Billboard. 31 (50). Cincinnati. Dec 13, 1919. p. 75 via Proquest.
  2. The Index. 1907.
  3. Life. Life. 1908.
  4. Theatre Magazine. Theatre Magazine Company. 1909.
  5. "Mr. Griffith's Films: Pioneer Director Has Taken to Dialogue In His Latest Picture". New York Times. 24 Feb 1929. p. 120 via ProQuest.
  6. Croy, Homer (Jan 10, 1962). "Pictures: A Sad Ending For D.W.". Variety. 225 (7). Los Angeles. pp. 18, 258 via ProQuest.
  7. The New York Clipper. June 28, 1922. p. 30. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. "Adolph Lestina death article". The Kansas City Star. 1923-09-04. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  9. "Adolph Lestina death". Santa Cruz Evening News. 1923-09-10. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  10. "Adolph Lestina death". The Boston Globe. 1923-09-02. p. 52. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  11. "Chit Chat". The Stage (976). London. Nov 30, 1899. pp. 15–16 via ProQuest.
  12. "Greater New York News". The Billboard. 20 (5). Cincinnati. Feb 1, 1908. pp. 6, 58 via ProQuest.
  13. "Right off the Reel". Pictures and The Picturegoer. 17 (302). London. Nov 29, 1919. pp. 635–636 via ProQuest.
  14. "Pictures: Premiere Showing". The Billboard. 30 (52). Cincinnati. Dec 28, 1918. p. 50 via Proquest.
  15. "New Feminine Players Score at Liberty". The Spokesman-Review. 1919-04-21. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-08-01.
  16. "Scarlet Days". Variety. 56 (12). Los Angeles. Nov 14, 1919. p. 58 via ProQuest.
  17. "Moving Pictures: The Idol Dancer". Variety. 58 (5). Los Angeles. Mar 26, 1920. p. 51 via ProQuest.
  18. "Picturegoer's Guide". Pictures and The Picturegoer. 5 (26). London. Feb 1, 1923. pp. 54–56, 58 via ProQuest.
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