Name Spottiswoode Aitken | Role Actor | |
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Born 16 April 1868 ( 1868-04-16 ) Edinburgh, United Kingdom Died February 26, 1933, Los Angeles, California, United States Spouse Marion Dana Jones (m. ?–1922) Movies The Birth of a Nation, Intolerance, The Avenging Conscience, Monte Cristo, The Trap Similar People Joseph Henabery, Billy Bitzer, Joseph Carl Breil, D W Griffith, William Desmond Taylor | ||
Frank Spottiswoode Aitken (16 April 1868 – 26 February 1933) was a Scottish actor of the silent era. He was perhaps best known for his role as Dr. Cameron in The Birth of a Nation (1915).
Contents
Early years
Aitken was born 16 April 1868 in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Acting
In his book, The King of the Movies: Film Pioneer Siegmund Lubin, Joseph P. Eckhardt wrote that Aitken was "trained as a Shakespearean actor, with many years of experience under his belt." His film debut came in 1911. He eventually appeared in 81 feature films between 1914 and 1927.
Business
Aitken was one of the first actors to settle in Los Angeles when the film industry was still at its strongest in New York. He invested most of his earnings in property, buying up orange groves around what would become Hollywood.
Personal life
Aitken was involved in a controversy in 1922 when, after suing his wife for divorce for alleged infidelity, she countersued. A United Press news story reported that she was "alleging her husband had coerced her into living with Hay Weinstein, wealthy Santa Barbaran, so that he could extort money from Weinstein."
The couple had three children: Francis Spottiswoode Aitken Jr., Francis Aitken and Margaret Shirley Aitken.
Death
Aitken died 24 February 1933 in Los Angeles, California. He was 64 years old.