George Lessey
George Lessey (June 8, 1879 – June 3, 1947) was an American actor and director of the silent era. He appeared in more than 120 films between 1910 and 1946. He also directed more than 70 films between 1913 and 1922.
Lessey was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, and as a boy he acted in theatrical productions there. He graduated from Amherst College.
For a year, Lessey was a leading man for Edison Studios, after which he directed films for the company for two years. In 1914, he joined Universal Studios as a director. He portrayed Romeo in the initial film version of Romeo and Juliet, directed the first serial, What Happened to Mary, and played the first dual role in film as twins in The Corsican Brothers.
On stage, Lessey appeared in the original Broadway production of Porgy and Bess (1935) in one of the few white roles, that of the lawyer Mr. Archdale.
In the 1930s, Lessey worked as a model for men's clothes.
Lessey was married to the former May Abbey. On June 3, 1947, Lessey died on vacation in Westbrook, Connecticut, aged 67.
Acted in
Bride by Mistake
1944
as Business Man
Buffalo Bill
1944
as Mr. Schyler Vandervere
None Shall Escape
1944
as Presiding Judge
Henry Aldrich, Boy Scout
1944
as Mr. Towers
Pistol Packin' Mama
1943
as Mr. Burton
Mission to Moscow
1943
as Bill - Well-wisher (uncredited)
Dixie Dugan
1943
as Sen. Patterson
Laugh Your Blues Away
1942
as Mr. Westerly
Now, Voyager
1942
as Uncle Herbert (uncredited)
The Gay Sisters
1942
as Judge Barrows
The Pride of the Yankees
1942
as Mayor of New Rochelle
Rings on Her Fingers
1942
Roxie Hart
1942
as Judge
We Go Fast
1941
as J.P. Hempstead
Blossoms in the Dust
1941
as Mr. Keats
Moon Over Miami
1941
as William 'Willie' Boulton
Sweetheart of the Campus
1941
as Dr. Hale
Adventure in Washington
1941
as U.S. Vice President
The Big Boss
1941
as Sen. Williams
Men of Boys Town
1941
as Bradford Stone
Forbidden Passage
1941
as American Consul in Lisbon
Blonde Inspiration
1941
as C. V. Hutchins
Go West
1940
as Railroad President
Gallant Sons
1940
as Judge
Hullabaloo
1940
as Mr. Arthur Jay Norton
Sky Murder
1940
as Senator Monrose
Strike Up the Band
1940
as Mr. Morgan
Good Bad Boys
1940
as Judge Kincaid
Boom Town
1940
as Judge
Soak the Old
1940
as William Bowen, Narrator
The Golden Fleecing
1940
as Buckley Sloan
Sporting Blood
1940
as Banker Cobb
Andy Hardy Meets Debutante
1940
as Underwood
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940
as Mary's Father
Edison, the Man
1940
as Toastmaster
Dr. Kildare's Strange Case
1940
as Rufus Ingersoll
How to Eat
1939
as Toastmaster at Dinner
One Third of a Nation
1939
as Doctor (uncredited)
The Miss They Missed
1938
Birthright
1938
Durand of the Bad Lands
1925
as John Boyd
White Thunder
1925
as Sheriff Richards
It Is the Law
1924
as Inspector Dolan
A Divorce of Convenience
1921
Patria
1917
The Ambassador's Daughter
1913
as Richard Farnsworth, an attaché at the embassy
At Bear Track Gulch
1913
as Jack Turner
His Mother's Hope
1912
as The Father
Hope - A Red Cross Seal Story
1912
as Bank President John Harvey
A Romance of the Rails
1912
At the Masquerade Ball
1912
as Jack Van Rensellaer
A Soldier's Duty
1912
as Commanding General
The Passer-by
1912
as Hamilton Crawford, the Bridegroom
The High Cost of Living
1912
Romeo and Juliet
1911
as Romeo