American director Fred Niblo was a vaudeville actor for two decades before setting foot in a movie studio. In his travelling-actor days, Niblo worked with some of the biggest acts in the business, including the Four Cohans; in fact, his first wife was George M. Cohan's younger sister Josephine (this marriage was alluded to in the Cohan biopic Yankee Doodle Dandy, though Niblo's second marriage to actress Enid Bennett was not). By the time he went to work at the Ince Studios in 1917, Niblo had deserted acting for directing and producing. As a film director, Niblo secured his reputation as an action specialist with a series of Douglas Fairbanks vehicles, among them The Mark of Zorro (1920) and The Three Musketeers (1921). He also guided Rudolph Valentino through his box-office hit Blood and Sand (1921), and was listed as sole director on MGM's mammoth Ben-Hur (1926) -- though in both instances, the bulk of the impressive second-unit work was done by others. Despite Niblo's track record of blockbusters and his reputation as a loyal studio "team player," he really wasn't an inspired or imaginative director; this became evident in his talkie work, including such yawners as the John Gilbert starrer Redemption (1929) and the William Haines vehicle Way Out West (1930). After faltering in a comeback attempt in England, Niblo returned to Hollywood as a journeyman actor in B-films on the order of Life with Henry (1941). Fred Niblo's credits are sometimes confused with those of his screenwriter son, Fred Niblo Jr.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
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Once Upon a Honeymoon
Actor |
1942 | |||
|
Life with Henry
Actor |
1941 | |||
| 1940 | ||||
|
I'm Still Alive
Actor |
1940 | |||
|
Hell's Kitchen
Screenwriter |
1939 | |||
|
Fugitive Lady
Screenwriter |
1934 | |||
|
Wives Beware
Director |
1933 | |||
|
Blame the Woman
Director |
1932 | |||
|
The Big Gamble
Director |
1931 | |||
|
Young Donovan's Kid
Director |
1931 | |||
|
Free and Easy
Actor |
1930 | |||
|
Redemption
Director |
1930 | |||
|
Way Out West
Director |
1930 | |||
|
Dream of Love
Director |
1928 | |||
|
The Mysterious Lady
Director |
1928 | |||
|
Two Lovers
Director |
1928 | |||
|
Camille
Director |
1927 | |||
|
Devil Dancer
Director, Producer |
1927 | |||
|
The Enemy
Director |
1927 | |||
|
The Temptress
Director |
1926 | |||
|
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Director |
1925 | |||
|
The Red Lily
Director, Screen Story, Screenwriter |
1924 | |||
|
Thy Name Is Woman
Director |
1924 | |||
|
Famous Mrs. Fair
Director |
1923 | |||
|
Souls for Sale
Actor |
1923 | |||
|
Strangers of the Night
Director, Producer |
1923 | |||
|
Blood and Sand
Director |
1922 | |||
|
Rose O' the Sea
Director |
1922 | |||
|
Scandalous Tongues
Actor |
1922 | |||
|
Woman He Married
Director |
1922 | |||
|
The Three Musketeers
Director |
1921 | |||
|
Greater Than Love
Director |
1920 | |||
|
Hairpins
Director |
1920 | |||
|
Her Husband's Friend
Director |
1920 | |||
|
Sex
Director |
1920 | |||
|
The Mark of Zorro
Director |
1920 | |||
|
Dangerous Hours
Director |
1919 | |||
|
Haunted Bedroom
Director |
1919 | |||
|
Law of Men
Director |
1919 | |||
|
Stepping Out
Director |
1919 | |||
|
Virtuous Thief
Director |
1919 | |||
|
What Every Woman Learns
Director |
1919 | |||
|
Fuss and Feathers
Director |
1918 | |||
|
Marriage Ring
Director |
1918 | |||
|
When Do We Eat?
Director |
1918 |
