Biography
Fred Niblo (January 6, 1874 – November 11, 1948) was an American pioneering film actor, director, and producer. Born Frederick Liedtke in York, Nebraska, to a French mother and a father who served as a captain in the American Civil War and was wounded at Gettysburg, Niblo adopted his stage name for his career. Some sources incorrectly list his birth name as "Frederico Nobile." Liedtke began performing in vaudeville and live theater, spending over twenty years as a monologist and traveling extensively worldwide. Between 1912 and 1915, he worked in Australia, where he transitioned into the emerging film industry and made his first two movies.
As a Hollywood director, Niblo is best known for several significant films, starting with the 1920 release The Mark of Zorro, starring Douglas Fairbanks. The next year, he collaborated with Fairbanks again on The Three Musketeers and directed Rudolph Valentino in Blood and Sand.
In 1924, he directed Thy Name Is Woman. The following year, Niblo served as the principal director for the epic Ben-Hur, one of the most expensive films of its time and the third highest-grossing silent film in history. He continued his success in 1926 with two major films: The Temptress, featuring Greta Garbo in her second American film, and Camille, starring Norma Talmadge. Niblo went on to direct top stars of the era, including Joan Crawford, Lillian Gish, and Ronald Colman. In 1930, he directed his first sound film, Redemption, starring John Gilbert and Renée Adorée.
After more than forty years in show business, Niblo retired in 1933. During the last sixteen years of his career, he directed over forty films, mostly feature-length. He played a vital role in early Hollywood and was among the founding members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In recognition of his contributions to the film industry, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7014 Hollywood Boulevard on February 8, 1960. His film Ben-Hur has been preserved in the United States National Film Registry.
Fred Niblo passed away in New Orleans, Louisiana, and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California, alongside his wife Enid Bennett. His son with Josephine Cohan, Fred Niblo, Jr. (1903–1973), was a successful Hollywood screenwriter.
