Lois Weber
Directing
Born: June 12, 1879 · Allegheny City [now Pittsburgh], Pennsylvania, USA
Died: November 13, 1939 (aged 60)
Highest Rated
Biography
Lois Weber (1879 - 1939) was a true American auteur on par with D. W. Griffith. A director, actress, screenwriter, and producer of mostly silent films, she was the first American woman to direct a full-length feature film (1914's The Merchant of Venice), the first American woman director to own her own film studio, and one of the first film directors to experiment with sound. Weber pioneered the split-screen technique in the 1913 short film Suspense, and Hypocrites featured the first non-pornographic full-frontal female nude scene in 1915. Many of her films tackled social issues like abortion, poverty, discrimination, and religion, drawing the attention of censors. Only a fraction of her films, estimated to number between 200 and 400, were preserved. In 2022, the American Film Institute announced a new initiative titled "Behind the Veil," after one of Weber's lost films. The initiative "will document 6,000 short films from the silent and early sound eras to uncover the innovative contributions of female and BIPOC storytellers."
Known for
Photos (2)
Movies (19)
The Merchant of Venice
Portia
From Death to Life
Aratus' Wife
Suspense.
The Wife
The Spider and Her Web
Madame DuBarr
Lost by a Hair
Summer Girl
Sunshine Molly
Sunshine Molly
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Mrs. Broome
Hop - The Devil's Brew
Lydia Jansen
Idle Wives
Anne
The Rosary
The Soldier's Sweetheart
The Eye of God
Renie
Scandal
Daisy Dean
The Twins
The Twin Sisters
The Price
Ann
Fine Feathers
Mira, the Artist's Model
A Heroine of '76
The Tavern Keeper's Daughter
How Men Propose
The Maid
The Jew's Christmas
Leah - Isaac's Daughter
On the Brink
Tess
Self / Appearances (2)
Directing (51)
Home
Director
Shoes
Director
Forbidden
Director
The Blot
Director
Hypocrites
Director
The Merchant of Venice
Director
From Death to Life
Director
The Dumb Girl of Portici
Director
Where Are My Children?
Director
Saving the Family Name
Director
Sensation Seekers
Director
Suspense.
Director
The Spider and Her Web
Director
Too Wise Wives
Director
A Midnight Romance
Director
When a Girl Loves
Director
The Angel of Broadway
Director
A Chapter in Her Life
Director
Lost by a Hair
Director
Mary Regan
Director
The People vs. John Doe
Director
Sunshine Molly
Director
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Director
Borrowed Clothes
Director
White Heat
Director
The Mysterious Mrs. M
Director
Hop - The Devil's Brew
Director
The Marriage Clause
Director
Captain Courtesy
Director
Idle Wives
Director
It's No Laughing Matter
Director
Discontent
Director
Even as You and I
Director
To Please One Woman
Director
The Doctor and the Woman
Director
The Rosary
Director
The Eye of God
Director
Scandal
Director
The Twins
Director
What Do Men Want?
Director
Betty in Search of a Thrill
Director
The Price
Director
The Price of a Good Time
Director
What's Worth While?
Director
Fine Feathers
Director
The Troubadour's Triumph
Director
A Heroine of '76
Director
For Husbands Only
Director
How Men Propose
Director
The Jew's Christmas
Director
On the Brink
Director
Writing (55)
Home
Writer
Shoes
Writer
Forbidden
Writer
Tarzan of the Apes
Writer
The Blot
Writer
Hypocrites
Writer
The Merchant of Venice
Writer
The Opened Shutters
Scenario Writer
The Dumb Girl of Portici
Adaptation
Where Are My Children?
Writer
Topsy and Eva
Adaptation
Topsy and Eva
Screenplay
Saving the Family Name
Writer
Sensation Seekers
Writer
Suspense.
Writer
The Spider and Her Web
Scenario Writer
Too Wise Wives
Story
Too Wise Wives
Screenplay
A Midnight Romance
Writer
When a Girl Loves
Writer
A Chapter in Her Life
Adaptation
A Chapter in Her Life
Screenplay
Lost by a Hair
Writer
Mary Regan
Scenario Writer
Mary Regan
Screenplay
The People vs. John Doe
Writer
Sunshine Molly
Writer
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Writer
Borrowed Clothes
Writer
White Heat
Writer
The Mysterious Mrs. M
Writer
Hop - The Devil's Brew
Scenario Writer
Hop - The Devil's Brew
Screenplay
Wanted- A Home
Story
The Marriage Clause
Writer
Idle Wives
Writer
Idle Wives
Adaptation
It's No Laughing Matter
Writer
Discontent
Writer
To Please One Woman
Writer
The Doctor and the Woman
Writer
Jewel
Writer
The Eye of God
Scenario Writer
The Eye of God
Writer
Scandal
Writer
The Twins
Writer
What Do Men Want?
Writer
The Price
Writer
The Price of a Good Time
Writer
What's Worth While?
Writer
The Troubadour's Triumph
Writer
For Husbands Only
Adaptation
For Husbands Only
Screenplay
The Jew's Christmas
Writer
On the Brink
Story
Producing (13)
Shoes
Producer
The Blot
Producer
Hypocrites
Producer
The Dumb Girl of Portici
Producer
Where Are My Children?
Producer
Too Wise Wives
Producer
The People vs. John Doe
Producer
The Hand That Rocks the Cradle
Producer
Wanted- A Home
Producer
Idle Wives
Producer
What's Worth While?
Producer
For Husbands Only
Producer
How Men Propose
Producer