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George Albert Smith

Film Director / Film Producer / Photographer / Screenwriter / Cinematographer | * 01/04/1864 († 95, 05/17/1959) | Brighton, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom (UK))
George Albert Smith (4 January 1864 – 17 May 1959) was an English stage hypnotist, psychic, magic lantern lecturer, Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, inventor and a key member of the loose association of early film pioneers dubbed the Brighton School by French film historian Georges Sadoul. He is best known for his controversial work with Edmund Gurney at the Society for Psychical Research, his short films from 1897 to 1903, which pioneered film editing and close-ups, and his development of the first successful colour film process, Kinemacolor. ()

Along with his better-known French counterpartGeorges Méliès, George Albert Smith, usually credited as G.A. Smith, was one of the first filmmakers to explore fictional and fantastic themes, often using surprisingly sophisticated special effects. His background was ideal – an established portrait photographer, he also had a long-standing interest in show business, running a tourist attraction in his native Brighton featuring a fortune teller. His films were among the first to feature such innovations as superimposition (Smith patented a double-exposure system in 1897), close-ups and scene transitions involving wipes and focus pulls. He also patented Kinemacolor – the world's first commercial cinema color system--in 1906, which was extremely successful for a time, despite the special equipment required to project it.

Photo of George Albert Smith
Most frequent genres for this person: Comedies | Documentaries | Drama
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Movies with George Albert Smith as Actor(1)

as Husband1899 The Kiss in the Tunnel

Movies with George Albert Smith as Crew(54)

Directing/Director1910 Choice Bouquets
Directing/Director1909 Choosing the Wallpaper
Directing/Director1908 A Visit to the Seaside
Production/Producer1908 A Visit to the Seaside
Directing/Director1906 Tartans of Scottish Clans
Directing/Director1904 Grand Display of Brock's Fireworks at the Crystal Palace
Directing/Director1903 The Sick Kitten
Directing/Director1903 Mary Jane's Mishap
Directing/Director1903 Dorothy's Dream
Directing/Director1902 Tommy and the Mouse in the Art School
Camera/Camera Operator1902 The Coronation of Edward VII
Directing/Director1901 A Photograph Taken From Our Area Window
Directing/Director1901 The Little Doctors
Directing/Director1901 Visit to Pompeii
Directing/Director1901 The Death of Poor Joe
Camera/Director of Photography1900 As Seen Through a Telescope
Directing/Director1900 As Seen Through a Telescope
Production/Producer1900 As Seen Through a Telescope
Directing/Director1900 The Old Maid's Valentine
Directing/Director1900 Grandma's Reading Glass
Production/Producer1900 Grandma's Reading Glass
Directing/Director1900 The Dull Razor
Directing/Director1900 A Quick Shave and Brush Up
Directing/Director1900 Scandal Over the Teacups
Directing/Director1900 Let Me Dream Again
Directing/Director1900 The House That Jack Built
Directing/Director1900 Two Old Sports
Directing/Director1900 Spiders on a Web
Directing/Director1899 The Inexhaustible Cab
Camera/Director of Photography1899 The Kiss in the Tunnel
Directing/Director1899 The Kiss in the Tunnel
Production/Producer1899 The Kiss in the Tunnel
Directing/Director1898 Photographing a Ghost
Directing/Director1898 Cinderella
Directing/Director1898 Faust and Mephistopheles
Directing/Director1898 Early Fashions on Brighton Pier
Directing/Director1898 Santa Claus
Directing/Director1898 The Corsican Brothers
Directing/Director1897 The Haunted Castle
Production/Producer1897 The Haunted Castle
Directing/Director1897 Comic Face
Directing/Director1897 Making Sausages
Directing/Director1897 The Miller and the Sweep
Directing/Director1897 Weary Willie
Art/Production Design1897 The X-Ray Fiend
Directing/Director1897 The X-Ray Fiend
Production/Producer1897 The X-Ray Fiend
Writing/Writer1897 The X-Ray Fiend
Directing/Director1897 Hanging Out the Clothes
Production/Producer1897 Hanging Out the Clothes
Directing/Director1897 The Sign Writer
Directing/Director1897 The Maid in the Garden
Directing/Director1897 Comic Shaving
Directing/Director1897 Brighton Seagoing Electric Car

Full Name: George Smith
Citizenship: United Kingdom (UK)
Born: Monday, 01/04 1864 (January) in Brighton, East Sussex, England (United Kingdom (UK))
Died: Sunday, 05/17 1959 (May) in Brighton (aged: 95)
Zodiac sign: Capricorn (Chinese zodiac sign: Rat)
Languages: English (EN)
Other names for George Albert Smith (nicknames, foreign languages etc.):
"G.A. Smith"
"GA Smith"
"George Albert Smith (filmmaker)"
"George Albert Smith (Filmproduzent)"
George Albert Smith frequently works together with these people:
Laura Bayley (9x, Actress)
Tom Green (9x, Cast)
Harold Smith (3x, Cast)
Charles Urban (2x, Crew)
Eva Bayley (2x, Cast)
Dorothy Smith (2x, Cast)
Tom Green (2x, Actor)
Georges Méliès (1x, Crew)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1x, Crew)
Mrs. Tom Green (1x, Cast)
Mr Hunter (1x, Cast)
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WatchPlayStream ID: PEOPLE:347795, Added: 08/14/2018, Last updated: 03/28/2024