William Beaudine

Director Born William Washington Beaudine on Jan. 15, 1892 in New York, NY

The career of film director William Beaudine began early in the silent movie days and continued into the television era.

Early in his career, Beaudine was a prop boy for silent movie director D.W. Griffith. His later work included the last of about 70 "Lassie" shows he directed for television.

Beaudine first went to work in Hollywood in 1909 for the Biography studio. In later years, he worked for Paramount, Warner Bros., Allied Artists, 20th Century Fox, Columbia, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Walt Disney.

Like many of his contemporaries, Beaudine made the transition to television in the early 1950s. He directed dozens of episodes for programs such as "Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok," "The Adventures of Spin and Marty," "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" and "Lassie."

His first film as lead director was "Diana of the Farm," made in 1915. His last was the 1976 film "Fury of the Dragon."

— Los Angeles Times March 19, 1970