About

Known credits:
117
Birthday:
1882-08-05
Place of birth:
Trivignano, Veneto, Italy
Website:
N/A

Robert G. Vignola

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Robert G. Vignola (born Rocco Giuseppe Vignola, August 5, 1882 – October 25, 1953) was an Italian-born American actor, screenwriter and film director in American cinema. One of the silent screen's most prolific directors, he made a handful of sound films in the early years of talkies but his career essentially ended in the silent era. Born at Trivigno, in the province of Potenza, Vignola left Italy with his family at the age of 3 and was raised in upstate New York. He made his acting debut at 19 performing in "Romeo and Juliet", with Eleanor Robson Belmont and Kyrle Bellew.

He began his film career as an actor in 1906 with the short film The Black Hand, directed by Wallace McCutcheon and produced by Biograph Company, generally considered the film that launched the mafia genre. In 1907 he joined Kalem Studios, for which he made numerous movies. One of Vignola's most notable film roles was as Judas Iscariot in From the Manger to the Cross (1912), directed by Sidney Olcott, one of the most successful films of the period.

Vignola directed 87 films, most notably The Vampire (1913), sometimes cited as the first "vamp" movie, and Seventeen (1916), where Rudolph Valentino did an uncredited cameo. He had a long association directing the early movies of Pauline Frederick such as Audrey (1916) and Double Crossed (1917).

His biggest success was the big-budget epic When Knighthood Was in Flower (1922), starring Marion Davies, which achieved critical and commercial acclaim. Other films include Déclassée (1925), with the uncredited appearance of the then unknown Clark Gable; Broken Dreams (1933), which received a nomination for Best Foreign Film at the Venice Film Festival, and The Scarlet Letter (1934), the last film of Colleen Moore.

Vignola died in Hollywood, California in 1953. He lived in a mansion at Whitley Heights owned by William Randolph Hearst. Hearst's mistress Marion Davies was allowed to stay without him at Vignola's mansion, worried that she was having affairs and considering Vignola a trusted companion for her as he was homosexual.

He was buried in St. Agnes Cemetery, Menands, New York.

Known for

Acting
1915 Honor Thy Father Actor Chick Fenway - a Thief N/A
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1915 The Railroad Raiders of '62 Actor Railroad Engineer (archive footage) (uncredited) N/A
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1914 The Show Girl's Glove Actor N/A
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1913 The Padrone's Plot Actor Tony N/A
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1913 The Vampire Actor 58
Average
1913 Shenandoah Actor Undetermined Role N/A
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1913 The Alien Actor Paola N/A
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1913 The Scimitar of the Prophet Actor Hadjji - a Mohammedan Priest N/A
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1913 The War Correspondent Actor Hal Martin - the Star Reporter N/A
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1913 The Message of the Palms Actor Uncle Tom - the Colonel's Servant N/A
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1913 The Peril of the Dance Hall Actor Pablo Florenti - Pepita's Father N/A
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1913 Lady Peggy’s Escape Actor Preston N/A
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1913 The Prosecuting Attorney Actor The Criminal N/A
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1913 A Desperate Chance Actor Joe Mellon - the Brakeman N/A
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1913 A Sawmill Hazard Actor Geoffrey Stern N/A
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1913 The Wives of Jamestown Actor Shamus O’Daly N/A
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1912 The Shaughraun Actor Harvey Duff N/A
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1912 Ireland, the Oppressed Actor Michael Dee N/A
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1912 The Little Gluers Actor Darby O'Drive N/A
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1912 From the Manger to the Cross Actor Judas 58
Average
1912 A Prisoner of the Harem Actor Mahmoud Pasha N/A
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1912 Tragedy of the Desert Actor The Flirtatious Malmoud Bey N/A
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1912 Captured by Bedouins Actor Judge Barnett - the Father N/A
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1912 An Arabian Tragedy Actor Ayub Kashif N/A
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1912 The O'Neill Actor N/A
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1911 The Colleen Bawn Actor Mr. Corrigan 58
Average
1911 Rory O'More Actor Black William 58
Average
1911 Railroad Raiders of '62 Actor Engineer 58
Average
1911 The Fiddler’s Requiem Actor Dolores' fiance N/A
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1911 A Sawmill Hero Actor N/A
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1910 When Lovers Part Actor 58
Average
1910 The Lad from Old Ireland Actor Man in Campaign Office 58
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1908 The Fight for Freedom Actor N/A
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1908 Over the Hills to the Poor House Actor 58
Average
1906 The Black Hand Actor 59
Average

Directing
1937 The Girl from Scotland Yard Directing Director 58
Average
1935 The Perfect Clue Directing Director 59
Average
1934 The Scarlet Letter Directing Director 58
Average
1933 Broken Dreams Directing Director 58
Average
1928 Tropic Madness Directing Director N/A
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1927 Cabaret Directing Director N/A
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1926 Fifth Avenue Directing Director N/A
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1925 Déclassé Directing Director 59
Average
1925 The Way of a Girl Directing Director N/A
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1924 Married Flirts Directing Director N/A
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1924 Yolanda Directing Director 59
Average
1923 Adam and Eva Directing Director N/A
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1922 When Knighthood Was in Flower Directing Director 59
Average
1922 The Young Diana Directing Director N/A
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1922 Beauty's Worth Directing Director 58
Average
1921 Enchantment Directing Director 58
Average
1921 The Woman God Changed Directing Director N/A
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1921 Straight Is the Way Directing Director 59
Average
1921 The Passionate Pilgrim Directing Director N/A
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1920 The World and His Wife Directing Director N/A
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1920 The 13th Commandment Directing Director N/A
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1919 Experimental Marriage Directing Director N/A
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1919 The Winning Girl Directing Director N/A
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1918 Women's Weapons Directing Director N/A
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1918 The Claw Directing Director N/A
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1918 The Knife Directing Director 59
Average
1917 The Love That Lives Directing Director N/A
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1917 Her Better Self Directing Director N/A
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1917 The Fortunes of Fifi Directing Director N/A
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1917 Great Expectations Directing Director N/A
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1916 Seventeen Directing Director N/A
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1916 Under Cover Directing Director N/A
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1916 The Evil Thereof Directing Director N/A
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1916 The Moment Before Directing Director N/A
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1916 The Black Crook Directing Director N/A
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1915 The Maker of Dreams Directing Director N/A
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1915 The Crooked Path Directing Director N/A
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1915 Don Caesar de Bazan Directing Director N/A
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1915 Honor Thy Father Directing Director N/A
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1915 The Haunting Fear Directing Director N/A
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1915 A Sister's Burden Directing Director N/A
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1915 The Destroyer Directing Director N/A
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1915 The Siren's Reign Directing Director N/A
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1915 The Night Operator at Buxton Directing Director N/A
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1915 The Stolen Ruby Directing Director N/A
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1915 The Scorpion's Sting Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Hate That Withers Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Mystery of the Yellow Sunbonnet Directing Director N/A
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1914 Her Bitter Lesson Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Man of Iron Directing Director N/A
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1914 A Midnight Tragedy Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Menace of Fate Directing Director N/A
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1914 The False Guardian Directing Director N/A
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1914 Seed and the Harvest Directing Director N/A
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1914 Into the Depths Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Devil's Dansant Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Barefoot Boy Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Hand of Fate Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Storm at Sea Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Vampire's Trail Directing Director N/A
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1914 Through the Flames Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Show Girl's Glove Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Cabaret Dancer Directing Director N/A
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1914 The Shadow Directing Director N/A
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1914 Her Husband's Friend Directing Director N/A
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1913 Primitive Man Directing Director N/A
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1913 The Vampire Directing Director 58
Average
1913 The Bribe Directing Director N/A
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1913 The Lost Diamond Directing Director N/A
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1913 A Stolen Identity Directing Director N/A
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1913 The Hidden Witness Directing Director N/A
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1913 A Victim of Heredity Directing Director N/A
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1913 Man's Greed for Gold Directing Director N/A
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1913 The Alien Directing Director N/A
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1913 The Scimitar of the Prophet Directing Director N/A
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1913 The War Correspondent Directing Director N/A
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1913 The Message of the Palms Directing Director N/A
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1911 Rory O'More Directing Director 58
Average

Writing
1915 Don Caesar de Bazan Writing Scenario Writer N/A
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1914 The Barefoot Boy Writing Writer N/A
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1914 The Vampire's Trail Writing Writer N/A
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1913 The Vampire Writing Scenario Writer 58
Average