- Al Christie
Al Christie, (
October 23 ,1881 –April 14 ,1951 ) was a Canadian-born motion picture director, producer andscreenwriter .Born Alfred Ernest Christie, in
London, Ontario ,Canada , he was one of a number ofCanadian pioneers in early Hollywood who made their way toHollywood, California , attracted by the newly developing motion picture business. Al Christie began his career in 1909 working forDavid Horsley 's Nestor film company. In 1910, at Horsley'sCentaur Film Company , Al Christie began turning out one single reel of a "Mutt and Jeff" comedy picture every week. The following year, Christie went to the West Coast to head upNestor Studios for Horsley. This operation was the first evermovie studio to be built inHollywood .In 1916, he and his brother,
Charles Christie , established their ownproduction company ,Christie Film Company . They created feature length films and short comedies. During his time in the film business, Al Christie was the author of 95screenplay s and directed and or produced more than 200 motion pictures. He and his brother, Charles also built Hollywood's first luxury hotel. However, his motion picture company was a victim of theGreat Depression and closed its doors. Unable to find work in the film industry, he turned to selling real estate to earn a living.In 1926, Al Christie, along with actress Vera Steadman and Mrs. H. Prevost, mother of fellow Canadian actress
Marie Prevost , was in a car accident in Florida. They had been attending the Biscayne Bay Regatta. Mr.Christie, the driver, and Ms. Steadman suffered only minor injuries but Mrs. Prevost was killed.Al Christie died on Charles' 71st birthday after a lengthy illness. He is interred in the
Hollywood Forever Cemetery ,Hollywood, California . He has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 6771 Hollywood Boulevard.External links
*imdb name|id=0160280|name=Al Christie
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