Australians in Hollywood : Biographical Notes

John F. Gavin
John F. Gavin (1875-1938) made his name in Australia as the director/star of such bushranger quickies as Thunderbolt (1910). In 1918 he left for Hollywood. “I thought I was the greatest producer of western film style on the map,” he recalled in 1923. “But when I landed in California , they had never even heard of John F. Gavin.” The burly actor found himself relegated to “extra” work in action scenes. Frustrated, he formed his own U.S. production company – the first Australian ever to do so – and made a number of westerns in which he was able to cast himself in larger roles. He returned here in 1923, with plans to make a series of Ned Kelly films for the local and U.S. markets. “Next to Los Angeles ,” Gavin said, “this is the only place in the world, with its climate and scenery, most suited for the movies.” But like other returning Hollywood stars of the era, he found that the odds were stacked against local film production. His late projects were plagued by censorship issues; he completed only one more film, Trooper O'Brien (1928), before his death.

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