Francis Lyndhurst
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2 March 1878
Francis Lyndhurst | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lindhurst Francis Schmitz 2 March 1878 Kensington, London, England |
| Died | 31 May 1952 (aged 74) Chichester, Sussex, England |
| Occupation(s) | Theatrical scenery painter, film producer, film director |
| Years active | 1914–1952 |
| Spouse |
Dorothy Rogers (m. 1907) |
| Children | 5 |
| Relatives |
|
Francis Leonard Lyndhurst (born Lindhurst Francis Schmitz; 2 March 1878 – 31 May 1952) was an English theatrical scenery painter, film producer and film director. He is known for setting up an early film studio at Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.
Lindhurst Francis Schmitz was born in Kensington, London, England on 2 March 1878.[1] He was baptised, a son of Francis Henry Schmitz, a clerk from Paris, and his wife, Annie Maria (née Mower), at St Clement, Notting Hill in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea on 26 May 1878.[2]
Career
Lyndhurst's first films, beginning with The Showman's Dream in 1914, were made at Shoreham Fort, by his production company, Sealite,[3] or Sunny South Film Company.[4] He set up the Glasshouse Studio in a nearby, glass-sided, building, in 1915.[5] The business failed and he returned to his former occupation of scenery painting.[4][5]
Lyndhurst stored his films in a barn, which was destroyed by bombing during World War II. No copies of any of his films are known to survive.[6]
Lyndhurst bought a farm, in order that his sons should avoid fighting in the Second World War. Later a portion of the land was used to build chalets and set up a holiday camp.[7][3]