John Francis Dillon

Birthday: Jul 13, 1884

Bio: American actor/director John Francis Dillon billed himself as Jack Dillon when he started his movie acting career at Keystone in 1913. One year later, Dillon was directing himself in one- and two-reel comedies at several different studios. While at Mutual Studios, Dillon was frequently co-starred with future film luminary Priscilla Dean, usually playing a handsome… More Bio: American actor/director John Francis Dillon billed himself as Jack Dillon when he started his movie acting career at Keystone in 1913. One year later, Dillon was directing himself in one- and two-reel comedies at several different studios. While at Mutual Studios, Dillon was frequently co-starred with future film luminary Priscilla Dean, usually playing a handsome but ineffectual hero. While he continued acting off and on throughout the 1920s, Dillon--now most often billed by his full name--was better established as a director. Titles like The Self-Made Wife (1923), Flaming Youth (1923), The Perfect Flapper (1924) and We Moderns (1925) assured Dillon's directorial efforts a healthy financial turnover during the Jazz Age. After a brief spate of big-budget musicals in 1929 and 1930, John Francis Dillon 's sound career consisted mainly of programmers and quickies, though he was the guiding hand of Clara Bow's best talkie, the labyrinthine romantic melodrama Call Her Savage (1932). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi