Griffith was born January 22, 1875, on a farm in Oldham County, Kentucky, the son of Jacob Wark "Roaring Jake" Griffith, a Confederate Army colonel in the American Civil War who was elected as a Kentucky state legislator, and Mary Perkins (née Oglesby). Historians frequently cite The Birth of a Nation as a major factor in the KKK's revival in the 20th century, and it remains a polarizing work to this day. Nevertheless, many critics have characterized both Griffith and his work (most notably, The Birth of a Nation) as white supremacist, both during his life and in the decades that have followed since his death. Although far from universally so, he was a widely celebrated and respected figure in his lifetime, and modern film historians still recognize him for his technical contributions to the craft of film making. He had made roughly 500 films by the time of his final feature, The Struggle (1931), all but three of which were completely silent. Several of Griffith's later films were successful, including Broken Blossoms (1919), Way Down East (1920), and Orphans of the Storm (1921), but the high costs he incurred for production and promotion often led to commercial failure. Together with Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, Griffith founded the studio United Artists in 1919 with the goal of enabling actors and directors to make films on their own terms as opposed to the terms of commercial studios. Griffith made his next film Intolerance (1916) as an answer to critics, who he felt unfairly maligned his work. The film led to riots in several major cities all over the United States, and the NAACP attempted to have the film banned. One of the most financially successful films of all time, it made investors enormous profits, but it also attracted much controversy for its degrading portrayals of African Americans, its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan, and its racist viewpoint.
Griffith is known to modern audiences primarily for directing the film The Birth of a Nation (1915). Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the narrative film.
David Wark Griffith (Janu– July 23, 1948) was an American film director.
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