Acting · Chicago, Illinois, USA · Born January 11, 1882
From Wikipedia Milton George Gustavus Sills (January 12, 1882 – September 15, 1930) was an American stage and film actor of the early twentieth century. Sills was born in Chicago, Illinois into a wealthy family. He was the son of William Henry Sills, a successful mineral dealer, and Josephine Antoinette Troost Sills, an heiress from a prosperous banking family. Upon completing high school, Sills was offered a one-year scholarship to the University of Chicago, where he studied psychology and philosophy. After graduating, he was offered a position at the university as a researcher and within several years worked his way up to become a professor at the school. In 1905, stage actor Donald Robertson visited the school to lecture on author and playwright Henrik Ibsen and suggested to Sills that he try his hand at acting. On a whim, Sills agreed and left his prestigious teaching career to embark on a stint in acting. Sills joined Robertson's stock theater company and began touring the country. In 1914, Sills decided to conquer the new medium of motion pictures. He made his film debut the same year in the big-budget drama The Pit for the World Film Company and was signed to a contract with film producer William A. Brady. The film was enormously successful, and Sills made three more films for the company, including another huge box-office draw The Deep Purple opposite silent screen star Clara Kimball Young. By the late 1910s, Sills had reached leading man status and parted ways with World Film, taking the then unusual path of freelancing as an actor. By the early 1920s, Sills was enjoying a highly successful acting career and working for such prominent film studios as MGM, Paramount Pictures, and Pathé Exchange. He was often paired with the most popular leading ladies of the era, including: Geraldine Farrar, Gloria Swanson and Viola Dana. His greatest public and commercial successes came with the now lost Flaming Youth (1923) opposite Colleen Moore, and the enormous box-office hit The Sea Hawk (1924). Sills made two sound pictures, showing that he had an excellent voice. Many may have forgotten that Sills had extensive stage training before embarking on his career before the cameras. Sills died unexpectedly of a heart attack in 1930 while playing tennis with his wife at his Santa Barbara, California home at the age of 48. He was interred at the Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum in Chicago, Illinois.
MovieThe Legend of Rudolph Valentino
1961
as Self (archive footage)
MovieThe Sea Wolf
1930
as 'Wolf' Larsen
MovieMan Trouble
1930
as Mac
MovieLove and the Devil
1929
MovieHis Captive Woman
1929
MovieThe Crash
1928
as Jim Flannagan
MovieThe Barker
1928
as Nifty Miller
MovieThe Hawk's Nest
1928
as The Hawk/John Finchley
MovieBurning Daylight
1928
as Elam 'Burning Daylight' Harnish
MovieThe Circus: Premiere
1928
as Self
MovieThe Valley of the Giants
1927
as Bryce Cardigan
Hard-Boiled Haggerty
1927
as Hard-Boiled Haggerty
Framed
1927
as Etienne Hilaire
MovieThe Sea Tiger
1927
as Justin Ramos
MovieThe Silent Lover
1926
as Count Pierre Tornal
MovieParadise
1926
as Tony
MovieMen of Steel
1926
as Jan Bokak
Puppets
1926
as Nicola Riccobini
MovieThe Unguarded Hour
1925
as Andrea
MovieThe Knockout
1925
as Sandy Donlin
MovieThe Making of O'Malley
1925
as O'Malley
MovieI Want My Man
1925
as Gulian Eyre
MovieAs Man Desires
1925
as Major John Craig
MovieMadonna of the Streets
1924
as Reverend John Morton
MovieSingle Wives
1924
as Perry Jordan
MovieThe Sea Hawk
1924
as Sir Oliver Tressilian
MovieFlowing Gold
1924
as Calvin Gray
MovieThe Heart Bandit
1924
as John Rand
MovieA Lady of Quality
1924
as Gerald Mertoun, Duke of Osmonde
MovieFlaming Youth
1923
as Cary Scott
MovieAdam's Rib
1923
as Michael Ramsay
MovieThe Spoilers
1923
as Roy Glennister
Legally Dead
1923
as Will Campbell / George Brown
MovieSouls for Sale
1923
as Self - Celebrity Actor (uncredited)
MovieThe Isle of Lost Ships
1923
as Frank Howard
MovieWhat a Wife Learned
1923
as Rudolph Martin
MovieThe Last Hour
1923
as Steve Cline
MovieEnvironment
1922
as Steve MacLaren
MovieThe Forgotten Law
1922
as Richard Jarnette
MovieSeeing Stars
1922
as Self
MovieBurning Sands
1922
as Daniel Lane
MovieSkin Deep
1922
as Bud Doyle
MovieA Trip to Paramountown
1922
as Self
MovieThe Woman Who Walked Alone
1922
as Clement Gaunt
MovieOne Clear Call
1922
as Dr. Alan Hamilton
MovieMiss Lulu Bett
1921
as Neil Cornish
MovieThe Great Moment
1921
as Bayard Delaval
MovieAt the End of the World
1921
as Gordon Deane
MovieSalvage
1921
as Fred Martin
MovieThe Little Fool
1921
as Richard Forrest
MovieThe Faith Healer
1921
as Michaelis
MovieThe Furnace
1920
as Keene Mordaunt
MovieBehold My Wife
1920
as Frank Armour
MovieSweet Lavender
1920
as Horace Weatherburn
MovieDangerous to Men
1920
as Sandy Verrall
MovieThe Inferior Sex
1920
as Knox Randall
MovieThe Street Called Straight
1920
as Peter Devenant
MovieEyes of Youth
1919
as Louis Anthony
MovieWhat Every Woman Learns
1919
as Walter Melrose
MovieThe Fear Woman
1919
as Robert Craig
MovieThe Woman Thou Gavest Me
1919
as Conrad
MovieThe Hushed Hour
1919
as Luke Appleton
MovieThe Stronger Vow
1919
as Juan Estudillo
MovieSatan Junior
1919
as Paul Worden
MovieThe Hell Cat
1918
as Sheriff Jack Webb
MovieThe Savage Woman
1918
as Jean Lerier
MovieThe Claw
1918
as Major Anthony Kinsella
MovieThe Yellow Ticket
1918
as Julian Rolfe
MovieMarried in Name Only
1917
as Robert Worthing
Making Monkey Business
1917
as The Flea
MovieThe Honor System
1917
as Joseph Stanton
MoviePatria
1917
as Capt. Donald Parr
MovieThe Rack
1915
as Tom Gordon
The Woman Who Lied
1915
as Jack Stanley
MovieUnder Southern Skies
1915
as Burleigh Mavor
The Taming of Mary
1915
as Harry Benton
The Arrival of Perpetua
1915
as Thaddeus Curzon
The Pit
1914
as Corthell
