Lucius Henderson

Lucius Junius Henderson (June 8, 1861 – February 18, 1947) was an American actor, stage performer, and silent film director born in Aledo, Illinois. A classically trained musician, Henderson later attended Harvard College before embarking on a career in the performing arts that would span several decades across stage, film, and radio.

Henderson began acting on stage in the early 1880s, going on to support both Mesdames Modjeska and Janauschek in repertory productions. His Broadway career extended from 1889 to 1927 and included appearances in The Texas Nightingale, The Ringmaster, The Great John Ganton, Sappho and Phaon, and Friends, among other productions.

In late 1910, Henderson transitioned into film when he joined the Thanhouser Company, working primarily as a director. During the autumn of 1913, he led the Thanhouser company of players on a trip to Los Angeles. While the rest of the unit returned to New Rochelle, New York, Henderson stayed in California to direct for the Majestic Film Company and the Long Beach-based California Motion Picture Company. By 1915 he was directing for Universal Studios, and he later claimed to have been among the first to recognize the potential of Rudolph Valentino. Henderson directed 73 films in total before retiring from directing at the close of 1917.

In 1923, Henderson returned to the screen, this time as an actor. His film appearances during the mid-1920s included Toilers of the Sea (1923), A Man Must Live (1925), White Mice (1925), The New Commandment (1925), The Great Deception (1926), and Once in a Blue Moon (1935). Following the industry's transition to sound, Henderson shifted his focus to radio work. As the oldest living member of the Lamb's Club, he was honored with a testimonial dinner in 1942. Henderson died at his home at 335 West 43rd Street in New York City in 1947.