Thomas A. Edison
- Production
- February 11, 1847 · Milan, Ohio, USA
- October 18, 1931
Biography
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who has been described as America's greatest inventor. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventions, which include the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and the long-lasting, practical electric light bulb, have had a widespread impact on the modern industrialized world. He was one of the first inventors to apply the principles of organized science and teamwork to the process of invention, working with many researchers and employees. He established the first industrial research laboratory. Edison was raised in the American Midwest; early in his career he worked as a telegraph operator, which inspired some of his earliest inventions. In 1876, he established his first laboratory facility in Menlo Park, New Jersey, where many of his early inventions were developed. He later established a botanic laboratory in Fort Myers, Florida in collaboration with businessmen Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone, and a laboratory in West Orange, New Jersey that featured the world's first film studio, the Black Maria. He was a prolific inventor, holding 1,093 US patents in his name, as well as patents in other countries. Edison married twice and fathered six children. He died in 1931 of the complications of diabetes.
Known for
Filmography
- EQUITY 6928 · Self
- History 101 · Self
- Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound · Self
- The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley · Self
- Edison · Self
- The Extraordinary Voyage · Self
- Murnau, Borzage and Fox · Self
- Edison: The Invention of the Movies · Self
- Naqoyqatsi · Self
- Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists · Self
- The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America · Self
- The Crash of 1929 · Self
- Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter · Self
- Encyclopédie audiovisuelle du cinéma · Self
- The Wizard Who Spat on the Floor · Self
- Horizon · Self
- MGM Parade · Self
- The Golden Twenties · Self
- Okay for Sound
- The Film That Was Lost · Self
- Guests at the Presentation of Kodacolor at the Home of Mr. George Eastman, Rochester, N.Y.
- A Day with Thomas A. Edison · Self
- Censorship and Its Absurdities · Producer
- The Patchwork Girl of Oz · Producer
- Andrew Carnegie · Producer
- The Birth of the Telephone · Producer
- The Old Violin · Producer
- Nursery Favorites · Producer
- The Politician · Producer
- Julius Caesar · Producer
- A Minstrel Show · Producer
- The Old Guard · Producer
- The Deaf Mute · Producer
- The Edison Kinetophone · Producer
- The Musical Blacksmiths · Producer
- Jack's Joke · Producer
- The Five Bachelors · Producer
- Her Redemption · Producer
- The Irish Policeman · Producer
- Votes for Women · Producer
- The Spanish Cavalier · Producer
- Lucia di Lammermoor · Producer
- Frankenstein · Producer
- Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) · Producer
- Meeting of the Motion Pictures Patents Company · Self, Producer
- Parsifal · Producer
- Canoeing on the Charles River, Boston, Mass. · Producer
- Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association Championships · Producer
- Chicago-Michigan Football Game · Producer
- A Jewish Dance at Jerusalem · Producer
- Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River · Producer
- Electrocuting an Elephant · Producer
- Skiing Scene in Quebec · Producer
- Cutting and Canaling Ice · Executive producer
- Arrival of the Governor General, Lord Minto, at Quebec · Producer
- Pan-American Exposition by Night · Producer
- The Trick Cyclist · Producer
- President McKinley Taking the Oath · Producer
- 2nd Special Service Battalion, Canadian Infantry, Parade and Embarkation · Producer
- New York Police Parade, June 1st, 1899 · Producer
- Bicycle Trick Riding, No. 2 · Producer
- General Lee's Procession, Havana · Producer
- Parade of Marines, U.S. Cruiser, 'Brooklyn' · Producer
- Little Mischief · Executive producer
- The Passion Play of Oberammergau · Producer
- Alciede Capitane · Producer
- Rescue - Resuscitation · Producer
- Launch of Surf Boat · Producer
- Launch of Life Boat · Producer
- Capsize of Lifeboat · Producer
- Admiral Cigarette · Producer
- Mr. Edison at Work in His Chemical Laboratory
- Pillow Fight · Executive producer, Producer
- Serpentine Dance - Annabelle · Producer
- American Falls, from Incline R.R. · Producer
- American Falls from Above, American Side · Executive producer
- Cock Fight · Producer
- Starting for the Fire · Producer
- East Side Drive, No. 1 · Executive producer
- Fatima's Coochee-Coochee Dance · Producer