Fred Niblo

Fred Niblo, born Frederick Liedtke, was an American early film actor, director and producer. He began his career performing in vaudeville. He travelled the world performing in theater. He stared in his first films in Australia in 1916 while in Australia. He worked as a Hollywood director on films including The Mark of Zorro (1920) and Ben-Hur (1925). While he successfully transitioned to sound films, he retired in 1933. He had made more than 40 films during the last 16 years of his career. Niblo was one of the original founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.