( David Wark Griffith 1875–1948)
the leading US director of silent films. He is remembered especially for making films on a large scale, using grand scenery and many actors. These included The Birth of a Nation (1915), Intolerance (1916) and Broken Blossoms (1919). In 1919 Griffith, together with Mary Pickford , Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplin , established the independent film production company United Artists . He later made two sound films, and received a special Oscar in 1936.