David Horsley facts for kids

David Horsley (born March 11, 1873 – died February 23, 1933) was an important English pioneer in the early film industry. He started the Centaur Film Company. He also founded its West Coast branch, the Nestor Film Company. This company set up the very first film studio in Hollywood in 1911.

David Horsley: A Film Pioneer

David Horsley was born in Stanley, County Durham, a place in northern England. His family moved to Bayonne, New Jersey in 1884. As a young man, he started a bicycle business. He also ran a pool hall.

Starting in the Film Business

While in New Jersey, David met Charles Gorman, who used to work for Biograph Studios. With his brother, William Horsley, they decided to start their own company. They formed the Centaur Film Company. By 1910, their company was making three films every week! This included the funny Mutt and Jeff comedies.

David and William Horsley, along with other independent filmmakers, faced a big challenge. Thomas Edison's Motion Picture Patents Company tried to control the entire film industry. It was like a monopoly, meaning they wanted to be the only ones making films. But the Horsley brothers and others successfully fought against this control.

Moving to Sunny Hollywood

Filming on the East Coast was difficult because of the weather. Early cameras needed a lot of sunshine to work well. David Horsley realized that California had sunny weather all year round. This made it perfect for making movies. So, he decided to move his film operations to the West Coast.

A group photo from Nestor Films, showing Horsley and his son during a Western movie shoot.

In the fall of 1911, the Nestor Motion Picture Company opened the first movie studio in Hollywood. It was located in the Blondeau Tavern building. This was at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Gower Street. Among the first movies ever filmed in Hollywood was one shot on October 26, 1911. It was filmed in the orchards of H. J. Whitley's estate.

Al Christie worked with Horsley as the general manager for Christie Comedies. Charles Rosher was the studio's full-time cameraman. Other film companies from the East Coast soon saw how successful Horsley was. They quickly followed his lead and moved to Hollywood too.

Joining Universal Studios and Later Life

In April 1912, a new company called the Universal Film Manufacturing Company was created. David Horsley and other small studios joined together. They received shares in Universal as payment for their businesses. Horsley got a lot of money in stock from the new company. He was also made the company's treasurer.

However, things did not stay peaceful for long. In 1913, Horsley sold his share of Universal to Carl Laemmle. David Horsley became a wealthy man. He then traveled to his birthplace in England and explored other parts of Europe.

After returning to California, David Horsley tried a new business. He invested in an exotic animal show, but it did not do well. He then went back into the movie business. He started David Horsley Studios. He even used the animals from his failed show to create the Bostock Jungle Films Company. By 1917, he had set up his new operations in Los Angeles. However, a series of problems caused him to lose all his money. He ended up in debt.

David Horsley passed away in Los Angeles. He is buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood. His son, David Stanley Horsley (1906–1976), became a cinematographer. He was an expert in special effects photography. He worked in the film industry for almost thirty years.