Thomas A. Edison
ProductionThomas 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
Naqoyqatsi
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
Self (voice) (archive footage)
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
Self (archive footage)
The Extraordinary Voyage
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Okay for Sound
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
Self (archive footage)
Murnau, Borzage and Fox
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter
Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Golden Twenties
Self (archive footage)
The Crash of 1929
Self (archive footage)
Filmography — Acting
Naqoyqatsi
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Making Waves: The Art of Cinematic Sound
Self (voice) (archive footage)
The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley
Self (archive footage)
The Extraordinary Voyage
Self - Filmmaker (archive footage)
Okay for Sound
Star Power: The Creation Of United Artists
Self (archive footage)
Murnau, Borzage and Fox
Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Before the Nickelodeon: The Cinema of Edwin S. Porter
Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Golden Twenties
Self (archive footage)
The Crash of 1929
Self (archive footage)
The Shadow of Hate: A History of Intolerance in America
Self (archive footage)
The Film That Was Lost
Self (archive footage)
Edison
Himself (archive footage)
Meeting of the Motion Pictures Patents Company
Himself
Edison: The Invention of the Movies
Himself (archive footage)
Mr. Edison at Work in His Chemical Laboratory
A Day with Thomas A. Edison
Self
Guests at the Presentation of Kodacolor at the Home of Mr. George Eastman, Rochester, N.Y.
Filmography — Crew
Frankenstein
Producer
Blacksmithing Scene
Producer
The Patchwork Girl of Oz
Producer
The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots
Producer
Sioux Ghost Dance
Producer
Annie Oakley
Producer
The Trick Cyclist
Producer
Pan-American Exposition by Night
Producer
Lucia di Lammermoor
Producer
Early Edison Camera Tests
Producer
Votes for Women
Producer
The Passion Play of Oberammergau
Producer
The Musical Blacksmiths
Producer
The Old Violin
Producer
Parsifal
Producer
Meeting of the Motion Pictures Patents Company
Producer
The Birth of the Telephone
Producer
A Jewish Dance at Jerusalem
Producer
Starting for the Fire
Producer
President McKinley Taking the Oath
Producer
Chicago-Michigan Football Game
Producer
Jack's Joke
Producer
Imperial Japanese Dance
Producer
The Irish Policeman
Producer
The Politician
Producer
Her Redemption
Producer
Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)
Producer
Arrival of the Governor General, Lord Minto, at Quebec
Producer
Andrew Carnegie
Producer
Serpentine Dance - Annabelle
Producer
Parade of Marines, U.S. Cruiser, 'Brooklyn'
Producer
Fatima's Coochee-Coochee Dance
Producer
Cock Fight
Producer
Julius Caesar
Producer
Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association Championships
Producer
Electrocuting an Elephant
Producer
Skiing Scene in Quebec
Producer
Launch of Life Boat
Producer
General Lee's Procession, Havana
Producer
Rescue - Resuscitation
Producer
A Minstrel Show
Producer
American Falls, from Incline R.R.
Producer
The Deaf Mute
Producer
Canoeing on the Charles River, Boston, Mass.
Producer
Capsize of Lifeboat
Producer
Corbett and Courtney Before the Kinetograph
Producer
Nursery Favorites
Producer
Admiral Cigarette
Producer
Indian War Council
Producer
Censorship and Its Absurdities
Producer
The Comet
Director
The Five Bachelors
Producer
Alciede Capitane
Producer
The Edison Kinetophone
Producer
New York Police Parade, June 1st, 1899
Producer
Launch of Surf Boat
Producer
Bicycle Trick Riding, No. 2
Producer
Skyscrapers of New York City, from the North River
Producer
The Old Guard
Producer
2nd Special Service Battalion, Canadian Infantry, Parade and Embarkation
Producer