About Charles Ashton, A British Silent Film Star

Charles Ashton starred in more than 20 British silent films between 1920-29, including: the first film versions of The Monkey’s Paw (1923); Ibsen’s Pillars of Society (1920), and Kitty (1929), which was based on Warwick Deeping’s novel of the same name, and was one of first films to be released in both silent and sound versions.

This still shows the film crew for The Head of the Family (1922) with Charles Ashton, in costume, on the right.

Of the twenty-two films starring Charles Ashton, several have survived and are held in the British Film Institute’s National Film Archive.  His filmography can be viewed at: http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/25870?view=credit

Charles worked with four well known UK silent film directors from the 1920s, Manning Haynes, Maurice Elvey, Walter West, and Victor Saville, and with film actors who were either established stage actors or at the start of their film careers in the 1920s.  He also worked with popular film celebrities like John Stuart, Estelle Brody, Fay Compton, Irene Rooke, Moore Marriott, and Norman McKinnel.

If you would like to know more about his films and the people he worked with, then please take time to look at this blog as it develops.  If you can help with further information about his films, the actors and the film crews then do get in touch.  I will be more than happy to update the blog with new information.

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