and
Elaine Hammerstein, 1919 Born in
New York City,
New York to a well-to-do family, Crosland attended
Dartmouth College. After graduation, he took a job as a writer with the
New York Globe magazine. Interested in the theatre, he began acting on stage, appearing in several productions with
Shakespearian actress
Annie Russell. Crosland began his career in the
motion picture industry in 1912 at
Edison Studios in
The Bronx,
New York, where he worked at various jobs for two years until he had learned the business sufficiently well to begin directing
short films. By 1917, he was directing feature-length films and in 1920 directed
Olive Thomas in
The Flapper, one of her final films before her death in September of that year. In 1925, Crosland was working for
Jesse L. Lasky's film production company
Famous Players–Lasky (later
Paramount Pictures) when he was hired by
Warner Bros. to work at their
Hollywood studios. He had directed several
silent films for Warner's including directing
Don Juan starring
John Barrymore in 1926. It was the first feature-length film with synchronized
Vitaphone sound effects and musical
soundtrack, though it has no spoken dialogue. He was chosen to direct
Al Jolson in
The Jazz Singer (1927). The film would make him famous as the first of the new
talkies that changed the course of motion pictures. ==Death==