Jacques Jaccard


Jacques Jaccard was an American film director, writer and actor whose achievements in cinema were mostly in silent film. He directed 86 films and wrote scripts for 80. The best-known of his films as a director was The Diamond from the Sky.

Biography

Jaccard told reporters he was born in New York City and educated in France. He moved back to the U.S. around 1913 and began a career as an actor and assistant director, specializing in western and action films at Universal early on. In the mid-1920s, after returning from serving in World War I, he began working for lower-rent studios such as Goodwill Pictures, Syndicate Pictures, and Arrow Pictures.
When movies with sound became popular, Jaccard's career went downhill. He directed his last film, Señor Jim, in 1936. After that, he worked as a screenwriter and dialogue director. In 1940, he rejoined Universal's serial department as a dialogue coach, working on serials such as Gang Busters and Adventures of the Flying Cadets. Jaccard retired in 1944 and died in Los Angeles in 1960.
Jaccard married Helen Leslie, an actress. He was also briefly married to Catherine Dirking. The pair divorced in 1933.

Selected filmography

Desert Guns Rio Grande Ranger Senor Jim The Hawk One Splendid Hour Montmartre Rose