- Born Name: Thomas Harper Ince
- Birthday: 1882-11-06 (Year-Month-Day)
- Website:
- Spouse(s): Elinor "Nell" Kershaw (married: 1907 - 1924)
- Children:
- Medium: studio mogul, producer, director, screenwriter, actor
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Thomas H. Ince, (Redirected from Thomas Harper Ince) Thomas Harper Ince (November 6, 1882 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer of more than 100 films and pioneering studio mogul. Known as the Father of the Western, he invented many mechanisms of professional movie production, introducing early Hollywood to the assembly line system of film making. His screenplay The Italian (1915) was preserved by the United States National Film Registry, as was his film Civilization (1916). He was a partner with D.W. Griffith and Mack Sennett in the Triangle Motion Picture Company, and built his own studios in Culver City, which later became the legendary home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. He is also known for his death aboard the yacht of William Randolph Hearst; officially he died of heart trouble, but Hollywood rumor of the time suggested he had been shot by Hearst in a dispute over actress Marion Davies.