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Cullen Landis (July 9, 1896 – August 26, 1975) was an American motion picture actor and director whose career began in the early years of the silent film era. James Cullen Landis was the middle of two sons and a daughter raised by Lulan and Margaret (née Cullen) Landis. He was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, where his father supported his family as a stock broker. Landis began working in the fledgling film industry at the age of eighteen around the time his older sister, Margaret Landis, appeared in her first film. In 1928 Cullen Landis starred in the first ‘all talking’... MORE

Cullen Landis (July 9, 1896 – August 26, 1975) was an American motion picture actor and director whose career began in the early years of the silent film era. James Cullen Landis was the middle of two sons and a daughter raised by Lulan and Margaret (née Cullen) Landis. He was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, where his father supported his family as a stock broker. Landis began working in the fledgling film industry at the age of eighteen around the time his older sister, Margaret Landis, appeared in her first film. In 1928 Cullen Landis starred in the first ‘all talking’ motion picture, Lights of New York. He once confided in a friend that talkies were perfect for musicals and that he was no "song and dance man". He left Hollywood for Detroit in 1930 to produce and direct industrial films for automobile companies. Landis began as a movie director, only turning to acting after his lead player broke a leg and it was discovered that the actor’s costumes fit him. Landis went on to become one of the more popular lead actors of the silent era, appearing in some one hundred films over fourteen years. As a boy Landis was a train enthusiast and dreamed to be an railroad LESS