1922 in film

Last updated October 14, 2025

This is an overview of 1922 in film, including significant events, a list of films released and notable births and deaths.

Top-grossing films (U.S.)

The top ten films released in 1922 by U.S. gross are as follows:

Highest-grossing films of 1922
Rank	Title	Distributor	Domestic rentals
1	Robin Hood	United Artists	$2,101,044^[1]
2	Blood and Sand	Paramount	$1,250,000^[2]
3	Manslaughter	Paramount	$1,206,014^[3]
4	Grandma's Boy	Pathé Exchange	$1,100,000^[2]
5	Smilin' Through	First National	$1,000,000^[2]
6	Saturday Night	Paramount	$753,807^[3]
7	Rags to Riches	Warner Bros.	$418,000^[4]
8	Heroes of the Street		$366,000^[4]
9	The Beautiful and Damned		$327,000^[4]
10	Your Best Friend		$132,000^[4]

Events

June 11 – United States première of Robert J. Flaherty's Nanook of the North , the first commercially successful feature length documentary film.
November 26 – The Toll of the Sea , starring Anna May Wong and Kenneth Harlan, debuts as the first general release film to use two-tone Technicolor ( The Gulf Between was the first film to do so but it was not widely distributed).

Notable films released in 1922

United States unless stated

A

At the Sign of the Jack O'Lantern (lost), directed by Lloyd Ingraham, based on the 1905 novel by Myrtle Reed ^[5]

B

The Bachelor Daddy (lost), directed by Alfred E. Green, starring Thomas Meighan
The Beautiful and Damned (lost), directed by William A. Seiter, starring Marie Prevost
Beauty's Worth , directed by Robert G. Vignola, starring Marion Davies
Beyond the Rocks , directed by Sam Wood, starring Gloria Swanson and Rudolph Valentino
A Bill of Divorcement , directed by Denison Clift, starring Constance Binney and Fay Compton – (GB)
The Blacksmith , directed by Mal St. Clair and Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton
A Blind Bargain (lost), directed by Wallace Worsley, starring Lon Chaney, based on the 1897 novel The Octive of Claudius by Barry Pain ^[5]
Blood and Sand , directed by Fred Niblo, starring Rudolph Valentino, Lila Lee and Nita Naldi
The Bohemian Girl , directed by Harley Knoles, Starring Ivor Novello and Gladys Cooper – (GB)
The Bride's Play , directed by George Terwilliger, starring Marion Davies
The Burning Soil (Der brennende Acker), directed by F. W. Murnau – (Germany)

C

The Card , directed by A. V. Bramble – (GB)
Clarence (lost), directed by William C. deMille, starring Wallace Reid, Agnes Ayres and May McAvoy
Cocaine , directed by Graham Cutts – (GB)
Cops , directed by Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton
Crainquebille (Coster Bill of Paris), directed by Jacques Feyder – (France)

D

A Dangerous Adventure , 15-part serial directed by Sam Warner and Jack L. Warner, starring Grace Darmond
Danse Macabre, directed by Dudley Murphy ^[6]
Day Dreams , directed by Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, Starring Buster Keaton and Renée Adorée
A Debt of Honour , directed by Maurice Elvey, starring Isobel Elsom and Clive Brook – (GB)
The Dictator (lost), directed by James Cruze, starring Wallace Reid and Lila Lee
Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler (Dr. Mabuse the Gambler), directed by Fritz Lang, starring Rudolf Klein-Rogge, based on the 1921 novel by Norbert Jacques ^[7] – (Germany)
Dr. Jack , directed by Fred C. Newmeyer, starring Harold Lloyd
Don Juan et Faust, directed by Marcel L'Herbier, based on an 1828 play by Christian Dietrich Grabbe ^[7] – (France)
The Dungeon (lost), written and directed by Oscar Micheaux ^[8]

E

Estrellita del Cine, directed by José Nepomuceno ^[9] – (Philippines)
The Electric House , directed by Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton
Esmeralda (lost), directed by Edwin J. Collins, starring Sybil Thorndike, based on the 1831 novel The Hunchback of Notre-Dame by Victor Hugo – (GB)

N

Nanook of the North , a documentary directed by Robert J. Flaherty
Nathan the Wise (Nathan der Weise), directed by Manfred Noa – (Germany)
Nice People (lost), directed by William C. deMille, starring Wallace Reid, Bebe Daniels and Conrad Nagel
Nosferatu – Eine Symphonie des Grauens (Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror), directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Max Schreck, based on the 1897 novel Dracula by Bram Stoker without authorization – (Germany)
Number 13 (lost), directed by Alfred Hitchcock – (GB)

O

Oliver Twist , directed by Frank Lloyd, starring Jackie Coogan and Lon Chaney
One Exciting Night , written and directed by D. W. Griffith
One Glorious Day (lost), directed by James Cruze, starring Will Rogers and Lila Lee

P

The Paleface , directed by Edward F. Cline and Buster Keaton, starring Buster Keaton
Pay Day , a Charles Chaplin short
Peg o' My Heart , directed by King Vidor, starring Laurette Taylor
Phantom , directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Alfred Abel, Lil Dagover and Lya De Putti – (Germany)
Polikushka (Поликушка), directed by Alexander Sanin – (U.S.S.R.)
The Primitive Lover , directed by Sidney Franklin, starring Constance Talmadge and Harrison Ford
The Prisoner of Zenda , directed by Rex Ingram, starring Lewis Stone and Alice Terry

R

Rags to Riches , directed by Wallace Worsley, starring Wesley Barry
Rent Free (lost), directed by Howard Higgin, starring Wallace Reid and Lila Lee
Robin Hood , directed by Allan Dwan, starring Douglas Fairbanks and Wallace Beery
Rob Roy , directed by W. P. Kellino – (GB)

S

Saturday Night , directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Leatrice Joy and Conrad Nagel
The Scarlet Letter , directed by Challis Sanderson, starring Sybil Thorndike – (GB)
Shadows , directed by Tom Forman, starring Lon Chaney, Marguerite De La Motte and Harrison Ford
Sherlock Holmes , directed by Albert Parker, starring John Barrymore, based on the 1899 stage play by William Gillette and Arthur Conan Doyle – (GB)
Smilin' Through , directed by Sidney Franklin, starring Norma Talmadge
Sodom and Gomorrah , directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Lucy Doraine – (Austria)
La Souriante Madame Beudet (The Smiling Madame Beudet), directed by Germaine Dulac – (France)
Squibs Wins the Calcutta Sweep , directed by George Pearson, starring Betty Balfour – (GB)
The Suram Fortress (Suramis tsikhe), directed by Ivan Perestiani – (U.S.S.R.)

T

Tess of the Storm Country , directed by John S. Robertson, starring Mary Pickford
The Three Must-Get-Theres , a Max Linder film
The Toll of the Sea , directed by Chester M. Franklin, starring Anna May Wong

W

What's Wrong with the Women? (lost), directed by Roy William Neill, starring Constance Bennett
When Knighthood Was in Flower , directed by Robert G. Vignola, starring Marion Davies
Wildness of Youth , directed by Ivan Abramson

Y

The Young Diana (lost), directed by Albert Capellani and Robert G. Vignola, starring Marion Davies
The Young Rajah . directed by Phil Rosen, starring Rudolph Valentino
Your Best Friend , written and directed by William Nigh, starring Vera Gordon

Short film series

Charlie Chaplin (1914–1923)
Buster Keaton (1917–1941)
Laurel and Hardy (1921–1943)
Our Gang (1922–1944)

Animated short film series

Felix the Cat (1919–1936)
Koko the Clown (1919–1963)
Aesop's Film Fables (1921–1934)

Births

January 2 – Jason Evers, American actor (died 2005)
January 3 – Bill Travers, British actor, screenwriter, director and animal rights activist (died 1994)
January 10 – Hannelore Schroth, German actress (died 1987)
January 13 – Albert Lamorisse, French filmmaker, film producer and writer (died 1970)
January 16 – Irene Vernon, American actress (died 1998)
January 17 – Betty White, American actress and comedian (died 2021)
January 19 – Guy Madison, American actor (died 1996)
January 20 – Ray Anthony, American bandleader, trumpeter, songwriter and actor
January 21
- Telly Savalas, Greek-American actor (died 1994)
- Paul Scofield, English actor (died 2008)
January 31
- Joanne Dru, American actress (died 1996)
- William Sylvester, American actor (died 1995)
February 3 – Ulf Johanson, Swedish actor (died 1990)
February 4
- William Edward Phipps, American actor and producer (died 2018)
- Qin Yi, Chinese actress (died 2022)
February 6 – Patrick Macnee, British-American actor (died 2015)
February 7 – Hattie Jacques, English actress (died 1980)
February 8 – Audrey Meadows, American actress (died 1996)
February 9 – Kathryn Grayson, American actress and coloratura soprano (died 2010)
February 24 – Steven Hill, American actor (died 2016)
February 26 – Margaret Leighton, English actress (died 1976)
March 5 – Pier Paolo Pasolini, Italian poet, writer, film director, actor and playwright (died 1975)
March 8 – Cyd Charisse, American dancer and actress (died 2008)
March 20 – Carl Reiner, American actor, author, comedian, director and screenwriter (died 2020)
March 21 – Russ Meyer, American filmmaker (died 2004)
March 23 – Ugo Tognazzi, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (died 1990)
March 31
- Richard Kiley, American actor and singer (died 1999)
- Patrick Magee, Irish actor (died 1982)
April 3 – Doris Day, American actress and singer (died 2019)^[14]
April 4
- Elmer Bernstein, American composer and conductor (died 2004)
- Alexandra Myšková, Czech-born Norwegian actress, director and theatre teacher
April 5 – Gale Storm, American actress and singer (died 2009)
April 7 – Margia Dean, American beauty queen and actress (died 2023)
April 15 – Michael Ansara, Syrian‐American actor (died 2013)
April 18 – Barbara Hale, American actress (died 2017)^[15]
April 24 – J. D. Cannon, American actor (died 2005)
April 26 – Mike Kellin, American actor (died 1983)
April 27 – Jack Klugman, American actor (died 2012)
May 2 – Roscoe Lee Browne, American actor and director (died 2007)
May 7
- Rolands Kalniņš, Latvian film director, screenwriter and producer (died 2022)
- Darren McGavin, American actor (died 2006)
May 10 – Nancy Walker, American actress (died 1992)
May 12 - Murray Gershenz, American character actor and entrepreneur (died 2013)
May 13 - Truus Dekker, Dutch actress (died 2022)
May 14
- Richard Deacon, American actor (died 1984)
- Terence Longdon, English actor (died 2011)
May 17 - Wei Wei, Chinese actress (died 2023)
May 18 - Bill Macy, American actor (died 2019)
May 25 - Syd Heylen, Australian character actor and comedian (died 1996)
May 27 – Christopher Lee, English actor and singer (died 2015)^[16]
May 31 – Denholm Elliott, English actor (died 1992)
June 1
- Joan Caulfield, American actress and model (died 1991)
- Joan Copeland, American actress (died 2022)
June 9 – George Axelrod, American screenwriter and producer (died 2003)
June 10
- Judy Garland, American actress and singer (died 1969)^[17]
- Bill Kerr, British-Australian actor, comedian and vaudevillian (died 2014)
June 16 – Frances Rafferty, American actress, dancer, World War II pin-up girl and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player (died 2004)
June 22 – Mona Lisa, Filipino actress (died 2019)
June 26 – Eleanor Parker, American actress (died 2013)
June 28 - Erik Bauersfeld, American radio dramatist and voice actor (died 2016)
July 6 – William Schallert, American character actor (died 2016)
July 9 - Manos Zacharias, Greek film director, cinematographer and actor
July 11 – Gene Evans, American actor (died 1998)
July 19 - Bess Meisler, American actress
July 21 – Demeter Bitenc, Slovenian actor (died 2018)
July 23 - Sydney Lassick, American character actor (died 2003)
July 26
- Blake Edwards, American filmmaker, producer, and screenwriter (died 2010)
- Jason Robards, American actor (died 2000)
July 27
- Adolfo Celi, Italian film actor and director (died 1986)
- Norman Lear, American screenwriter and producer (died 2023)
August 1
- Arthur Hill, Canadian actor (died 2006)
- Paul Lambert, American character actor (died 1997)
August 8 – Rory Calhoun, American actor (died 1999)
August 15 - Boris Sichkin, Soviet-American film actor, dancer, choreographer, composer and entertainer (died 2002)
August 22 – Micheline Presle, French actress (died 2024)
August 25 - Gloria Dea, American actress, dancer, artist, and magician (died 2023)
September 1
- Vittorio Gassman, Italian actor, director, and screenwriter (died 2000)
- Yvonne De Carlo, Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer (died 2007)
September 6 – Elizabeth Lawrence, American actress (died 2000)
September 8
- Sid Caesar, American comic actor and comedian (died 2014)
- Annabel Maule, British actress
September 10 – Barbara Chilcott, Canadian actress (died 2022)
September 14 – Michel Auclair, European actor (died 1988)
September 15 – Jackie Cooper, American actor and director (died 2011)
September 16
- Guy Hamilton, English film director (died 2016)
- Janis Paige, American actress and singer (died 2024)
September 23 – Louise Latham, American actress (died 2018)
September 24
- Bert I. Gordon, American film director, producer, screenwriter, and visual effects artist (died 2023)
- Theresa Merritt, American actress (died 1998)
September 29 – Lizabeth Scott, American actress, singer, and model for the Walter Thornton Model Agency (died 2015)
October 5 – Woodrow Parfrey, American actor (died 1984)
October 7 – Martha Stewart, American actress (died 2021)
October 8 – Eileen Essell, English actress (died 2015)
October 9 - Fyvush Finkel, American actor and director (died 2016)
October 20 – John Anderson, American character actor (died 1992)
October 23 – Coleen Gray, American actress (died 2015)
October 27 – Ruby Dee, American actress (died 2014)
October 28 - Jack Murdock, American actor (died 2001)
October 31 – Barbara Bel Geddes, American actress, artist and children's author (died 2005)
November 3 - George Morrison, Irish director of documentary films (died 2025)
November 9 – Dorothy Dandridge, American actress and singer (died 1965)
November 12 – Kim Hunter, American actress (died 2002)
November 13
- Madeleine Sherwood, Canadian actress (died 2016)
- Oskar Werner, Austrian actor (died 1984)
November 14 – Veronica Lake, American actress (died 1973)
November 15 – Francesco Rosi, Italian film director and screenwriter (died 2015)
November 16 – Royal Dano, American actor (died 1994)
November 17 - Ted Beniades, American character actor (died 2014)
November 22 – Lynne Roberts, American actress (died 1978)
November 26 – Adam Williams, American actor (died 2006)
November 27 - Jacqueline White, American former actress
November 29 – Laurie Main, Australian actor (died 2012)
December 2
- Don Fellows, American actor (died 2007)
- Leo Gordon, American actor and screenplay writer (died 2000)
December 3 - Len Lesser, American character actor (died 2011)
December 4 – Gérard Philipe, French actor (died 1959)
December 9 – Redd Foxx, American stand-up comedian and actor (died 1991)
December 11 – Dilip Kumar, Indian actor and film producer (died 2021)
December 21 – Paul Winchell, American ventriloquist, comedian, actor, humanitarian, and inventor (died 2005)
December 22 – Ruth Roman, American actress (died 1999)
December 24 – Ava Gardner, American actress (died 1990)
December 26 – Alfred Dennis, American actor (died 2016)
December 28
- Ivan Desny, French actor (died 2002)
- Stan Lee, American comic-book, editor, publisher and producer (died 2018)

Deaths

February 1 – William Desmond Taylor, film director, victim of an unsolved and widely publicised murder which provoked a great scandal. (born 1872)
February 4 – Florence Deshon, American actress (born 1893)
March 4 – Bert Williams, American actor and singer (born 1874)
May 21 – Sidney Ainsworth, actor (born 1872)
May 26 – Walter Jones, American actor (b.1874)
June 6 – Lillian Russell, stage and screen actress (born 1860/61)
June 15 – Howard Crampton, actor (born 1865)
July 5 – Bobby Connelly, child star (born 1909)
September 23 – W. Chrystie Miller, veteran stage & screen actor (born 1843)
November 30 – René Cresté, actor and director (born 1881)

Film debuts

Fortunio Bonanova – Don Juan Tenorio
Clara Bow – Beyond the Rainbow
Elga Brink – Lust for Life
Betty Bronson – Anna Ascends
Lon Chaney Jr. – The Trap
Lili Damita – L'Empereur des pauvres
Alfredo del Diestro – María
Marfa Dhervilly – Prix de beauté
Ann Doran – Robin Hood
Louise Dresser – The Glory of Clementina
James Gleason – Polly of the Follies
William Haines – Brothers Under the Skin
Jeanne Helbling – Les Roquevillard
Edward Everett Horton – Too Much Business
Ursula Jeans – A Gipsy Cavalier
Hazel Keener – Penrod
Walter Kingsford – Sherlock Holmes
Frederick Leister – The Glorious Adventure
Gene Lockhart – Smilin' Through
Anita Louise – Down to the Sea in Ships
Jeanne Loury – Triplepatte
Arlette Marchal – Mon p'tit
Garry Marsh – Long Odds
George O'Brien – White Hands
William Powell – Sherlock Holmes
Emma Roldán – María
David Sharpe – Sherlock Holmes
Anne Shirley – The Hidden Woman
Valeska Stock – Der Bekannte Unbekannte
Norma Varden – The Glorious Adventure
Warren William – The Town That Forgot God
Ian Wilson – A Master of Craft
Roland Young – Sherlock Holmes

References

↑ Solomon, Aubrey (2014). The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. ISBN 978-0-7864-8160-6. Ultimately, Robin Hood was enormously profitable with its $2,101,044 domestic rentals on a cost of $930,043.
1 2 3 Quigley Publishing Company "The All Time Best Sellers", International Motion Picture Almanac 1937–38 (1938) p 942 accessed January 28, 2017
1 2 Birchard, Robert S. (2004). Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. p. 120. ISBN 0-813-12324-0.
1 2 3 4 Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 1 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551
1 2 Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 245. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
↑ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 246. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
1 2 Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 247. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
↑ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 248. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
↑ "Estrellita del Cine (1922)". IMDb.
1 2 Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 249. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
1 2 Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 250. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
↑ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 252. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
↑ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.
↑ "Doris Day, legendary singer and actress, dies at 97". NBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
↑ "Obituary: Barbara Hale". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
↑ "Obituary: Sir Christopher Lee". BBC News. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2019.
↑ "Judy Garland | American singer and actress". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

External links

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[FoxFilmBook-1] Solomon, Aubrey (2014). The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. ISBN 978-0-7864-8160-6. Ultimately, Robin Hood was enormously profitable with its $2,101,044 domestic rentals on a cost of $930,043.

[quig-2] 1 2 3 Quigley Publishing Company "The All Time Best Sellers", International Motion Picture Almanac 1937–38 (1938) p 942 accessed January 28, 2017

[birchard-3] 1 2 Birchard, Robert S. (2004). Cecil B. DeMille's Hollywood. University Press of Kentucky. p. 120. ISBN 0-813-12324-0.

[warners-4] 1 2 3 4 Warner Bros financial information in The William Schaefer Ledger. See Appendix 1, Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, (1995) 15:sup1, 1-31 p 1 DOI: 10.1080/01439689508604551

[Workman,_Christopher_2016_p._245-5] 1 2 Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 245. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

[6] Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 246. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

[Workman,_Christopher_2016_p._247-7] 1 2 Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 247. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

[8] Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 248. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

[9] "Estrellita del Cine (1922)". IMDb.

[Workman,_Christopher_2016_p._249-10] 1 2 Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 249. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

[Workman,_Christopher_2016_p._250-11] 1 2 Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 250. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

[12] Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 252. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

[13] Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 253. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

[14] "Doris Day, legendary singer and actress, dies at 97". NBC News. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

[15] "Obituary: Barbara Hale". The Irish Times. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

[16] "Obituary: Sir Christopher Lee". BBC News. 11 June 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

[17] "Judy Garland | American singer and actress". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 13 May 2019.

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