Francis Boggs Olcott was a prolific silent film director, born to Irish immigrant parents. He began his career as an actor on the New York stage and later appeared in films for Mutoscope in 1904. After working his way up to general manager of Biograph, he was lured away to a rival company and started directing features for Kalem by 1907.
However, his time at Kalem was marked by controversy. In 1907, he directed the film Ben Hur, which was filmed in blatant disregard of copyright. The publishers and the estate of author Lew Wallace sued Kalem for $25,000, and the lawsuit dragged on for four years.
Despite this, Olcott continued to direct films for Kalem, including shooting on location in Jacksonville, Florida, and Ireland. He also became the first filmmaker to shoot on location overseas, traveling to Egypt and Palestine to film the life of Christ in From the Manger to the Cross (1912). The film was a huge success for Kalem, but a dispute over Olcott's salary led to his name being removed from the credits, and he subsequently resigned.
After leaving Kalem, Olcott signed with Famous Players Lasky (which later became Paramount) in 1915. He went on to direct some of the studio's biggest stars, including Mary Pickford, Gloria Swanson, Norma Talmadge, and Rudolph Valentino, until his retirement in 1927.
