Person
Justus D. Barnes
Little Falls, New York, USA
Justus D. Barnes (October 2, 1862 – February 6, 1946), named George Barnes in some sources, was an American stage and film actor. He is best known for his role in the 1903 silent…
IMDbKnown for
Popular titles
Biography
A closer look
Read full biography
Justus D. Barnes (October 2, 1862 – February 6, 1946), named George Barnes in some sources, was an American stage and film actor. He is best known for his role in the 1903 silent short The Great Train Robbery, which the American Film Institute and many film historians and critics recognize as the production that first established the Western genre, setting a new "narrative standard" in the motion picture industry. Barnes was born in Little Falls, New York. He was a veteran stage actor before he made his screen debut in 1903 in The Great Train Robbery. In that film's memorable ending, Barnes points his pistol at the camera and slowly fires all six shots at the viewer. The Great Train Robbery became one of the most successful and best known commercial films of the early silent era. In July 1908, Barnes was hired as an actor in the stock company of the Edison Manufacturing Company, the film production company owned by Thomas Edison. In 1910, he signed on with the Thanhouser Company in New Rochelle, New York. Between 1910 and 1917, Justus appeared in more than seventy films for the Thanhouser, usually in the role of a villain. He played Ham Peggotty in David Copperfield, the earliest known film adaption of the 1850 novel by Charles Dickens. He also played supporting roles in Nicholas Nickleby (1912), Aurora Floyd (1912), and A Dog of Flanders (1914). In 1917, he was released from the Thanhouser Company due to the company's financial issues. Barnes made his final onscreen appearance for the Edison Studio in Cy Whittaker's Ward, in 1917. After retiring from acting, Barnes moved to Weedsport, New York, where he worked as a milkman. He later owned a cigar store. Barnes died on February 6, 1946, in Weedsport at the age of 83. He is buried in Weedsport Rural Cemetery, in Weedsport, New York.
Filmography
Movies and shows, newest first
-
1917
Cy Whittaker's Ward
Movie Simmons
-
1917
It Happened to Adele
Movie Vincent's Uncle
-
1917
The Candy Girl
Movie Officer Quinn
-
1917
Her Life and His
Movie Political Boss
-
1915
Mr. Meeson's Will
Movie Mr. Meeson
-
1915
Weary Walker's Woes
Movie Lawyer
-
1915
From the River's Depths
Movie William Hewins - Dorothy's Father
-
1915
The Marvelous Marathoner
Movie Ewing Webster
-
1915
His Two Patients
Movie The Blacksmith
-
1915
Old Jane of the Gaiety
Movie
-
1915
The Country Girl
Movie The Squire, her Guardian
-
1915
God's Witness
Movie Judge
-
1915
The Heart of the Princess Marsari
Movie Paul's Wealthy Uncle
-
1915
Love and Money
Movie American Suitor's Father
-
1914
A Dog of Flanders
Movie The Rich Miller
-
1914
A Debut in the Secret Service
Movie Abdul
More credits
-
1914
Their Best Friend
Movie Jack's Father
-
1914
The Dancer
Movie N.Z. Wood
- 1914
-
1913
Peggy's Invitation
Movie
-
1913
Uncle's Namesakes
Movie
-
1913
The Farmer's Daughters
Movie Father
-
1913
When the Studio Burned
Movie Director
- 1913
-
1912
Star of Bethlehem
Movie Mage Gaspar
-
1912
The Voice of Conscience
Movie Doctor
-
1912
When a Count Counted
Movie W.T. Wilson, Attorney at Law
-
1912
Cousins
Movie Father on Farm
-
1912
The Portrait of Lady Anne
Movie Lady Anne's Father in 1770
-
1912
Nicholas Nickleby
Movie Uncle Ralph
-
1911
David Copperfield
Movie Ham Peggotty (in part one)
-
1911
A Circus Stowaway
Movie Ringmaster
-
1910
Young Lord Stanley
Movie the girl's father
-
1903
The Great Train Robbery
Movie Bandit Who Fires at Camera (uncredited)
