---
name: "Edwin S. Porter"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/edwin-s-porter"
fi1m_id: "edwin-s-porter"
imdb_id: "nm0692105"
tmdb_id: 44866
wikidata_id: "Q347864"
roles: ["Producer","Director"]
born: "21 April 1870"
died: "30 April 1941"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 1
average_as: "producer"
average_over: 0
updated: "2026-09-24T23:23:27.192425+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Edwin S. Porter

## Identity

Edwin S. Porter

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/edwin-s-porter
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** edwin-s-porter
- **IMDb ID:** nm0692105
- **TMDB ID:** 44866
- **Wikidata ID:** Q347864
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_S._Porter, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q347864, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0692105/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/44866

Producer and director. Born 21 April 1870 in Connellsville, Pennsylvania, USA. Died 30 April 1941.

## Details

- **Work:** Producer, Director
- **Born:** 21 April 1870, Connellsville, Pennsylvania, USA
- **Died:** 30 April 1941
- **Also known as:** Edwin Stratton Porter, Ed Porter, Edward Porter, 에드윈 S. 포터, 에드윈 포터
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_S._Porter, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q347864, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0692105/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/44866

## Biography

Edwin S. Porter (also credited as Edwin Stratton Porter) was an American film pioneer who worked as a director, producer, writer and cinematographer. He joined the Edison Manufacturing Company in 1900 and took charge of motion picture production at its New York studios.

Porter is best known for his work on *The Great Train Robbery* (1903), on which he served as director, producer, writer and cinematographer, and for *Life of an American Fireman* (1903). He also directed *Electrocuting an Elephant* (1903) and *Dream of a Rarebit Fiend* (1906). His films helped develop continuity editing and the use of the shot as a basic unit of film structure. Four of his films were later selected for the National Film Registry.

After leaving Edison in 1909, Porter formed his own companies and joined the Famous Players Film Company in 1912, where he directed several feature films including *Tess of the Storm Country* (1914).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, britannica.com.*

## On Fi1m (1)

- *The Great Train Robbery* (1903), Fi1m 70, Director of Photography, Cinematography, Producer, Writer, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/the-great-train-robbery.md)

## Complete filmography (193)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *The Prince and the Pauper* (1915), Director
- *Bella Donna* (1915), Director
- *Zaza* (1915), Director
- *The White Pearl* (1915), Director
- *Sold* (1915), Director
- *The Eternal City* (1915), Director
- *When We Were Twenty-One* (1915), Director
- *Niobe* (1915), Director
- *The Morals of Marcus* (1915), Director
- *The Crucible* (1914), Director, Writer
- *Such a Little Queen* (1914), Director
- *Tess of the Storm Country* (1914), Director, Director of Photography
- *A Good Little Devil* (1914), Director, Director of Photography
- *Hearts Adrift* (1914), Director, Director of Photography
- *The Count of Monte Cristo* (1913), Director, Director of Photography, Editor
- *His Neighbor's Wife* (1913), Director
- *In the Bishop's Carriage* (1913), Director
- *The Prisoner of Zenda* (1913), Director
- *The Price* (1911), Director
- *Lost Illusions* (1911), Writer, Director
- *The Lighthouse by the Sea* (1911), Director
- *Sherlock Holmes, Jr.* (1911), Director
- *On the Brink* (1911), Director
- *A Heroine of '76* (1911), Director
- *His Mother's Thanksgiving* (1910), Director
- *Sunshine Sue* (1910), Producer
- *Alice's Adventures in Wonderland* (1910), Director
- *The Attack on the Mill* (1910), Director
- *Russia, the Land of Oppression* (1910), Director
- *A Child of the Ghetto* (1910), Producer
- *On the Western Frontier* (1909), Director
- *The Cord of Life* (1909), Producer
- *The Colored Stenographer* (1909), Director
- *Miss Sherlock Holmes* (1908), Director
- *She* (1908), Director, Writer
- *The Gentleman Burglar* (1908), Camera Operator
- *Nero and the Burning of Rome* (1908), Cinematography
- *Tale the Autumn Leaves Told* (1908), Director
- *A Country Girl's Seminary Life and Experiences* (1908), Camera Operator
- *Cupid’s Pranks* (1908), Director of Photography
- *Fireside Reminiscences* (1908), Camera Operator
- *Rescued from an Eagle's Nest* (1908), Director of Photography
- *A Suburbanite's Ingenious Alarm* (1908), Director
- *The Little Girl Who Did Not Believe in Santa Claus* (1907), Director
- *Laughing Gas* (1907), Director
- *College Chums* (1907), Director
- *The Trainer’s Daughter, or A Race for Love* (1907), Director
- *Jack the Kisser* (1907), Director
- *Rivals* (1907), Director
- *Cohen’s Fire Sale* (1907), Director
- *The 'Teddy' Bears* (1907), Director
- *Poor John* (1907), Director
- *Getting Evidence* (1906), Director, Director of Photography
- *Kathleen Mavourneen* (1906), Camera Operator
- *How the Office Boy Saw the Ball Game* (1906), Director of Photography, Director
- *Waiting at the Church* (1906), Director
- *The Terrible Kids* (1906), Camera Operator
- *Life of a Cowboy* (1906), Director
- *The Life of an American Cowboy* (1906), Director
- *Three American Beauties* (1906), Director, Director of Photography
- *A Winter Straw Ride* (1906), Director, Director of Photography
- *Dream of a Rarebit Fiend* (1906), Director
- *The Night Before Christmas* (1905), Director, Director of Photography
- *The Life of an American Policeman* (1905), Director
- *Desperate Encounter Between Burglar and Police* (1905), Camera Operator
- *The Train Wreckers* (1905), Director
- *The Miller’s Daughter* (1905), Director
- *The Watermelon Patch* (1905), Director
- *The White Caps* (1905), Director
- *The Little Train Robbery* (1905), Director
- *The Boarding School Girls* (1905), Director
- *Scenes and Incidents, Russo-Japanese Peace Conference, Portsmouth, N. H.* (1905), Director
- *Empire State Express, the Second, Taking Water on the Fly* (1905), Camera Operator
- *The Whole Dam Family and the Dam Dog* (1905), Director
- *The Burglar's Slide for Life* (1905), Camera Operator
- *I.B. Dam and the Whole Dam Family* (1905), Director
- *On a Good Old 5¢ Trolley Ride* (1905), Camera Operator
- *Coney Island at Night* (1905), Director
- *How Jones Lost His Roll* (1905), Director, Director of Photography
- *The Seven Ages* (1905), Director
- *The Kleptomaniac* (1905), Director
- *The Strenuous Life; or, Anti-Race Suicide* (1904), Director
- *Scarecrow Pump* (1904), Director
- *The Ex-Convict* (1904), Director
- *A Rube Couple at a County Fair* (1904), Director
- *Parsifal* (1904), Director of Photography
- *City Hall to Harlem in 15 Seconds, Via the Subway Route* (1904), Camera Operator
- *Railroad Smashup* (1904), Camera Operator
- *Maniac Chase* (1904), Camera Operator
- *"Weary Willlie" Kisses the Bride* (1904), Director
- *Capture of Yegg Bank Burglars* (1904), Director
- *European Rest Cure* (1904), Director
- *How a French Nobleman Got a Wife Through the 'New York Herald' Personal Columns* (1904), Director
- *Fighting the Flames, Dreamland* (1904), Director
- *Fire and Flames at Luna Park, Coney Island (An Attraction at Coney Island)* (1904), Director of Photography
- *Scenes in an Infant Orphan Asylum* (1904), Director
- *Canoeing on the Charles River, Boston, Mass.* (1904), Director of Photography
- *The Great Train Robbery* (1904), Original Film Writer
- *Inter-Collegiate Athletic Association Championships* (1904), Director
- *Dog Factory* (1904), Camera Operator
- *Skirmish Between Russian and Japanese Advance Guards* (1904), Camera Operator
- *Battle of Chemulpo Bay* (1904), Cinematography
- *Japanese Acrobats* (1904), Director
- *Pranks of Buster Brown and His Dog Tige* (1904), Camera Operator
- *Buster's Dog to the Rescue* (1904), Camera Operator
- *Buster Brown and the Dude* (1904), Camera Operator
- *Buster and Tige Put a Balloon Vendor Out of Business* (1904), Camera Operator
- *Buster Makes Room for His Mama at the Bargain Counter* (1904), Camera Operator
- *R. F. Outcault Making a Sketch of Buster and Tige* (1904), Director
- *Animated Painting* (1904), Camera Operator, Director
- *Treloar and Miss Marshall, Prize Winners at the Physical Culture Show in Madison Square Garden* (1904), Director
- *Crossing Ice Bridge at Niagara Falls* (1904), Camera Operator, Director
- *Buster's Joke on Papa (II)* (1903), Camera Operator
- *The Great Train Robbery* (1903), Director, Director of Photography, Writer, Producer — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/the-great-train-robbery.md)
- *Buster's Joke on Papa (I)* (1903), Camera Operator
- *What Happened in the Tunnel* (1903), Director of Photography
- *Chicago-Michigan Football Game* (1903), Cinematography
- *The Animated Poster* (1903), Camera Operator
- *The Extra Turn* (1903), Camera Operator
- *The Messenger Boy's Mistake* (1903), Director
- *A Romance of the Rail* (1903), Camera Operator
- *The Physical Culture Girl* (1903), Camera Operator
- *Uncle Tom's Cabin* (1903), Director
- *Rube and Mandy at Coney Island* (1903), Director
- *The Gay Shoe Clerk* (1903), Director of Photography
- *Subub Surprises the Burglar* (1903), Camera Operator
- *The Unappreciated Joke* (1903), Director
- *Street Car Chivalry* (1903), Camera Operator
- *Panorama of Riker's Island, N.Y.* (1903), Director
- *Sorting Refuse at Incinerating Plant, New York City* (1903), Director
- *White Wings on Review* (1903), Director
- *Fireboat 'New Yorker' in Action* (1903), Director
- *New York City Dumping Wharf* (1903), Director
- *New York City 'Ghetto' Fish Market* (1903), Director
- *New York Harbor Police Boat Patrol Capturing Pirates* (1903), Director
- *Panorama of Blackwell's Island* (1903), Director
- *Panorama Water Front and Brooklyn Bridge from East River* (1903), Director
- *Life of an American Fireman* (1903), as Policeman · Director
- *Electrocuting an Elephant* (1903), Director of Photography, Director
- *How They Do Things on the Bowery* (1902), Director
- *Jack and the Beanstalk* (1902), Director of Photography, Director
- *Burning of St. Pierre (Martinique)* (1902), Camera Operator
- *Appointment by Telephone* (1902), Director
- *Charleston Chain-Gang* (1902), Director
- *The Burlesque Suicide, No. 2* (1902), Camera Operator
- *Babies Rolling Eggs* (1902), Director
- *The Burlesque Suicide* (1902), Camera Operator
- *Fun in a Bakery Shop* (1902), Camera Operator, Director
- *Burning of Durland's Riding Academy* (1902), Director
- *Capture of the Biddle Brothers* (1902), Director
- *The Twentieth Century Tramp; or, Happy Hooligan and His Airship* (1902), Camera Operator, Director
- *Uncle Josh at the Moving Picture Show* (1902), Camera Operator
- *Execution of Czolgosz with Panorama of Auburn Prison* (1901), Camera Operator
- *Panorama of Esplanade by Night* (1901), Director
- *Catching an Early Train* (1901), Camera Operator
- *The Martyred Presidents* (1901), Director
- *Pan-American Exposition by Night* (1901), Director
- *Day at the Circus* (1901), Director
- *Life Rescue at Long Branch* (1901), Director
- *Circular Panorama of Electric Tower* (1901), Director, Director of Photography
- *What Happened on Twenty-Third Street, New York City* (1901), Camera Operator
- *Panoramic View of Electric Tower from a Balloon* (1901), Director of Photography
- *The Reversible Divers* (1901), Director
- *Sampson-Schley Controversy* (1901), Director
- *Photographing a Country Couple* (1901), Camera Operator
- *Aunt Sallie's Wonderful Bustle* (1901), Cinematography
- *Esquimaux Game of Snap-the-Whip* (1901), Director of Photography
- *The Esquimaux Village* (1901), Director
- *A Trip Around the Pan-American Exposition* (1901), Director
- *The Tramp's Unexpected Skate* (1901), Director
- *Another Job for the Undertaker* (1901), Director
- *Laura Comstock's Bag-Punching Dog* (1901), Director
- *Love by the Light of the Moon* (1901), Director
- *President McKinley Taking the Oath* (1901), Cinematography
- *President McKinley and Escort Going to the Capitol* (1901), Director
- *Kansas Saloon Smashers* (1901), Director
- *The Old Maid Having Her Picture Taken* (1901), Director
- *Why Mr. Nation Wants a Divorce* (1901), Director
- *The Finish of Bridget McKeen* (1901), Camera Operator
- *The Old Maid in the Horsecar* (1901), Director
- *Terrible Teddy, the Grizzly King* (1901), Director
- *Faust and Marguerite* (1900), Director
- *A Dull Razor* (1900), Director
- *An Artist's Dream* (1900), Director
- *The Kiss* (1900), Director
- *Uncle Josh's Nightmare* (1900), Director
- *The Magician* (1900), Director
- *Ching Ling Foo Outdone* (1900), Director
- *An Animated Luncheon* (1900), Director
- *Uncle Josh in a Spooky Hotel* (1900), Director
- *The Mystic Swing* (1900), Director
- *Dewar's Scotch Whisky* (1900), Director
- *Strange Adventure of New York Drummer* (1899), Director

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/edwin-s-porter