Lucien Prival — Biographical Sketch (1927) 🇺🇸

Lucien Prival, heavy and character actor, was born in New York City and educated in Germany, whither he was taken when a boy by his parents. His father is of French birth while his mother is a native of Berlin, Germany, and the Franco-Germanic influence has given him a wonderful artistic bent which was manifested early in his life. He started his film career in Germany in “Die Kleptomanin.”

His brother is an artist, and it was intended that Lucien should follow in his footsteps, since he manifested ability in that direction. But acting was always his ambition, and despite the objections of his grandmother he finally went on the stage in Berlin. His mother had always wished to act but had been forbidden to follow the profession. After touring Germany with repertoire companies, young Prival and his family returned to New York. The property and money of the Privals had been confiscated by the Germans during the war, and there was much difficulty therewith.

Returning to New York, Prival posed for his brother who was a noted painter and did bits in motion pictures. His first picture engagement here was in “Velvet Fingers,” a Pathé serial. He was preparing to go back on the stage when he received a call to play in Al Rockett’s production for First National Pictures, called Puppets, starring Milton Sills. He made a success in this and other films followed, including The Great Deception, a Robert Kane production; Just Another Blonde and “High Hat,” also a Kane picture for First National.

Prival specializes in character roles, old men and abnormal and subnormal types, which he loves to portray. He is also a writer on rather obstruse subjects — philosophy, against a background of allegory, psycho-analysis, and so on.

He is 5 feet 11 inches in height, weighs 152 pounds, and has brown eye and hair. His manner is most agreeable, and he has an engaging personality, but his screen favorite characterizations equally partake of the unusual and semi-grotesque.

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Lucien Prival

Recent Releases

• Puppets
• The Great Deception
• Just Another Blonde
• High Hat
• American Beauty

Collection: Motion Picture News, October 1927 (Booking Guide and Studio Directory)