Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John M. St. Polis (November 24, 1873 – October 8, 1946) was an American actor. St. Polis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Before starting his film career, he made a name for himself on the Broadway stage, most notably in the role of Frederik in the original production of The Return of Peter Grimm (1911–12) and the play's revival in 1921, both performed at the Belasco Theatre. He appeared in 126 films between 1914 and 1943. In all of his early roles, the actor is billed as John Sainpolis. His best-known performances are as Etienne Laurier in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), and as Comte Phillipe de Chagny in The Phantom of the Opera (1925). St. Polis successfully made the transition from silent cinema to "talkies" with one of his most praised performances as Dr. John M. Besant, the father of Norma Besant (played by Mary Pickford) in Coquette (1929).
Acted in 105
1940s
- 1942
Crossroads
Professor (uncredited)
- 1940
Haunted House
Simkins
On the Spot
Doc Hunter
Rocky Mountain Rangers
Joseph Manners
Abe Lincoln in Illinois
Minor Role (uncredited)
1930s
- 1939
They Shall Have Music
Davis
- 1938
The Mysterious Rider
Townsman
Phantom Ranger
Pat Doyle
International Crime
Roger Morton
Saleslady
Crane
- 1937
The Shadow Strikes
Caleb Delthern
Jungle Menace
Chandler Elliott
Paradise Isle
Coxon
- 1936
Call of the Prairie
Jim
The Dark Hour
Dr. Munro
- 1935
The Lady in Scarlet
Jerome T. Shelby
Death from a Distance
Prof. Trowbridge
- 1934
The President Vanishes
Attorney General Davis (uncredited)
Guilty Parents
Defense attorney
- 1933
Notorious But Nice
John J. Martin
Cocktail Hour
French Police Investigator (uncredited)
King of the Arena
Governor
The World Gone Mad
Grover Cromwell
Terror Trail
Colonel Charles Ormsby
- 1932
The Match King
Banker (uncredited)
Call Her Savage
Doctor Consoling Nasa (Uncredited)
The Gambling Sex
John Tracy
False Faces
Dr. McDonald
Symphony of Six Million
Dr. Schifflen
Lena Rivers
John Nichols
Alias the Doctor
Dr. Niergardt
- 1931
Heartbreak
U.S. Ambassador
The Yellow Ticket
Passport Official at Airport
The Gay Diplomat
General
Their Mad Moment
Hotel Manager
Transgression
Serafin, Arturo's Butler
Men of the Sky
Madeleine's Father
Doctors' Wives
Dr. Mark Wyndram
Beau Ideal
Judge Advocate (as John M. St. Polis)
- 1930
Captain Thunder
Pedro
Kismet
The Imam Mahmud
A Devil with Women
Don Diego
The Bad One
Judge
The Three Sisters
Judge
Guilty?
Polk
In the Next Room
Philip Vantine
The Melody Man
Von Kemper
Party Girl
John Rountree
1920s
- 1929
Fast Life
Andrew Stratton
Coquette
Dr. John M. Besant
Why Be Good?
Pa Kelly
- 1928
Marriage by Contract
Father
The Power of Silence
Defense Attorney
A Woman's Way
Mouvet
- 1927
Too Many Crooks
Erastus Mason
- 1926
The Lily
Comte de Maigny
The Greater Glory
Prof. Leopold Eberhardt (as John Sainpolis)
The Far Cry
Count Filippo Sturani
- 1925
Paint and Powder
Mark Kelsey (as John Sainpolis)
My Lady's Lips
Inspector
- 1924
The Dixie Handicap
Dexter
Folly of Vanity
Ridgeway (modern sequence)
The Rose of Paris
André du Vallois
In Every Woman's Life
Dr. Philip Logan
The Alaskan
Rossland (as John Sainpolis)
Those Who Dance
Monahan
Mademoiselle Midnight
Colonel de Gontran (Prologue)
Three Weeks
The King
- 1923
Held to Answer
Hiram Burbeck
Woman-Proof
Milo Bleech (as John Sainpolis)
A Prince of a King
Mario
The Social Code
Defense Attorney
The Untameable
Dr. Copin
Three Wise Fools
John Crawshay
- 1922
Shadows
Nate Snow
- 1921
Cappy Ricks
Skinner (as John Sainpolis)
- 1920
The Great Lover
Jean Paurel
Old Dad
Jeffrey Bretton
1910s
- 1918
Stake Uncle Sam to Play Your Hand
Kaiser
Laughing Bill Hyde
Black Jack Burg
All Woman
Sam Tupper
- 1917
The Mark of Cain
Judge Hoyt
The Public Defender
David Moulton
The Love That Lives
Harvey Brooks
The Mystic Hour
Clavering
Sapho
Dejoie
The Fortunes of Fifi
Duvernet
- 1916
The World Against Him
Dr. Hamilton Welsh
The Social Highwayman
Hanby
The Yellow Passport
Fedia
- 1915
Bondwomen
Dr. Hugh Ellis
- 1914
Joseph and His Coat of Many Colors
Movie
Appearances1
1920s
- 1923
Souls for Sale
Self - Celebrity Actor in Commissary