Justus D. Barnes

Justus D. Barnes

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.

Known For: Acting

Born: Little Falls, New York, USA, 1862-10-02

Died: 1946-02-06

No.	Year	Title	Role	Vote Average
1	1903	The Great Train Robbery	Bandit Who Fires at Camera (uncredited)	70
2	1910	Young Lord Stanley	the girl's father	40
3	1911	David Copperfield	Ham Peggotty (in part one)	0
4	1912	Nicholas Nickleby	Uncle Ralph	58
5	1912	The Portrait of Lady Anne	Lady Anne's Father in 1770	58
6	1912	Cousins	Father on Farm	0
7	1912	The Voice of Conscience	Doctor	40
8	1912	Star of Bethlehem	Mage Gaspar	50
9	1913	The Dove in the Eagle's Nest		0
10	1913	When the Studio Burned	Director	50
11	1913	The Farmer's Daughters	Father	50
12	1913	Uncle's Namesakes		50
13	1913	Peggy's Invitation		0
14	1914	Joseph in the Land of Egypt		50
15	1914	The Dancer	N.Z. Wood	0
16	1914	Their Best Friend	Jack's Father	0
17	1914	A Debut in the Secret Service	Abdul	0
18	1914	A Dog of Flanders	The Rich Miller	0
19	1915	Love and Money	American Suitor's Father	0
20	1915	The Heart of the Princess Marsari	Paul's Wealthy Uncle	0
21	1915	God's Witness	Judge	0
22	1915	The Country Girl	The Squire, her Guardian	0
23	1915	Old Jane of the Gaiety		50
24	1915	His Two Patients	The Blacksmith	0
25	1915	The Marvelous Marathoner	Ewing Webster	50
26	1915	From the River's Depths	William Hewins - Dorothy's Father	0
27	1915	Weary Walker's Woes	Lawyer	0
28	1915	Mr. Meeson's Will	Mr. Meeson	0
29	1917	It Happened to Adele	Vincent's Uncle	0
30	1917	Cy Whittaker's Ward	Simmons	0

Justus D. Barnes

Film

Television