Elgin Lessley (also credited as Lesly, Lessly, and Leslie) (June 10, 1883 - January 10, 1944) was an American hand-crank cameraman of the silent film era—a period of filmmaking when virtually all special effects work had to be produced inside the camera during filming. Though Lessley worked earlier with Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, and later with Harry Langdon, he is best known for the groundbreaking effects he produced with Buster Keaton, who dubbed him "the human metronome" for his ability to crank consistently at any requested speed.Lessley's most striking effects were in The Playhouse (1921) and Sherlock, Jr. (1924). In The Playhouse, through use of a specially shuttered lens and repeated back-cranking and re-cranking, Lessley allowed Keaton to appear as up to nine characters simultaneously, interacting with one another. In Sherlock, Jr., Lessley's careful positioning of camera and actor in various locations produced the effect of a man stuck in a movie where his location keeps changing as he struggles to keep up. Lessley retired from filmmaking after shooting The Cameraman with Buster Keaton in 1928.
Stepson, Leonard Wheeler Schultz (d. 1916), from wife's first marriage.
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Though Lessley died in 1944, there was no permanent marker on his grave until the Damfinos (International Buster Keaton Society) purchased one in 2001.
Cinematographer
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Cameraman
1928
photographed by
The Chaser
1928
Three's a Crowd
1927
Long Pants
1927
The Strong Man
1926
photographed by
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp
1926
uncredited
Go West
1925
photography
Seven Chances
1925
photography
The Navigator
1924
photography
Sherlock Jr.
1924
photography
Our Hospitality
1923
photography
Three Ages
1923
photographed by
The Love Nest
1923
Short
The Balloonatic
1923
Short uncredited
Daydreams
1922
Short uncredited
The Electric House
1922
Short uncredited
The Frozen North
1922
Short
The Blacksmith
1922
Short uncredited
My Wife's Relations
1922
Short uncredited
Cops
1922
Short uncredited
The Paleface
1922
Short uncredited
The Boat
1921
Short uncredited
The Play House
1921
Short uncredited
The Goat
1921
Short
The 'High Sign'
1921
Short uncredited
Hard Luck
1921
Short
The Servant in the House
1921
The Haunted House
1921
Short
Neighbors
1920
Short
The Scarecrow
1920
Short uncredited
Convict 13
1920
Short
One Week
1920
Short uncredited
The Garage
1920
Short
The Hayseed
1919
Short
Back Stage
1919
Short
Irish Eyes
1918
as Elgin Leslie
The Atom
1918
Daughter Angele
1918
as Elgin Lessly
Alias Mary Brown
1918
as Elgin Leslie
Marked Cards
1918
as Elgin Leslie
You Can't Believe Everything
1918
High Stakes
1918
Her Decision
1918
The Bell Boy
1918
Short
Framing Framers
1917
A Phantom Husband
1917
as Elgin Lesly
A Clever Dummy
1917
Short
Dangers of a Bride
1917
Short
A Royal Rogue
1917
Short
A Laundry Clean-Up
1917
Short
His Criminal Career
1917
Short
A Winning Loser
1917
Short
A Self-Made Hero
1917
Short
The Stone Age
1917
Short
The Grab Bag Bride
1917
Short
The Waiters' Ball
1916
Short photographed by
He Did and He Didn't
1916/I
Short uncredited
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
The General
1926
Union General Who Gives Command to Cross Bridge (uncredited)
$16 Million
