Biography

Founded the Sunset Pictures Corporation in San Antonio, Texas in 1919. Powell turned out three features as producer-director before the company folded.

Historians have yet to determine what became of Powell after 1923, by which time he was no longer employed in the film industry. His date and place of death are unknown.

Had his own production company, the Frank Powell Producing Corporation, through which he produced and directed 10 features from 1916 to 1917. They were distributed by Mutual.

Powell was a protege of D.W. Griffith at Biograph, initially as an actor. His best known role was in A Corner in Wheat (1909), as the greedy wheat baron who gets suffocated by his own grain.

Directed numerous short films for Biograph, 1910-1915. Moved to Fox Films and enjoyed his biggest hit with A Fool There Was (1915), starring Theda Bara. Powell spent the rest of his career trying to establish himself as an independent filmmaker like D.W. Griffith, but never came close to matching his mentor's success. His fortunes faded quickly after World War I.