Max Linder
Although all too frequently neglected by fans of silent comedy, Max Linder is in many ways as important a figure as Charles Chaplin, Buster Keaton, or Harold Lloyd, not least because he predated (and influenced) them all by several years, and was largely responsible for the creation of the classic style of silent slapstick comedy.
He started out as an actor in the French theatre, but after making his screen debut in 1905 he quickly became an enormously famous and successful film comedian on both sides of the Atlantic, thanks to his character "Max", a top-hatted dandy. By 1912, he was the highest-paid film star in the world, with an unprecedented salary of one million francs. He began to direct films in 1911 and showed equal facility behind the camera, but his career suffered an almost terminal blow when he was called up to fight in World War I. He was gassed, and the illness that resulted would blight his career.
Although offered a contract in America, recurring ill-health meant that his US films had little of the sparkle of his early French work, and a brief attempt to revive his career by making films for the recently-formed United Artists (one of whose founders, of course, was Chaplin) in the early 1920s came to little, although these later films are now regarded as classics.
He returned to France and killed himself in a suicide pact with his wife in 1925.
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 9.884 |
| Birthday | 1883-12-16 |
| Place of Birth | Cavernes, Saint-Loubès, Gironde, France |
| Also Known As | Gabriel-Maximilien Leuvielle, Gentleman Max, |
1913
Max Toreador
5.5/4
Max Linder finds himself obsessed with bull fighting. This seems to echo the nature of the actual man, who is reported to have mastered most of the sk...
Watch Now
Max Toreador
1910
Max Skiing
5/4
In a snowy Alpine district Max takes his first lessons in the art of skiing. He leaves the hotel with his skis fixed to his shoes, and his efforts and...
Watch Now
Max Skiing
1913
Max Hates Cats
5/1
In this one, Max is engaged to a girl -- called, as in all his shorts, 'Jane' -- and she loves her pussycat. She loves the lazy, immobile lump of fur...
Watch Now
Max Hates Cats
1921
Seven Years Bad Luck
6.743/35
After breaking a mirror in his home, superstitious Max tries to avoid situations which could bring bad luck, but in doing so causes himself the worst...
Watch Now
Seven Years Bad Luck
1912
Max and His Dog Dick
5.3/8
When Max, a newly married man, suspects that his wife may be cheating on him, he gives his faithful dog Dick orders to keep on eye on her when he's no...
Watch Now
Max and His Dog Dick
1917
Max in a Taxi
4.8/3
A wealthy alcoholic is disowned by his father for his drunken behavior. Now penniless, he takes a job as a taxi driver, despite not knowing how to dri...
Watch Now
Max in a Taxi
1917
Max Wants a Divorce
4.9/4
Max is forced to choose between losing his newly wedded wife and a fortune. He hits upon a brilliant scheme: He will give his wife grounds for a divor...
Watch Now
Max Wants a Divorce
1917
Max the Heartbreaker
4.6/4
The story is about Max who in holiday in Switzerland meets two young American girls. They're friends, the first one is blond, the other one is brunett...
Watch Now
Max the Heartbreaker
1909
La Petite Rosse
3.2/2
Max Linder is an ardent suitor for the hand of a somewhat rampageous young lady. The gentle Max suffers sadly from her rough treatment, but at length...
Watch Now
La Petite Rosse
1914
Max Speaks English
5.2/8
"Scene, a first-class railway carriage. Max and delightful girl alone. "May I smoke?" breaks the ice, and then Max brings all the arts of fascination...
Watch Now
Max Speaks English
1911
Max Takes Tonics
6.5/10
Max visits a doctor who prescribes a tonic (Bordeaux of Cinchona) for him to drink every morning. Upon returning home, Max sees a large glass which wa...
Watch Now
Max Takes Tonics
1922
The Three Must-Get-Theres
6.326/23
In this movie, Max Linder parodies the famous novel "The Three Musketeers".
Watch Now
The Three Must-Get-Theres
1911
Max and His Mother-in-Law
5.3/12
Max and his young bride attempt to enjoy an Alpine honeymoon, despite the presence of her mother.
Watch Now
Max and His Mother-in-Law
1912
A Farm-house Romance
4.2/4
Max is informed by his rich uncle that he's tired of supporting him. Instead, he has a farmer friend and he wants Max to marry one of the farmer's dau...
Watch Now
A Farm-house Romance
1914
The False Max Linder
5/2
Auguste is cured! The doctor at the asylum said so. Delighted, his mother gives him a few coins so he can go out for a little entertainment. Auguste s...
Watch Now
The False Max Linder
1913
Max's Hat
5.9/14
Max has been invited to meet with his in-laws and must dress formally, but each hat he attempts to wear for the occasion gets destroyed.
Watch Now
Max's Hat
1913
Max Takes a Picture
5.8/7
Max attempts to take a photo of a woman in a bathing suit, waiting while she swims around. He's waiting for her to emerge so he can snap the photo, bu...
Watch Now
Max Takes a Picture
1912
Max Wants to Grow
5.2/5
Commonly confused with Max ne se mariera pas
Watch Now
Max Wants to Grow
1912
Max: Boxer By Love
5.5/1
Max officiates between two brawny boxers, then steps in against the cocky larger man, the acclaimed French stage director Maurice Tourneur. To gain an...
Watch Now
Max: Boxer By Love
1912
Max Fears the Dogs
4.5/4
Max, who fears dogs, is chased by them through the city, over walls, and even up a chimney and onto a roof.
Watch Now
Max Fears the Dogs
1912
Max Juggles for Love
4/1
Max wants to marry a lady. Inexplicably she insists she won't marry him until he learns to juggle! Perhaps she was just trying to blow him off--but yo...
Watch Now
Max Juggles for Love
1912
Max Sets the Fashion
5.2/5
Max, awakening on his wedding morning, discovers that it is close on the hour when he should be at the church. He dresses hastily, and in struggling w...
Watch Now
Max Sets the Fashion
1912
An Agitated Night
4.8/4
It is Max's wedding night, married to the beautiful Stacia Napierkowska. He and his bride are sleeping..... and a flea keeps disturbing him.
Watch Now
An Agitated Night
1912
Max and the Donkey
4.7/3
Max Linder strays further from his usual haunts of situational comedy, far into straight slapstick as he gets into a dispute over the woman he is cour...
Watch Now
Max and the Donkey
1912
Max and the Statue
5.4/7
Max starts out at a costume store to get a costume for a party. He sees a suit of armor and purchases it. He wears it to the party and gets kind of dr...
Watch Now
Max and the Statue
1912
The Romance of Max
5.3/5
The story is simple: Max and a pretty young lady, whom he has never met before, arrive at the same time at a luxury hotel on the Riviera, each for a l...
Watch Now
The Romance of Max
1909
Love's Surprises
5/6
A man, his wife and their two sons are having a meal. One of the sons leaves the room pretending to be ill and collects a bunch of flowers form a cupb...
Watch Now
Love's Surprises
1909
Romeo Turns Bandit
5/1
Based on characters from Shakespeare's play: When Juliet's father refuses to let Romeo see her, Romeo resorts to extreme measures.
Watch Now
Romeo Turns Bandit
1909
The Dentures
5/16
Mother in law gets a new set of dentures. Despite being initially happy, the family soon discovers the teeth have a life of their own and jump from th...
Watch Now
The Dentures
1914
Max Plays the Part
4.5/2
Max sees himself as a great dramatic actor but his friends all think he's talentless. So, he invites them to come see him in a play. Unfortunately, lo...
Watch Now
Max Plays the Part
1914
Max and the Lady Doctor
5.8/5
Max visits a lady doctor for a chest cold and is alternately anxious and nervous and excited, in a romantic and sexual way, depicted by his clever pan...
Watch Now
Max and the Lady Doctor
1910
Max Gets Stuck Up
4.8/2
The film begins with Max being invited to dinner with his fiancée and future in-laws. To be polite, he stops on the way at a bakery to bring along a s...
Watch Now
Max Gets Stuck Up
1910
Max's First Job
5.1/14
Recommended by a friend of the Ambigu Theatre, Max is summoned to Joinville studios. His first role is that of a husband who comes home late.
Watch Now
Max's First Job
1907
Joined Lips
4.5/4
The setting is a postoffice. A well-to-do lady has brought her maid to lick the stamps. A man, the maid's love interest, is taken by the sight and, as...
Watch Now
Joined Lips
1908
His First Cigar
5/9
The film is quite sophisticated for it's time with a relatively large number of scene changes as we follow Max's misadventures. It also features a clo...
Watch Now
His First Cigar
1914
Max Sets the Style
5.4/8
Max is late for his own wedding, and, worse yet, has no shoes.
Watch Now
Max Sets the Style
1915
Max in Monaco
5.2/2
The extremely ludicrous adventures of an intoxicated man aboard a yacht.
Watch Now
Max in Monaco
1911
Max Takes a Bath
6.1/22
On doctor's orders Max buys a new bathtub but things don't work out as planned.
Watch Now
Max Takes a Bath
1907
Max Learns to Skate
4.9/11
Max causes havoc when he joins other skaters on a frozen lake.
Watch Now
Max Learns to Skate
1924
Au Secours !
6.6/18
Max accepts a wager that he cannot remain in a haunted castle for one hour (11 PM to midnight) without crying for help. As soon as he arrives he encou...
Watch Now
Au Secours !
1911
Max and Jane Want to Do Theater
5.4/9
Max is a stage struck youth, and because of a deep-seated desire to go on the stage, refuses to consent to a marriage his father has planned for him....
Watch Now
Max and Jane Want to Do Theater
1910
Max Embarrassed
5/2
In this one, [Max] is on vacation and wooing a young lady, but she and her cousin decide to play a trick on him, by getting him inside a barrel, and t...
Watch Now
Max Embarrassed
1909
The Barometer of Fidelity
5/4
This Max Linder short opens with him and his girl blissfully rowing in a canoe before skipping ahead two years later.
Watch Now
The Barometer of Fidelity
1912
The Wedding Trunk
4.2/2
Max wants to marry his girl but one man stands in the way. Her guardian. And Max got to find a way to get him to consent.
Watch Now
The Wedding Trunk
1907
C'est Papa qui a pris la purge
4.5/2
A man has diarrhea.... a French comedy.
Watch Now
C'est Papa qui a pris la purge
1911
Max Is Convalescent
6.2/8
To reassure his fans, Max Linder has been filming with his family at his place of convalescence...
Watch Now
Max Is Convalescent
1912
Long-Lasting Love
4.6/9
As a struggling artist, Max is not allowed to pay attentions to a girl by her father. Max decides to win by persistency, and it is a case where persis...
Watch Now
Long-Lasting Love
1914
Max as a Chiropodist
4.9/12
Coming to visit a girl, Max presents himself as a pedicurist.
Watch Now
Max as a Chiropodist
1914
Max's Vacation
5.8/15
Max is invited to join his uncle for a holiday, but he hasn't invited his wife, so he sneaks her in in his suitcase, always hiding her from his uncle....
Watch Now
Max's Vacation
1912
Cordial Agreement
5.6/8
Max and his friend, who came to visit him in Paris both fall in love with his new maid. The girl is very friendly, and while one plays the piano, she...
Watch Now
Cordial Agreement
1912
The Water-Funker
4.9/7
Max is in love with Lili, capricious bride who won't do his will until he has recovered the ring she launched into the sea. But Max is afraid of water...
Watch Now
The Water-Funker
1917
Max and the Purse
4.9/4
Max being a gentleman and helping a lady in distress. Max willingly helps the lady recover her forgotten purse before the boat they're traveling on is...
Watch Now
Max and the Purse
1913
Max Linder Does All the Sports
5.5/2
Max reads in a newspaper, that Gladys Maxence, a rich American woman, seeks a young sportsman for marriage...
Watch Now
Max Linder Does All the Sports
1907
For a Necklace
0/0
French film starring Max Linder, released in 1907.
Watch Now
For a Necklace
1910
The Adventures of Tartarin the Younger
0/0
Watch Now
The Adventures of Tartarin the Younger
1915
Chance and Love
5.2/5
A love sick Max fly to find his love and recover.
Watch Now
Chance and Love
1908
Troubles of a Grass Widower
5.2/12
A housewife tires of her husband's annoying behavior and returns to her mother. At first, the husband is quite pleased to have the house all to himsel...
Watch Now
Troubles of a Grass Widower
1919
Le Petit Café
0/0
Max is a millionaire who is forced to lead a double-life as a waiter, the result of having lost a wager.
Watch Now
Le Petit Café
1924
King of the Circus
5/2
Directed by Édouard-Émile Violet.
Watch Now
King of the Circus
1907
The Husband's Trick
0/0
Silent starring Max Linder.
Watch Now
The Husband's Trick
1921
Be My Wife
6.8/14
Max is determined to woo Mary, despite her Aunt Agatha's disapproval. Then, Max and Mary become embroiled in the world of Madam Coralie, a prominent d...
Watch Now
Be My Wife
1910
A Short-Sighted Duellist
4.5/2
Astigmatic, Max apologizes to lampposts, kisses the wrong lady, and is challenged to a duel.
Watch Now
A Short-Sighted Duellist
1912
Max, Tango Teacher
4.9/4
Max is doing the Tango with Miss Leonora in a Berlin night club. Being impressed by the performance a german Baron asks him to give his family a danci...
Watch Now
Max, Tango Teacher
1910
Max Makes a Touch
5.5/4
Max and Mick, two brothers, have prepared for a merry spree and are actually stepping into their cab when it occurs to them they are penniless. Lots a...
Watch Now
Max Makes a Touch
1907
Harlequin's Story
5/4
Polichinelle the servant (called Harlequin in the English language version) rescues his girlfriend from a gang of decadent aristocrats, who have trans...
Watch Now
Harlequin's Story
1906
Attempted Suicide
6/1
Suffering from unrequited love, Max hangs himself from a tree, and ends up hanging for hours while local townspeople squabble over whose responsibilit...
Watch Now
Attempted Suicide
1909
In Love with the Bearded Woman
4.3/3
Watch Now
In Love with the Bearded Woman
1931
The Theft of the Mona Lisa
5.3/3
This German crime drama was based on a true story. Willy Forst stars as a poverty-stricken Italian glazier who falls in love with French hotel maid Ro...
Watch Now
The Theft of the Mona Lisa
1914
The Forced Marriage
4.5/2
Again Max is forced into marriage. If he doesn't marry soon he won't get any more money from his uncle. As all three candidates refuse his proposal he...
Watch Now
The Forced Marriage
1914
Max and the Jealous Husband
5/2
A Max Linder comedy short.
Watch Now
Max and the Jealous Husband
1914
Max in the Convent
5/1
In this three-reeler, the young lady with whom he is in love is sent to a convent to get her away from Max. Max goes after her. While we are not force...
Watch Now
Max in the Convent
1910
I Want a Baby
6/4
Max and his wife of three years are happy in most regards but one: they still don't have a child. When Max reads of a new method of "spontaneous gener...
Watch Now
I Want a Baby
1913
An Unexpected Marriage
4/1
Blind courtship over a hedge.
Watch Now
An Unexpected Marriage
1915
Hairdresser of Love
5.5/2
A Max Linder comedy short.
Watch Now
Hairdresser of Love
1908
In a Difficult Position
5/2
Max, a young man about town, splits his trousers while getting ready to go out one night. After applying some rather risky repairs without taking the...
Watch Now
In a Difficult Position
1912
Max Takes Back His Freedom
5.8/13
"Max quarrels so with his wife that the lady leaves him. Our hero then attempts to do his own cooking, etc. He buys a fowl, but it proves to be still...
Watch Now
Max Takes Back His Freedom
1963
Laugh with Max Linder
7.2/4
Pioneering comedy legend Max Linder wrote, produced, directed and starred in Seven Years Bad Luck. Hilarious misadventures begin when Max' butler, cha...
Watch Now
Laugh with Max Linder
1907
Phial of Poison
0/0
A dramatic short.
Watch Now
Phial of Poison
1910
The Effects of Pills
0/0
Max Linder is out of sorts and bad-tempered. He is rude to his wife, who tells him she will leave him. He sees an advertisement for pills which promot...
Watch Now
The Effects of Pills
1911
Max se marie
0/0
Max has just been married, but is about to be divorced, because at his marriage party he disgraced himself. Of course, the matter is a secret, but Max...
Watch Now
Max se marie
1910
Trop aimée
4/1
The versatile Max Linder heads a novel chase in this film, the pursuers being three dogs, the pets of the comedian's fiancée. Max was dreadfully afrai...
Watch Now
Trop aimée
1911
Max a un duel
0/0
Max, the celebrated fun maker, is shown in another of his amusing playlets. His fiancée, ere she marries him, insists that he prove himself a hero by...
Watch Now
Max a un duel
1910
Max est distrait
0/0
Max acknowledges his father-in-law's dinner invitation with a business memorandum to his horse dealer.
Watch Now
Max est distrait
1912
Max émule de Tartarin
0/0
Max relates to Mona, staying for the winter sports in Switzerland, that he killed a magnificent bear on the previous day, but that the dogs ate it, sk...
Watch Now
Max émule de Tartarin
1907
Chaussure trop étroite
0/0
Max has some shoes but they're a bit tight.
Watch Now
Chaussure trop étroite
1912
Un pari original
0/0
Max and his wife each blame the other for a nagging tongue. Max offers to bet his wife fifty pounds, even money both ways, that she will be the first...
Watch Now
Un pari original
1913
Le duel de Max
0/0
Max is in love with a charming girl, who also is already affianced to another. Does Max despair? Never. The debonair gentleman sets his wits to work t...
Watch Now
Le duel de Max
1912
Max amoureux de la teinturière
0/0
Max is in love with a pretty girl, and one evening pays a stolen visit to his sweetheart's, whose father, a successful dyer, has to leave by a late tr...
Watch Now
Max amoureux de la teinturière
1913
Max as a Musician
0/0
Max loves a charming girl to distraction, but her father declares that his daughter shall never marry anyone but a musician. Max tries his hand at all...
Watch Now
Max as a Musician
1983
The Man in the Silk Hat
0/0
A documentary with many excerpts from the films of French movie pioneer Max Linder, narrated by his daughter.
Watch Now
The Man in the Silk Hat
2013
Birth of the Tramp
7.1/17
A look back at Charlie Chaplin's early life and career, from his rough childhood and music hall success in England to his early Hollywood days and the...
Watch Now
Birth of the Tramp
1917
Max Comes Across
0/0
The adventures of Max Linder, some based on real events, some fictional, as he travels by ocean liner from France to America.
Watch Now
Max Comes Across
1917
Max Linder Visits Charlie Chaplin
7/1
Renowned French comedian and filmmaker Max Linder visits Charlie Chaplin in 1917.
Watch Now
Max Linder Visits Charlie Chaplin
1913
Le billet doux
0/0
Watch Now
Le billet doux
2013
Tout sur mon père Max Linder
0/0
Watch Now
Tout sur mon père Max Linder
1914
Max asthmatique
0/0
Watch Now
Max asthmatique
1908
Noisy Neighbors
0/0
A young man is seen entering his room and from the many expressions on his worn face one could not doubt that he is just returning from one grand nigh...
Watch Now
Noisy Neighbors
1914
Max's Latest Hobby
0/0
At the beach, amorous Max exchanges his shoes for those of a fair bather. The scheme goes awry, Linder's dog still further adding to the fun.
Watch Now
Max's Latest Hobby
1910
Max manque un riche mariage
4/1
Max is about to make his first call upon a young lady, the daughter of distinguished parents, and he wants to make a good impression. As he dresses to...
Watch Now
Max manque un riche mariage
1909
The Gentleman Thief
0/0
Max at an evening party takes a necklace from one of the guests and makes good his escape. The guests and the police set out in pursuit but Max employ...
Watch Now
The Gentleman Thief
1913
Max Linder's Appointment
6/1
Watch Now
Max Linder's Appointment
1914
Max Wishes He Hadn't
0/0
In consequence of a first kiss, poor Max finds himself claimed as a property of a persistent damsel. Even his approaching marriage does not deter the...
Watch Now
Max Wishes He Hadn't
1912
Jalousie
0/0
Watch Now
Jalousie
1911
Champion de boxe
5/1
Watch Now
Champion de boxe
1905
First Night Out
0/0
A young student goes to his father and asks for money. When this isn't enough he goes to his mother who gives him more. Happy, he meets his friends wh...
Watch Now
First Night Out
1913
Max: Jockey for Love
7/1
Max meets the Countess Duvienne in a very distressing moment, for she has just learned that her jockey will be unable to ride her horse, the favorite...
Watch Now
Max: Jockey for Love
1906
Dogs used as smugglers
4/2
With contraband strapped to the backs of their dogs, smugglers set off to cross the Spanish-French border. Having been spied upon and betrayed to cust...
Watch Now
Dogs used as smugglers
1917
Max, médecin malgré lui
0/0
Watch Now
Max, médecin malgré lui
1914
Max Plays at Drama
0/0
When Max's friends doubt his acting ability, he invites them to a dramatic theatrical performance.
Watch Now
Max Plays at Drama
1907
Au music-hall (At the Music Hall)
5/1
A series of comic mishaps in house boxes at a music hall.
Watch Now
Au music-hall (At the Music Hall)
1911
Une ruse de mari
0/0
A short movie.
Watch Now
Une ruse de mari
1910
Le serment d'un prince
0/0
A young prince secretly married to a gypsy girl is forced to disclose the fact when his father desires him to marry a wealthy girl. Cast out by his pa...
Watch Now
Le serment d'un prince
A Nervous Twitch Is Catching (Un Tic Nerveux Contagieux)
0/0
A young fellow, who is afflicted with a nervous disorder, gets fits of twitching, which is contagious to all within sight.
Watch Now
A Nervous Twitch Is Catching (Un Tic Nerveux Contagieux)
1924
The World of Yesteryear – Max Linder
0/0
Some promotional footage shot for "Max, der Zirkuskönig".
Watch Now
The World of Yesteryear – Max Linder
2024
Life and death of Max Linder
0/0
Searching for documentation about Max Linder, we found in an abandoned house a trunk sealed for 100 years, with a film from 1926 by an unknown filmmak...
Watch Now
Life and death of Max Linder
1917
Max devrait porter des bretelles
0/0
Comedy short starring Max Linder
Watch Now
Max devrait porter des bretelles
1909
A Conquest
0/0
George, passing a pretty woman in the street, has recourse to that old-time trick of dropping his own handkerchief and hurrying after her, making beli...
Watch Now
A Conquest
1908
Beginning of the Serpentine Dance
4.8/4
In a living room, four contemporary couples from the time the film was shot dance a waltz under the direction of a violinist (Linder). They begin a mi...
Watch Now
Beginning of the Serpentine Dance
1947
It Had to Be You
6.5/2
A chronic runaway bride is haunted by her conscience, who becomes reality.
Watch Now
