Marshall Neilan was born in California in 1891. Neilan began his acting career as an extra in a San Francisco stock company. He soon advanced to more prominent roles. During this early stage of his career, Neilan performed once in Seattle in 1905 in H.D. Cottrell's "The Financier." He quickly transitioned his career to Hollywood and silent film acting. By age 29 he had established himself as a successful silent movie director. He worked with all the stars of the day including Mary Pickford, John Barrymore, George M. Cohan, and Blanche Sweet who later became his second wife. Neilan, however, did not make a successful transition to directing talking films and his later life was marred by little work and financial ruin.