D. W. Griffith

David Llewelyn Wark "D. W." Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948), the "Inventor of Hollywood", was an American film director who pioneered modern film-making techniques. He is mostly remembered for the groundbreaking 1915 film The Birth of a Nation, as well as its sequel Intolerance (1916). He is closely associated with his frequent leading lady, Lillian Gish.