Thomas Harper Ince (November 6, 1882–November 20, 1924) was an American film director. He invented many mechanisms of professional movie production, like the usage of a detailed "shooting script ", which also contained information on when who was in the scene, and the "scene plot " which listed all interiors and exteriors, cost control plans and so on. He helped create a standardized and mechanized mode of production. He also was one of the first who had a separate writer, director and cutter (instead of doing everything himself).

Ince's movies were mainly early Westerns, which were successful because of their beautiful images and their rhythm.

On November 19, 1924, the silent film producer and "father of the western" died, "offically" of a heart attack he suffered while on a weekend boat trip with William Randolph Hearst, Marion Davies, and several other prominent Hollywood personalities. In the time since, several stories have circulated about Ince's death, mostly revolving around the claim that Hearst shot Ince (although none of them agree about whether he meant to kill Ince) and used his power to cover up the truth. A 2001 film, The Cat's Meow , tells a tale based around these rumours.

• 1910: director at I.M.P.
• 1911: Bison Life Motion pictures (merged with Universal 1912 )
• 1912: "Studio Inceville " and the Bison 101 movies (as projects for Bison Life Motion Pictures )

Filmography (as director)

• Anna Christie (1923)
• Dividend (1916)
• Civilization (1916)
• The Stepping Stone (1916)
• Peggy (1916)
• The Coward (1915)
• The Toast of Death (1915)
• The Cup of Life (1915)
• The Alien / The Sign of the Rose (1915)
• The Devil / Satan's Pawn (1915)
• The Death Mask (1914)
• The Hour of Reckoning (1914)
• The Last of the Line (1914)
• The Village 'Neath the Sea (1914)
• Out of the Night (1914)
• The Ambassador's Envoy (1913)
• The Boomerang (1913)
• Bread Cast Upon the Waters (1913)
• Days of '49 (1913)
• Granddad (1913)
• The Hateful God (1913)
• A Shadow of the Past (1913)
• In Love and War / Call to Arms (1913)
• The Battle of Gettysburg (1913)
• The Drummer of the 8th (1913)
• The Battle of the Red Men (1912)
• Blazing the Trail (1912)
• The Clod (1912)
• The Colonel's Son (1912)
• The Colonel's Ward (1912)
• A Double Reward (1912)
• The Empty Water Keg (1912)
• For Freedom of Cuba (1912)
• For the Cause (1912)
• The Law of the West (1912)
• A Mexican Tragedy (1912)
• War on the Plains (1912)
• The Invaders (1912)
• The Altar of Death (1912)
• The Sergeant's Boy (1912)
• Custer's Last Raid (1912)
• The Desert (1912)
• The Colonel's Peril (1912)
• His Message (1912)
• Soldier's Honor (1912)
• The Outcast (1912)
• The Lieutenant's Last Fight (1912)
• The Post Telegraphers (1912)
• The Deserter (1912)
• The Crisis (1912)
• The Indian Massacre / Heart of an Indian (1912)
• The Tables Turned (1912)
• Through the Flames (1912)
• The Kid and the Sleuth (1912)
• Artful Kate (1911)
• Behind the Stockade (1911)
• The Brand (1911)
• A Dog's Tale (1911)
• The Fisher-Maid (1911)
• For Her Brother's Sake (1911)
• Her Darkest Hour (1911)
• The Hidden Trail (1911)
• His Nemesis (1911)
• The House That Jack Built (1911)
• In Old Madrid (1911)
• In the Sultan's Garden (1911)
• Little Nell's Tobacco (1911)
• Maid or Man (1911)
• A Manly Man (1911)
• Message in the Bottle (1911)
• New Cook (1911)
• Over the Hills (1911)
• The Penniless Prince (1911)
• Sweet Memories (1911)
• The Aggressor (1911)
• Across the Plains (1911)
• The Dream (1911)
• Their First Misunderstanding (1911)