Famous Scots. Frank Spottiswoode.

Frank Spottiswoode Aitken (16 April 1868 – 26 February 1933) was a Scottish-American actor of the silent era. He played Dr. Cameron in D. W. Griffith’s epic drama The Birth of a Nation.

Early years
Aitken was born 16 April 1868 in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Acting
In his book, The King of the Movies: Film Pioneer Siegmund Lubin, Joseph P. Eckhardt wrote that Aitken was “trained as a Shakespearean actor, with many years of experience under his belt.” His film debut came in 1911. He eventually appeared in 81 feature films between 1914 and 1927.

Aitken was involved in a controversy in 1922 when, after suing his wife Marion Dana Jones for divorce for alleged infidelity, she countersued. A United Press news story reported that she was “alleging her husband had coerced her into living with Hay Weinstein, wealthy Santa Barbaran, so that he could extort money from Weinstein.”

The couple had three children: Francis Spottiswoode Aitken Jr., Frances Aitken and Margaret Shirley Aitken.

Death
Aitken died 26 February 1933 in Los Angeles, California. He was 64 years old. He is buried in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery