From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia John M. St. Polis (November 24, 1873 – October 8, 1946) was an American actor. St. Polis was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Before starting his film career, he made a name for himself on the Broadway stage, most notably in the role of Frederik in the original production of The Return of Peter Grimm (1911–12) and the play's revival in 1921, both performed at the Belasco Theatre. He appeared in 126 films between 1914 and 1943. In all of his early roles, the actor is billed as John Sainpolis. His best-known performances are as Etienne Laurier in The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), and as Comte Phillipe de Chagny in The Phantom of the Opera (1925). St. Polis successfully made the transition from silent cinema to "talkies" with one of his most praised performances as Dr. John M. Besant, the father of Norma Besant (played by Mary Pickford) in Coquette (1929).

Filmography

• 1942Crossroads — Professor (uncredited)
• 1940Abe Lincoln in Illinois — Minor Role (uncredited)
• 1940Haunted House — Simkins
• 1940On the Spot — Doc Hunter
• 1940Rocky Mountain Rangers — Joseph Manners
• 1939Boys' Reformatory — Superintendent Keene
• 1939They Shall Have Music — Davis
• 1938International Crime — Roger Morton
• 1938Mr. Wong, Detective — Carl Roemer
• 1938Phantom Ranger — Pat Doyle
• 1938Saleslady — Crane
• 1938The Mysterious Rider — Townsman
• 1937Borderland — Doctor
• 1937Jungle Menace — Chandler Elliott
• 1937Paradise Isle — Coxon
• 1937The Shadow Strikes — Caleb Delthern
• 1936Below the Deadline — Mr. Abrams
• 1936Call of the Prairie — Jim
• 1936The Dark Hour — Dr. Munro
• 1936Three on the Trail — Sheriff Sam Corwin
• 1935A Night at the Opera — Opera Conductor (uncredited)
• 1935Death from a Distance — Prof. Trowbridge
• 1935The Lady in Scarlet — Jerome T. Shelby
• 1934Guilty Parents — Defense attorney
• 1934The President Vanishes — Attorney General Davis (uncredited)
• 1933Cocktail Hour — French Police Investigator (uncredited)
• 1933King of the Arena — Governor
• 1933Notorious But Nice — John J. Martin
• 1933Terror Trail — Colonel Charles Ormsby
• 1933The World Gone Mad — Grover Cromwell
• 1932Alias the Doctor — Dr. Niergardt
• 1932Call Her Savage — Doctor Consoling Nasa (Uncredited)
• 1932False Faces — Dr. McDonald
• 1932If I Had a Million — Glidden Associate (uncredited)
• 1932Lena Rivers — John Nichols
• 1932Symphony of Six Million — Dr. Schifflen
• 1932The Crusader — Robert Henley
• 1932The Gambling Sex — John Tracy
• 1932The Match King — Banker (uncredited)
• 1931Beau Ideal — Judge Advocate (as John M. St. Polis)
• 1931Doctors' Wives — Dr. Mark Wyndram
• 1931Heartbreak — U.S. Ambassador
• 1931Men of the Sky — Madeleine's Father
• 1931The Criminal Code — Dr. Rinewulf
• 1931The Gay Diplomat — General
• 1931The Yellow Ticket — Passport Official at Airport
• 1931Their Mad Moment — Hotel Manager
• 1931Transgression — Serafin, Arturo's Butler
• 1930A Devil with Women — Don Diego
• 1930Captain Thunder — Pedro
• 1930Guilty? — Polk
• 1930In the Next Room — Philip Vantine
• 1930Kismet — The Imam Mahmud
• 1930Party Girl — John Rountree
• 1930The Bad One — Judge
• 1930The Melody Man — Von Kemper
• 1930The Three Sisters — Judge
• 1929Coquette — Dr. John M. Besant
• 1929Fast Life — Andrew Stratton
• 1929Why Be Good? — Pa Kelly
• 1928A Woman's Way — Mouvet
• 1928Marriage by Contract — Father
• 1928The Power of Silence — Defense Attorney
• 1927The Unknown — Surgeon (uncredited)
• 1927Too Many Crooks — Erastus Mason
• 1926The Far Cry — Count Filippo Sturani
• 1926The Greater Glory — Prof. Leopold Eberhardt (as John Sainpolis)
• 1926The Lily — Comte de Maigny
• 1925My Lady's Lips — Inspector
• 1925Paint and Powder — Mark Kelsey (as John Sainpolis)
• 1925The Phantom of the Opera — Comte Philip de Chagny
• 1924Folly of Vanity — Ridgeway (modern sequence)
• 1924In Every Woman's Life — Dr. Philip Logan
• 1924Mademoiselle Midnight — Colonel de Gontran (Prologue)
• 1924The Alaskan — Rossland (as John Sainpolis)
• 1924The Dixie Handicap — Dexter
• 1924The Rose of Paris — André du Vallois
• 1924Those Who Dance — Monahan
• 1924Three Weeks — The King
• 1923A Prince of a King — Mario
• 1923Held to Answer — Hiram Burbeck
• 1923The Hero — Andrew Lane
• 1923The Social Code — Defense Attorney
• 1923The Untameable — Dr. Copin
• 1923Three Wise Fools — John Crawshay
• 1923Woman-Proof — Milo Bleech (as John Sainpolis)
• 1922Shadows — Nate Snow
• 1921Cappy Ricks — Skinner (as John Sainpolis)
• 1921The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse — Etienne Laurier
• 1920Old Dad — Jeffrey Bretton
• 1920The Great Lover — Jean Paurel
• 1918All Woman — Sam Tupper
• 1918Laughing Bill Hyde — Black Jack Burg
• 1918Stake Uncle Sam to Play Your Hand — Kaiser
• 1917Sapho — Dejoie
• 1917Sleeping Fires — Edwin Bryce
• 1917The Fortunes of Fifi — Duvernet
• 1917The Love That Lives — Harvey Brooks
• 1917The Mark of Cain — Judge Hoyt
• 1917The Mystic Hour — Clavering
• 1917The Public Defender — David Moulton
• 1916The Salamander — Albert Sassoon
• 1916The Social Highwayman — Hanby
• 1916The World Against Him — Dr. Hamilton Welsh
• 1916The Yellow Passport — Fedia
• 1915Bondwomen — Dr. Hugh Ellis
• 1915Wormwood
• 1914Joseph and His Coat of Many Colors
• 1914Soldiers of Fortune — Pres. Alvarez

Appearances as themselves (1)

• 1923Souls for Sale — Self - Celebrity Actor in Commissary