Versatile director whose prolific output was mostly unexceptional but which included a number of cinematic gems.After an aimless, misspent youth, including a stint in the foreign legion, Wellman became an ace pilot in WWI. He was discharged as a war hero after his plane was shot down and, in 1918, was stationed as a flight instructor at an air base in Southern California. He was then invited to Hollywood by Douglas Fairbanks, whom he had met and befriended before the war. Garbed in full military splendor, Wellman greeted Fairbanks and was promptly offered a substantial part in "Knickerbocker
Joined Foreign Legion, then Lafayette Flying Corps; plane shot down during WWI; sustained lasting back injuries; awarded Croix de Guerre and other honors
1918
Returned to Boston as war hero; authored (with a ghost writer) his story, "Go, Get 'Em"
1918
While a flight instructor at Rockwell Field, San Diego, became friendly with Hollywood figures
1919
On invitation from Douglas Fairbanks, made film acting debut in "Knickerbocker Buckaroo"
