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RENEE ADOREE (Jeanne de La Fonte, b. September 30, 1898 Lille, France; d. October 5, 1933 Tujunga, CA) Renee was born in a circus tent and was a circus performer from age five. Formerly married to actor Tom Moore. At 5’1” in height and weighing a mere 117 lbs, Adoree, with her brown hair and blue eyes, seemed larger than life on the big screen. Ms. Adoree wanted to be cremated and scattered but to this day, her ashes lie in crypt 219 in the Abbey of the Psalms. Adoree died from tuberculosis. Renee appeared in 42 films from 1918 to 1930.
AGNES AYRES (Agnes Hinkle, b. April 14, 1898 Carbondale, IL; d. December 25, 1942 Los Angeles, CA) Ayres began her career in Chicago with the Essanay Studios. In 1920 she moved to New York and signed with Paramount. Agnes was one of many who lost her entire fortune in the crash of 1929 and to make ends meet, she toured in vaudeville and was later hired by Paramount to make personal appearances for the reissue of “The Son of The Sheik.” Ayres returned to the screen in 1937 for a bit part in “Souls at Sea.” Ayres died from a cerebral hemorrhage. Agnes appeared in 81 films.
VIOLA DANA (Virginia Flugrath, b. June 26, 1897 Brooklyn, NY; d. July 3, 1987 Woodland Hills, CA) A stage dancer and child actress with her sister Shirley Mason, Dana began her career playing unbilled bit parts, later signing with Edison Pictures. A major star of silent film, her career ended with the coming of sound. Sister of actresses Shirley Mason and Edna Flugrath, Viola was formerly married to director John H. Collins and screen cowboy Maurice “Lefty” Flynn. Dana was also married to U.S. golf pro, Jimmy Thompson. Dana died from heart failure. Viola appeared in 94 films.
MARION DAVIES (Marion Cecilia Douras, b. January 3, 1897 Brooklyn, NY; d. September 22, 1961 Hollywood, CA) Educated in a convent, Marion made her stage debut in a Broadway chorus line at 16 years of age. Marion was also a Ziegfeld girl but was best known as mistress to newspaper magnet William Randolph Hearst and finally, after her death, the mother of Patricia Lake, actor Arthur Lake’s wife. It is interesting to note that as famous and well known as Marion was, only a hundred or so people attended her funeral service. Honorary pall-bearers included Joseph Kennedy, Bing Crosby and director Mervyn Leroy. Active pallbearers were director Raoul Walsh, Dick Powell, Howard Strickling, Buddy Rogers, and Glenn Ford, among others, with their task being turned over to sixteen members of the Naval ROTC. Also in the Douras mausoleum are Marion’s husband Horace Brown, her mother Rose, her daughter and son-in-law, Patricia and Arthur Lake. Davies died of cancer. Marion appeared in 50 films and produced 12.
MAUDE FEALY (b. March 4, 1881 Memphis, TN; d. November 9, 1971 Woodland Hills, CA) Daugther of actress Margaret Fealy, Maude began her career on the stage as a child. From 1913-1914 she was a strong competitor to Mary Pickford. She married actor James Peter Durkin and together they formed the Fealy-Durkin Stock Company, performing plays in various cities. Cecil B. De Mille employed Fealy in most of his sound films including his last, “The Ten Commandments.” She is quoted as saying “Actors never give up acting; it gives them up.” Fealy died of arteriosclerosis. Maude appeared in 22 films from 1911 to 1956.
BARBARA LA MARR (Reatha Watson, b. July 28, 1896 Yakima, WA; d. January 30, 1926 Altadena, CA) Known as “The Girl Who Was Too Beautiful,” Barbara was married to actors Phil Ainsworth and Ben Deeley. La Marr died of tuberculosis and nephritis. Barbara appeared in 27 films and wrote 6 screenplays.
SEENA OWEN (Signe Auen, b. November 13, 1894 Spokane, WA; d. August 15, 1966 Hollywood, CA) Owen was known as one of the most natural beauties to grace the screen. She began her career at the Kalem Studios, later moving over to D.W. Griffith’s company where she met future husband George Walsh while filming the epic “Intolerance,” in 1916. With the advent of sound, Owen’s acting career ended due to her listless voice. However, she went on to a successful career as a screenwriter, writing two of Dorothy Lamour’s best films “Aloma of the South Seas” and “Rainbow Island.” Owen died following a brief illness. Seena appeared in 56 films from 1914 to 1932. In addition, she wrote 8 screenplays.
DOROTHY PHILLIPS (Dorothy Gwendolyn Strible, b. October 30, 1889 Baltimore, MD; d. March 1, 1980 Woodland Hills, CA) A former stage actress, Dorothy was married to actor/director/producer Allen Holubar. They were known as two of the screen’s most prominent players, her the star, he the director/producer. Dorothy was well known in Hollywood as one of the most warm-hearted, approachable stars in the business. After the advent of sound, Dorothy’s career gradually faded and she could be seen in a handful of films as an extra. Although a major star in her time and one of the best loved of that era, her passing was barely mentioned, other than in local papers. Dorothy appeared in 136 films from 1911 to 1962.
CONSTANCE TALMADGE (b. April 19, 1897 Brooklyn, NY; d. November 23, 1973 Los Angeles, CA) One of the first stars to place her ‘prints’ at Graumann’s Chinese theatre in Hollywood. Sister of actresses Natalie and Norma Talmadge. The Talmadge sisters opened a real estate development, Talmadge Park, in San Diego, now known as the Talmadge district where streets are named for each of them. Her first marriage was a double wedding with actress Dorothy Gish and James Rennie. Constance died of natural causes. She rented a room at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel and although supposedly not a vain person, refused to let anyone see her as she had put on a little bit of weight. Constance appeared in 83 films from 1914 to 1929.
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