Esther Howard
| Esther Howard | |
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| Born | 4 April 1892 Helena, Montana, U.S. |
| Died | 8 March 1965 (aged 72) Hollywood, California |
| Occupation | actress |
| Years active | 1917–1952 |
| Spouse | Arthur Albertson (? - 26 October 1926 his death) |
Esther Howard (4 April 1892–8 March 1965) was a film character actress who played a wide range of supporting roles, from man-hungry spinsters to amoral criminals, appearing in over 100 movies in her 23-year film career.
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[edit] Career
Esther Howard was born in Helena, Montana in 1892, and she made her Broadway debut in 1917,[1] in a play called Eve's Daughter, which was not a success.[2] Nevertheless, Howard continued to appear regularly on the Great White Way for the next twelve years, performing in comedies and musicals until 1929, when she was featured in The New Moon, a Sigmund Romberg musical,[3] which was her final Broadway production.[1]
In 1930, Howard changed her focus to making movies,[4] appearing in a Vitaphone comedy short, The Victim.[5] From that point until her retirement in 1952, Howard worked regularly – a least one film she appeared in was released every year, and usually more. She was often cast as an oversexed dowager or a decrepit old hag, and was known for her versatility and expressive face.[6] Notable among her many roles were "Mrs. Stillman" in 1933's The Iron Master, "Jessie Florian" in Raymond Chandler's Murder My Sweet with Dick Powell (1944), a murderess in Laurel and Hardy's The Big Noise (1944), the determined Mrs. Kraft out to solve a murder in Born to Kill (1947) and Kirk Douglas’ mother in the multi-Oscar nominated Champion (1949).
Beginning in the early 1940s, Howard was part of Preston Sturges' unofficial "stock company" of character actors, appearing in seven films written and directed by Sturges.[7] Her performances in Sturges' films were among her best, especially the wife of the "Wienie King" in The Palm Beach Story (1942).
From 1937, Howard was a regular player in short-subjects produced at Columbia Pictures, where she was frequently cast opposite comedian Andy Clyde.[6] Her last film was a Columbia comedy short, Caught on the Bounce (1952), in which she played Joe Besser's aunt.[8]
[edit] Death
Esther Howard died of a heart attack[9] in Hollywood, California on 8 March 1965, aged 72. She was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
[edit] Notes
- ^ a b Esther Howard at the Internet Broadway Database
- ^ Eve's Daughter at the Internet Broadway Database
- ^ The New Moon at the Internet Broadway Database
- ^ Esther Howard at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ The Victim at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ a b Erickson, Hal Biography (Allmovie
- ^ Howard appeared in The Great McGinty, Sullivan's Travels, The Palm Beach Story, The Miracle of Morgan's Creek, Hail the Conquering Hero, The Great Moment and The Beautiful Blonde from Bashful Bend, Sturges' last American film. She also appeared in I Married a Witch, which Sturges produced.
- ^ Caught on the Bounce at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ IMDb bio
[edit] External links
- Esther Howard at the Internet Broadway Database
- Esther Howard at the Internet Movie Database
- Esther Howard at AllRovi
- Esther Howard at the TCM Movie Database
- Esther Howard at Find a Grave
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