Sally Eilers

Sally Eilers
from the trailer for the film Pursuit (1935)
Born	Dorothea Sally Eilers December 11, 1908(1908-12-11) New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	January 5, 1978(1978-01-05) (aged 69) Woodland Hills, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1927–1950

Sally Eilers (December 11, 1908 – January 5, 1978) was an American actress.

Life and career

Born as Dorothea Sally Eilers in New York City to a Jewish-American mother, Paula (née Schoenberger), and an Irish-American father, Hio Peter Eilers (who was an inventor), she was educated in Los Angeles and went into films because so many of her friends were in pictures. She studied for the stage, specialising in dancing. Her first try was a failure so she tried typing but then went back into pictures and succeeded.

She made her film debut in 1927 in The Red Mill, directed by Roscoe Arbuckle. After several minor roles as an extra, she found work with Mack Sennett, perhaps as one of his Sennett Bathing Beauties, in several comedy short subjects, along with Carole Lombard, who had been a school friend. In 1928 she was voted as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, a yearly list of young actresses nominated by exhibitors based on their box-office appeal.

Eilers was a popular figure in early-1930s Hollywood, known for her high spirits and vivacity. Her films were mostly comedies and crime melodramas such as Quick Millions (1931) with Spencer Tracy and George Raft. She was married for a short time to Hoot Gibson, though the marriage ended in divorce in 1933.

By the end of the decade her popularity had waned, and her subsequent film appearances were few. She made her final film appearance in 1950.

Death

During her final years, Eilers suffered poor health, and died from a heart attack in Woodland Hills, California, at the age of 69.

Partial filmography

• The Red Mill (1927) (unbilled)
• The Campus Vamp (1928) (short subject)
• The Show of Shows (1929)
• Broadway Babies (1929)
• She Couldn't Say No (1930)
• Let Us Be Gay (1930)
• Clearing the Range (1931)
• Parlor, Bedroom and Bath (1931)
• Quick Millions (1931)
• The Black Camel (1931)
• A Holy Terror (1931)
• Bad Girl (1931)
• Disorderly Conduct (1932)
• Central Airport (1933)
• State Fair (1933)
• Carnival (1935)
• Remember Last Night? (1935)
• Talk of the Devil (1936) (British)
• Strike Me Pink (1936)
• Lady Behave! (1937)
• Full Confession (1939)
• A Wave, a WAC and a Marine (1944)
• Strange Illusion (1945)
• Coroner Creek (1948)

External links

• Sally Eilers at the Internet Movie Database
• Sally Eilers at Find a Grave
• Photographs of Sally Eilers