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Fannie Ward (February 22, 1872 - January 27, 1952) was an actress of stage and screen, known for comedic roles as well as the 1915 movie The Cheat. Her curiously ageless appearance, however, is what drove her celebrity. An obituary described her as "an actress who never quite reached the top in her professional ... [and who] tirelessly devoted herself to appearing perpetually youthful, an act that made her famous".^[1]

Background

Ward was born as Fannie Buchanan in St. Louis, Missouri, the only daughter of John Buchanan, a dry goods merchant, and his wife, Eliza. She had one sibling, a brother, Benton.^[2]

Career

Ward made her stage debut in 1890 as Cupid in Pippino with Eddie Foy. She went on to become a successful stage star in New York City. In 1894 she sailed for London and appeared in "The Shop Girl", which led critics to compare Ward favorably to actress Maude Adams. In 1898, however, she married a wealthy diamond merchant and money lender and retired from the stage. Ward returned to her career in 1905, after her husband suffered business reversals that left him, a news account reported, practically penniless".^[3]

In 1915, around the time Ward's stage career was on the wane, American movie producer and director Cecil B. DeMille convinced her to star in The Cheat, which co-starred Japanese actor Sessue Hayakawa. The film was a noted success, in part because of its sadomasochistic theme: Ward portrayed a stockbroker's wife whose gambling debts lead her to become the sex slave of an Asian ivory dealer (Hayakawa).^[4]

In addition to starring in The Hardest Way (1921), Ward appeared in a Phonofilm short film singing "Father Time" (1924), a second Phonofilm as "The Perennial Flapper" (1924), and in a Vitaphone short Fannie Ward in "The Miracle Woman" (1929).

In 1926, trading on her ever-youthful public image, she opened a Paris beauty shop, "The Fountain of Youth".

Marriages

Fannie Ward was married twice:

Joseph Lewis (died 1928), a British money lender; they married in 1898 and divorced 14 January 1913.
John Wooster Dean (né John H. Donovan, 1874—1950), an actor who frequently co-starred with Ward on stage and in films. They married in 1914.

Ward's only child, Dorothé Mabel Lewis (1900-1938), was the result of a liaison between Ward and Charles Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 7th Marquess of Londonderry. Her first husband was Capt. Jack Barnato (1894-1918), a pilot, who died of pneumonia in 1918, shortly after their marriage. Her second husband, married in 1922, was Terence Conyngham Plunket, 6th Baron Plunket (1899-1938), and they were the parents of Patrick Plunket, 7th Baron Plunket, Robin Rathmore Plunket, 8th Baron Plunket, and present heir presumptive, Hon. Shaun Plunket. After Lord and Lady Plunket were killed in an airplane crash in California on February 24, 1938, Ward's grandsons were raised by their father's sister Helen Rhodes.

Death

On January 25, 1952, Fanny Ward was found unconscious in her Park Avenue apartment following a stroke. She never regained consciousness and died two days later.

Filmography

Fannie Ward in "The Miracle Woman" (1929) Ward stars in a Vitaphone short film
Fannie Ward as "The Perennial Flapper" (1924) Ward performs comedy sketch as the "perennial flapper" in a DeForest Phonofilm short film
Fannie Ward Sings "Father Time" (1924) in a Phonofilm short film
La Rafale (1920)
Le Secret du Lone Star (1920)
Our Better Selves (1919) .... Loyette Merval
The Profiteers (1919) .... Beverly Randall
The Cry of the Weak (1919) .... Mary Dexter
Common Clay (1919) .... Ellen Neal
The Only Way (1919)
The Narrow Path (1918) .... Marion Clark
A Japanese Nightingale (1918) .... Yuki
The Yellow Ticket (1918) .... Anna Mirrel
Innocent (1918) .... Innocent
On the Level (1917) .... Merlin Warner, aka Mexicali May
The Crystal Gazer (1917) .... Rose Jorgensen/Rose Keith/Norma Dugan
Her Strange Wedding (1917) .... Coralie Grayson
Unconquered (1917) .... Mrs. Jackson
A School for Husbands (1917) .... Lady Betty Manners
The Winning of Sally Temple (1917) .... Sally Temple
Betty to the Rescue (1917)
The Years of the Locust (1916) .... Lorraine Roth
Witchcraft (1916) .... Suzette
Each Pearl a Tear (1916) .... Diane Winston, aka Each Hour a Pearl (USA: alternative title), Every Pearl a Tear
A Gutter Magdalene (1916) .... Maida Carrington
For the Defense (1916) .... Fidele Roget
Tennessee's Pardner (1916) .... Tennessee
The Cheat (1915) .... Edith Hardy
The Marriage of Kitty (1915) .... Katherine "Kitty" Silverton

References

^ "Fannie Ward Dies; Perennial Flapper", The New York Times, 28 January 1952
^ As seen on ancestry.com, the 1880 U. S. Federal Census lists her as Fannie Buchanan, age 7, in the household of Eliza and John Buchanan. Her brother, Benton Buchanan, is also listed.
^ "Joseph Lewis Left $20,000", The New York Times, 9 December 1928
^ Kathryn Shattuck, "What's On Today", The New York Times, 14 November 2008

External links

Fannie Ward at Silents Are Golden
Fannie Ward at Internet Movie Database
Fannie Ward at Silent Ladies & Gents
Fannie Ward her stage years portrait gallery at NY Public Library Billy Rose collection
rare portrait of Fannie Ward

[1] "Fannie Ward Dies; Perennial Flapper", The New York Times, 28 January 1952

[2] As seen on ancestry.com, the 1880 U. S. Federal Census lists her as Fannie Buchanan, age 7, in the household of Eliza and John Buchanan. Her brother, Benton Buchanan, is also listed.

[3] "Joseph Lewis Left $20,000", The New York Times, 9 December 1928

[4] Kathryn Shattuck, "What's On Today", The New York Times, 14 November 2008

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[2]

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:Fannieward1925.jpg|thumb|Fannie Ward, 1925]]
+'''Fannie Ward''' (February 22, 1872 - January 27, 1952) was an actress of stage and screen, known for comedic roles as well as the 1915 movie ''[[The Cheat]]''. Her curiously ageless appearance, however, is what drove her celebrity. An obituary described her as "an actress who never quite reached the top in her professional ... [and who] tirelessly devoted herself to appearing perpetually youthful, an act that made her famous".<ref>"Fannie Ward Dies; Perennial Flapper", ''The New York Times'', 28 January 1952</ref>
-'''Fannie Ward''' (February 22, 1872 - January 27, 1952) was a [[vaudeville]] and [[silent film]] actress.
+==Background==
+Ward was born as '''Fannie Buchanan''' in [[St. Louis, Missouri]], the only daughter of John Buchanan, a dry goods merchant, and his wife, Eliza. She had one sibling, a brother, Benton.<ref>As seen on ancestry.com, the 1880 U. S. Federal Census lists her as Fannie Buchanan, age 7, in the household of Eliza and John Buchanan. Her brother, Benton Buchanan, is also listed.</ref>
 ==Career==
-Fannie Ward was born in [[St. Louis, Missouri]] the daughter of John Buchanan, she made her stage debut in 1890 as Cupid in [[Pippino]]. She went on to become a very successful stage star for many years to come. Around 1890, she sailed for [[London]] and made a hit in music halls there, as well. In 1898, however, she retired from the stage upon marrying Joseph Lewis, a British money lender, who was worth an estimated $50 million. Ward returned to her career in 1905, after her husband suffered business reversals.
+Ward made her stage debut in 1890 as Cupid in [[Pippino]] with [[Eddie Foy]]. She went on to become a successful stage star in New York City. In 1894 she sailed for [[London]] and appeared in "The Shop Girl", which led critics to compare Ward favorably to actress [[Maude Adams]]. In 1898, however, she married a wealthy diamond merchant and money lender and retired from the stage. Ward returned to her career in 1905, after her husband suffered business reversals that left him, a news account reported, ''practically penniless".<ref>"Joseph Lewis Left $20,000", ''The New York Times'', 9 December 1928</ref>
+In 1915, around the time Ward's stage career was on the wane, American movie producer and director [[Cecil B. DeMille]] convinced her to star in ''[[The Cheat]]'', which co-starred Japanese actor [[Sessue Hayakawa]]. The film was a noted success, in part because of its sadomasochistic theme: Ward portrayed a stockbroker's wife whose gambling debts lead her to become the sex slave of an Asian ivory dealer (Hayakawa).<ref>Kathryn Shattuck, "What's On Today", ''The New York Times'', 14 November 2008</ref>
+In addition to starring in ''The Hardest Way'' (1921), Ward appeared in a [[Phonofilm]] [[short film]] singing "Father Time" (1924), a second Phonofilm as "The Perennial Flapper" (1924), and in a [[Vitaphone]] short ''Fannie Ward in "The Miracle Woman"'' (1929).
-In 1915, [[Cecil B. DeMille]] convinced her to star in his new movie, ''[[The Cheat]]'', which co-starred [[Sessue Hayakawa]]. Although she considered herself a comedienne, she was determined to play the part well, which she did. Although she was 43 when she made the film, she appeared much younger (she claimed she was 40). This began a busy film career for the next few years, many of her features co-starring husband John Dean. Ward's films were successful, and she gained a loyal following of fans.
+In 1926, trading on her ever-youthful public image, she opened a [[Paris]] beauty shop, "The Fountain of Youth".
-After making ''The Hardest Way'' in 1921, Ward decided to go back on the vaudeville circuit. She appeared in a [[Phonofilm]] [[short film]] singing "Father Time" (1924), a second Phonofilm as "The Perennial Flapper" (1924), and in a [[Vitaphone]] short ''Fannie Ward in "The Miracle Woman"'' (1929). In 1926, she opened a [[Paris]] beauty shop, "The Fountain of Youth". She continued touring on vaudeville occasionally into the 1930s, still belying her age, now well into her sixties.
 ==Marriages==
@@ Line 50: / Line 55: @@
 * ''[[The Cheat]]'' (1915) .... Edith Hardy
 * ''The Marriage of Kitty'' (1915) .... Katherine "Kitty" Silverton
+==References==
+<references/>
 ==External links==