Marion Leonard
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Marion Leonard | |
|---|---|
 The Theater of Science, 1914 | |
| Born | June 9, 1881 Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 9, 1956 (aged 74) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1908–1915, 1926 |
| Spouse | Stanner E.V. Taylor |
Marion Leonard (June 9, 1881 – January 9, 1956) was an American stage actress who became one of the first motion picture celebrities in the early years of the silent film era.[1]
Early career
Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Marion Leonard began her acting career in live theatre, but at the age of 27 she started performing in the rapidly expanding film industry. She signed a contract in 1908 with the American Mutoscope and Biograph Company and initially worked at that studio's production facilities in New York City, which were then located at 11 East 14th Street in Manhattan. There she made her screen debut in At the Crossroads of Life, a short directed by Wallace McCutcheon, Jr. and written by D. W. Griffith, who also acted in that film and directed the vast majority of Leonard's other films at Biograph.
Shortly after her screen debut, Leonard became one of the company's leading "photoplayers". At a time when screen credits were not given to actors, she and Florence Auer were the first star actresses to be billed by the studio as a "Biograph Girl". Among the many films Leonard made at Biograph, 32 of them were with an up-and-coming young actress named Mary Pickford.
Marriage and switch to Universal Pictures
While working for Biograph, Leonard met screenwriter/director Stanner E.V. Taylor and a personal relationship developed that led to marriage.[2] They created their own studio, the Gem Motion Picture Company, in 1911 to benefit from Leonard's increasing popularity.[3]
_(1911)_(14595259929).jpg)
In 1915, after appearing in more than 150 motion pictures, Leonard retired from film acting. She returned, however, 11 years later at age 45 for one final screen appearance in a 1926 Mack Sennett comedy.
Leonard died in 1956 at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California.
Selected filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1909 | The Gibson Goddess | Nanette Ranfrea | |
| The Prussian Spy | Lady Florence | ||
| The Golden Louis | Reveler | ||
| A Fool's Revenge | The Daughter | ||
| A Rude Hostess | Mrs. Leffingwell | ||
| The Roue's Heart | Sculptress | ||
| And a Little Child Shall Lead Them | The Mother | ||
| Leather Stocking | Colonel's Nieces | ||
| A Burglar's Mistake | Mrs. Newman | ||
| A Trap for Santa | Helen Rogers | ||
| Pippa Passes | Ottima | ||
| Two Memories | Marion Francis | ||
| Nursing a Viper | The Wife | ||
| The Sealed Room | The Countess | ||
|
1913 |
Carmen | Carmen | |
| 1914 | The Awakening of Donna Isolla |
References
- ^ The Theater of Science vol. 29 1914
- ^ Gallen, Ira H. (15 December 2015). D.W. Griffith: Master of Cinema. FriesenPress. ISBN 978-1-4602-6099-9. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
- ^ Mahar, Karen Ward (25 August 2008). Women Filmmakers in Early Hollywood. JHU Press. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-8018-9084-0. Retrieved September 10, 2021.
External links
- Marion Leonard at IMDb
- Marion Leonard at Women Film Pioneers Project
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