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Gladys Walton

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Gladys Walton
Walton in 1922
Born(1903-04-13)April 13, 1903
DiedNovember 15, 1993(1993-11-15) (aged 90)
Resting placeIndian Cemetery Road, Woodfords, Alpine County, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1919–1925
Spouses
  • Frank Liddell
    (m. 1923; div. 1923)
  • Henry Merritt Herbel
    (m. 1923; div. 1947)
  • Spiro (Samuel) Dilles
    (m. 1953; div. 1955)
  • Kenneth James Wells
    (m. 1971; div. 1973)
Children6
Signature

Gladys Walton (April 13, 1903 – November 15, 1993)[2] was an American silent film actress.

Early life and career

Born in Boston, Massachusetts and educated in Portland, Oregon, Gladys Walton debuted in films at the Fox Sunshine comedy studio's in 1919, doing small parts in their comedy short films.[3] As her acting talent came more out into the open, she was given larger and more important roles in films, such as La La Lucille in 1920 with Universal Studios, as well as The Secret Gift, also in 1920. She was also given her first starring role in Pink Tights (1920), opposite film star Jack Perrin. She was a contract player for Universal from 1920 to 1923, completing 28 films and earning $600 a week[4] at the peak of her career. After leaving Universal she went on to do a few independent films. Only 5 of her 38 films exist: Pink Tights from 1920, All Dolled Up from 1921, The Untameable and Sawdust both from 1923, and A Little Girl in a Big City, released in 1925.

Walton in 1924.

Walton retired from acting in 1925.[5] Gladys has been said to have done theater productions, but this is untrue. There were in fact two Gladys Waltons performing in the early 1920's. One was a theater actress on the East Coast, doing traveling stage productions, while the movie star Gladys was making films on the West Coast. Writers of the time often confused the two.[6]

Personal life

Walton married screenwriter Frank Liddell in 1920. She later married Henry M. Herbel in 1923, with whom she had six children. She later married Spiro (Samuel) Dilles and Kenneth James Wells. All the marriages ended in divorce.

Death

Walton died of cancer on November 15, 1993, aged 90.[5]

Filmography

Gladys Walton in Risky Business (1920)
Lobby card for High Heels (1921)
Year Title Role Notes
1908 The Fairylogue and Radio-Plays
1920 La La Lucille Peggy Hughes
1920 The Secret Gift Winnie
1920 Pink Tights Mazie Darton
1920 Risky Business Phillipa
1921 Rich Girl, Poor Girl Nora McShane / Beatrice Vanderfleet
1921 All Dolled Up Maggie Quick
1921 Desperate Youth Rosemary Merridew
1921 The Man Tamer The Lion Tamer
1921 Short Skirts Natalie Smith
1921 The Rowdy Kit Purcell
1921 High Heels Christine Trevor
1921 Playing With Fire Enid Gregory
1922 The Guttersnipe Mazie O'Day
1922 The Wise Kid Rosie Cooper
1922 Second Hand Rose Rose O'Grady
1922 The Trouper Mamie Judd
1922 Top o' the Morning 'Jerry' O'Donnell
1922 The Girl Who Ran Wild M'liss
1922 The Lavender Bath Lady Mamie Conroy
1922 A Dangerous Game Gretchen Ann Peebles
1923 The Love Letter Mary Ann McKee
1923 Gossip Caroline Weatherbee
1923 The Town Scandal Jean Crosby
1923 Crossed Wires Marcel Murphy
1923 Sawdust Nita Moore
1923 The Untameable Edna Fielding / Joy Fielding
1923 The Wild Party Leslie Adams
1923 The Near Lady Nora Schultz
1925 Easy Money
1925 Enemies of Youth
1925 The Sky Raider Marie
1925 Anything Once Dorothy Nixon
1925 A Little Girl in a Big City Mary Barry
1928 The Ape (final film role)[7]

References

  1. ^ "Gladys Walton; Starred in Silent Films". Los Angeles Times. November 21, 1993. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
  2. ^ Dates of birth and death are submitted by her son, John Walton, from her death certificate
  3. ^ Michael G Ankerich (1993) Broken Silence: conversations with 23 silent film stars. p.299
  4. ^ Michael G Ankerich (1993) Broken Silence: conversations with 23 silent film stars. p.300
  5. ^ a b "Gladys Walton Dead; Silent-Film Actress, 90". The New York Times. December 23, 1993. Retrieved October 11, 2010.
  6. ^ "The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current, October 15, 1922, SECTION FOUR, Page 7, Image 61 « Historic Oregon Newspapers". oregonnews.uoregon.edu.
  7. ^ Workman, Christopher; Howarth, Troy (2016). "Tome of Terror: Horror Films of the Silent Era". Midnight Marquee Press. p. 322. ISBN 978-1936168-68-2.

Media related to Gladys Walton at Wikimedia Commons