Bertha Mann
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/33/BerthaMann1914.tif/lossless-page1-220px-BerthaMann1914.tif.png)
Bertha Mann (October 21, 1893 – December 20, 1967) was an American stage and film actress.
Early life
Bertha Mann was born in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] She trained as a dancer in childhood, but soon found that drama was a better fit for her talents.[2]
Career
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b5/The_Blindness_of_Divorce_%281918%29_-_1.jpg/220px-The_Blindness_of_Divorce_%281918%29_-_1.jpg)
Bertha Mann started touring with stock companies as a young actress.[3] Broadway appearances by Mann included roles in When Claudia Smiles (1914),[4] When the Young Vine Blooms (1915), The Weavers (1915-1916), One of Us (1918),[5] The Crimson Alibi (1919),[6] The Man with the Load of Mischief (1925),[7] and The Virgin (1926).[5] Films featuring Bertha Mann include The Blindness of Divorce (1918),[8] All Quiet on the Western Front (1930),[9] The Little Accident (1930), Free Love (1930), Caught Cheating (1931), Father's Son (1931), A Woman of Experience (1931), The Final Edition (1932), and Behind the Mask (1932).[10]
During World War I Bertha Mann learned to knit to make "mufflers" for American troops, took a basic nursing course, and was active with the Stage Women's War Relief organization.[11] She suggested that the young film industry in Los Angeles might follow the example of the theatre community in New York in supporting the war effort.[12]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1918 | The Blindness of Divorce | Claire Langdon | |
1930 | All Quiet on the Western Front | Sister Libertine | Uncredited |
1930 | The Little Accident | Miss Hemingway | |
1930 | Free Love | Helena | |
1931 | Caught Cheating | Lena Harris | |
1931 | Father's Son | Mrs. Stewart | |
1931 | A Woman of Experience | Red Cross Nurse | |
1932 | The Final Edition | Jane Conroy | |
1932 | Behind the Mask | Nurse Edwards | (final film role) |
Personal life
Bertha Mann married fellow actor Raymond Griffith in 1928.[1] They lived in Los Angeles[13] and raised two children together.[14] She was widowed when Griffith died in 1957. She died ten years later, aged 74 years, in Los Angeles.
References
- ^ a b "Raymond Griffith to Wed Actress" New York Times (January 4, 1928): 31. via ProQuest
- ^ "Her Miss a Hit" Evening Public Ledger (February 7, 1920): 12. via Newspapers.com
- ^ Johnson Briscoe, "New Blood in Theatreland" Green Book (January 1914): 24.
- ^ "When Blanche Ring Smiles and Sings" New York Times (February 4, 1914): 9. via ProQuest
- ^ a b Gerald Bordman, American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama 1914-1930 (Oxford University Press 1995): 87, 285. ISBN 9780195090789
- ^ "The Crimson Alibi" Theatre Magazine (September 1919): 151.
- ^ Thomas S. Hischak, Broadway Plays and Musicals (McFarland 2012): 283. ISBN 9780786453092
- ^ "'The Blindness of Divorce' Has Remarkably Good Cast" Motography (May 4, 1918): 849.
- ^ John Howard Reid, Silent Films & Early Talkies on DVD: A Classic Movie Fan's Guide (2008): 5. ISBN 9781435710733
- ^ "On Broadway's Screens" New York Times (February 28, 1932): X5. via ProQuest
- ^ "Busy Bertha Mann" Los Angeles Times (August 9, 1918): 13. via Newspapers.com
- ^ Paul Hubert Conlon, "Bertha Mann's Idea; Favorite Actress Works to Aid our Soldiers" Los Angeles Times (October 6, 1917): 13. via Newspapers.com
- ^ Alma Whitaker, "Bertha Mann Here to Stay" Los Angeles Times (September 30, 1928): 55. via Newspapers.com
- ^ "Stork Visit to Actress Scheduled" Los Angeles Times (February 15, 1929): 44. via Newspapers.com
External links
- Bertha Mann at IMDb
- Bertha Mann's listing at IBDB.
- Bertha Mann Griffith's gravesite on Find a Grave.
- Two publicity photos of Bertha Mann, at Silent Film Still Archive.