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Charlotte Burton

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Charlotte Burton
Photograph by Fred Hartsook, 1916
Born(1881-05-30)May 30, 1881
DiedMarch 28, 1942(1942-03-28) (aged 60)
Other namesCharlotte B. Stuart,
Charlotte Burton Stuart
OccupationActress
Spouses
Weston Birch Wooldridge
(m. 1904, divorced)
(m. 1917; div. 1921)
Darrell Stuart
(m. 1928)
Children1

Charlotte E. Burton (May 30, 1881 – March 28, 1942)[1] was an American silent film actress.[2][3]

Biography

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Charlotte Burton (1903)
Burton (1903)

Early life and education

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Charlotte E. Burton was born on May 30, 1881, in San Francisco, California.[1] However there is some debate on her date of birth; some sources state she was born ten years later, on May 30, 1891;[4] and other sources state she died at age 48 (which would be a date of birth around 1894).^ [3]

Burton attended The Cooper–Gerson School of Acting in San Francisco, where she studied under Leo Cooper.[5] In December 1902, Burton participated in a theatrical program in South Park, San Francisco, presented by The Cooper–Gerson School of Acting.[6][5]

Career

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Burton was signed by the American Film Manufacturing Company in 1912 where she worked for several years.[4] She joined Essanay Studios which she sued in 1919 for $25,000 for breach of contract. She originally signed with the company believing she would be acting in mostly drama film but she was cast in mostly comedy films. Her salary had been $200 a week with an option for her services at the rate of $300 a week for a second year.[citation needed]

Charlotte claimed that she was signed by Essanay business manager, Vernon R. Day, to a contract extending from November 1916 until November 1918. She was discharged without reason. When Burton came to the Chicago, studio she refused a role offered her in a Black Cat comedy, presented to her by Essanay president George K. Spoor. She declined because she was not a comedian. Instead, she accepted a role as leading lady in a film featuring Henry B. Wallace. She admitted that she was paid for ten weeks, at $200 per week, prior to being dumped by Essanay. Essanay executives claimed Burton automatically voided her contract when she refused the comedic part.[citation needed]

Upon arriving in California, Burton stayed for a time at the Angleus. She came there from New York and was on her way to Santa Barbara, California, to work for the American Film Company, which had its studios there. In May 1916, Burton was involved in making The Man Who Would Not Die, directed by William F. Russell and Jack Prescott.[citation needed]

The company of American and Canadian players spent a week in Long Beach, California, filming water scenes. Others in the cast were Harry Keenan and Leona Hutton. The script was written by Mabel Condon. Among her many co-stars in motion pictures were Mary Miles Minter, William Russell, Harold Lockwood, and Lottie Pickford.[7][8]

Personal life

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Burton's first marriage was to Weston Birch Wooldridge in 1904. They had a daughter together, Charlotte Burton Wooldridge (married name Coombs).[9][8] After her divorce she moved to Santa Barbara and dated Victor Fleming.[10]

In May 1917, Burton married actor William Russell in Santa Ana, California.[1][11] They divorced in 1921.[12] She remarried to contractor Darrell Stuart around 1928.[citation needed]

She died at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, California, on March 28, 1942, from a heart attack.[1][8][7][13]

Filmography

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Year Film Role Notes
1912 It Happened Thus the older daughter [14]
1913 The Awakening
The Adventures of Jacques Queen of France [4]
The Finer Things saddler's wife [4]
The Rose of San Juan
The Road to Ruin [4]
Her Big Story
The Oath of Pierre Julia Naughton, of the border line
Through the Neighbor's Window
The Flirt and the Bandit
Trapped in a Forest Fire
The Shriner's Daughter
Calamity Anne, Heroine
1914 Lola May, Lola's sister
The Mirror
The Redemption of a Pal Irene, his sister
Jail Birds Mrs. Patterson
The Final Impulse Ruth
A Slice of Life Jessie, Jim's wife
Old Enough to Be Her Grandpa Lilyan DeVoe
In the Candlelight Nina, a model
The Archeologist Edna Lee
The Beggar Child Rosa, his servant
1915 Refining Fires Nina, the judge's daughter
Heart of Flame Beppa
A Touch of Love Martha
The Day of Reckoning Rita Marr
She Walketh Alone Rita Horton
The Diamond from the Sky Vivian Marston
1916 The Thoroughbred Angela Earle [12]
The Craving Roby
The Bruiser Fen Bernham [12]
The Highest Bid Elsie Burleigh [12]
The Strength of Donald McKenzie Mab el Condon
The Man Who Would Not Die Agnes
The Torch Bearer Janet Dare
The Love Hermit Marie Bolton
Lone Star Helen Mattes
The Twinkler Rose Burke
1918 Up Romance Road Marta Millbanke
Hearts or Diamonds? Adrienne Gascoyne
1919 Man's Desire Vera Patton
1920 Polly of the Storm Country Evelyn Robertson

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Vazzana, Eugene Michael (October 20, 1995). Silent Film Necrology: Births and Deaths of Over 9000 Performers, Directors, Producers, and Other Filmmakers of the Silent Era, Through 1993. McFarland. ISBN 9780786401321 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ Sragow, Michael (December 10, 2013). Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN 978-0-8131-4442-9.
  3. ^ a b "Obituary for Charlotte B. Stuart". The Los Angeles Times. March 31, 1942. p. 14. Retrieved May 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c d e Justice, Fred C.; Smith, Tom R. (1914). Who's Who in the Film World: Being Biographies with Photographic Reproductions of Prominent Men and Women who Through Their Genius and Untiring Energy Have Contributed So Greatly Toward the Upbuilding of the Moving Picture Industry. Film World Publishing Company. p. 17.
  5. ^ a b "South Park Settlement Will Give Dramatic Entertainment". The San Francisco Call. December 19, 1902. p. 9. Retrieved May 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Theatricals at South Park". San Francisco Chronicle. December 19, 1902. Retrieved May 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b "Charlotte Burton, Silent Film Heroine, Is Dead". The Sacramento Bee. March 31, 1942. Retrieved May 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ a b c "Rites tomorrow for ex-actress". Daily News (Los Angeles, California). March 31, 1942. Retrieved May 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. Good Samaritan Hospital in Los Angeles, California
  9. ^ "The Unofficial Gober Genealogy Site - Person Page". www.goberfamily.org.
  10. ^ Sragow, Michael (December 10, 2013). Victor Fleming: An American Movie Master. University Press of Kentucky. p. 28. ISBN 978-0-8131-4442-9.
  11. ^ "Other woman is named in suite against Russell". The Santa Barbara Daily News and the Independent. July 1, 1918. p. 10. Retrieved October 20, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b c d Katchmer, George A. (May 20, 2015). "William Russell". A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. p. 336. ISBN 978-1-4766-0905-8.
  13. ^ "Charlotte Burton Dies, Star of Silent Screen". Hartford Courant. April 1, 1942. Retrieved May 4, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Motion Picture Story Magazine. Vol. 5. Macfadden-Bartell. 1913. p. 138.

Further reading

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  • Janesville, Wisconsin Daily Gazette, "News and Notes from Movieland", August 16, 1916, Page 6.
  • Los Angeles Times, "Personals", January 1, 1913, Page III4.
  • Los Angeles Times, "Studio", May 28, 1916, Page III19.
  • Los Angeles Times, "Seeks Money Balm", October 22, 1919, Page I15.
  • Oakland Tribune, "Romances In Film World Revealed", Sunday Morning, June 24, 1917, Page 19.
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