Nancy Welford

Nancy Welford (May 31, 1904 – September 30, 1991) was an American actress in the early talkie era. The daughter of actress Ada Loftus^[1] and actor Dallas Welford, she was born in England and came to the United States whe she was six years old.^[2]

Welford's stage debut came as a member of the ensemble for Mimic World.^[3] As early as 1921, she was active in vaudeville.^[4] In 1923, a caption of a photograph in the New York Daily News described her as the prima donna of a musical comedy and noted, "She has come up from the chorus and come to stay."^[5] She next joined the Gallagher and Shean duo in their performances.^[6] In 1926, Welford starred in Nancy, a musical for which she was the inspiration.^[7]

She acted in five films between years 1929 and 1933. She is probably today mostly known for starring in the 1929 Warner Brothers musical Gold Diggers of Broadway, which was the second all color-all talking feature ever made.^{[citation needed]} Today, Gold Diggers of Broadway is a lost film with only 2 surviving reels.^{[clarification needed]}

On October 24, 1924, Welford married film director F. Heath Cobb in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents learned of the marriage about a month later, prompting her father to say, "I don't believe it", and putting her mother under a doctor's care at her home.^[6]

Welford died in San Francisco, California.

Filmography

Gold Diggers of Broadway (1929) as Jerry
The Phantom of the House (1929) as Dorothy Milburn
The Jazz Cinderella (1930) as Patricia Murray
A Safe Affair (1931) as Mary Bolton
Yours Sincerely (1933) as Betty Braley

References

^ "Nancy Welford in Role as Ingenue in 'In Dutch'". Dayton Daily News. Ohio, Dayton. October 9, 1924. p. 17. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Star at Nixon Comes of Family of Actors". The Pittsburgh Press. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. December 24, 1922. p. 31. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Theatre Notes". Daily News. New York, New York City. April 8, 1923. p. 93. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Majestic Theatre advertisement". The Houston Post. Texas, Houston. November 19, 1921. p. 10. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "(photo caption)". Daily News. New York, New York City. April 1, 1923. p. 28. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Nancy Welford's Marriage Ends Career, Says Father". Daily News. New York, New York City. November 27, 1924. p. 3. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "'Nanette' Star in New One". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. May 23, 1926. p. 61. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.