- Francelia Billington
Infobox actress
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name = Francelia Billington
imagesize = 200px
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birthname =
birthdate = birth date|1895|02|1
location =Dallas, Texas , USA
deathdate = death date and age|1934|11|24|1895|02|1 (tuberculosis)
deathplace =Glendale, California ,USA
occupation = actress
spouse =Lester Cuneo (1920-1925)Francelia Billington (
1 February 1895 –24 November 1934 ) was an early American silent-screen actress, and an accomplished camera operator.Early life
Billington was in born in
Dallas, Texas , the daughter of James Billington and his wife, musician Adelaide Bueter. She was born and raised on a ranch, allowing her to become an expert at horsemanship, which later served her in a movie career that was to consist of a number of Westerns. She attended school at a convent where, at a very early age, she began playing parts in plays. When she was 10 years old, she moved toNew Orleans and continued her interest in outdoor activities, becoming quite accomplished at swimming, diving and rowing.Career
She began working in films for the Kalem Company's West Coast studio in 1912, then she moved to
Reliance-Majestic Studios the following year, and continued starring in films under its banner whenD. W. Griffith became the studio's director-general. Billington made "The Half Breed" withJack Pickford in 1913. The production was filmed at theold Majestic Studio onBoyle Heights . ["Yesterday In The Films",Los Angeles Times , December 1, 1935, pg. H2.]Billington left Majestic in 1915, and following her association with the Palo Alto Film Corporation, where she worked with
Nell Shipman , one of the most remarkable figures in film history, on the uncompleted film "Wanda of the Red Street", she joined Universal. There she played leads for such directors asRupert Julian and Rex Ingram. In 1917, she went over to The American Film Company in Santa Barbara to star in features directed byEdward Sloman . Her return to Universal in 1918 brought her a co-starring role in one of the silent film's true cinematic milestones,Erich von Stroheim 's directorial debut, "Blind Husbands". Billington played the wife andSam De Grasse the husband. ["Von Stroheim Picture Heads Clune Program", Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1924, pg. A11.] Although her performance brought praise from the critics, the Fates had no great roles waiting for Billington, and she continued in a mix of undistinguished melodramas, Westerns and action films.Later years
Billington's level of
film production slowed down with only five total films in 1918 and 1919. One of her 1920's features was a Western genre film withTom Mix , entitled "Desert Love." Later that year, she returned once again to Rex Ingram's directorship with "Hearts are Trumps." Billington acted the role of "Sybil Sayre" in the first film made for the Ray Rockett Film Corporation, in 1920. She was cast withBetty Blythe in "The Truant Husband" (1921). The screenplay was based on a story penned byAlbert Payson Terhune which had recently appeared inCosmopolitan Magazine . ["At the Theaters This Week",Washington Post , February 7, 1921, pg. 5.] Billington supportedMadge Bellamy in "The White Sin" (1924). ["Attractions Coming To Local Playhouses", Washington Post, April 17, 1924, pg. 15.]Marriage
In October 1920 Billington married
Lester Cuneo at the Riverside Inn inRiverside, California . They resided at Cuneo's home inBeverly Hills, California ."Flashes",Los Angeles Times , October 15, 1920, pg. III4.] The couple appeared in fourteen films together, with their last two features in 1925, but apparently the marriage was on the rocks well before that. Despondent over the breakdown of the marriage and the downhill slide of his film career, Cuneo committed suicide by shooting himself onNovember 2 ,1925 , supposedly two days after his divorce from Billington became final.Death
Billington's health was visibly declining at the beginning of 1934. She died from
tuberculosis , there were no obituaries in the trade papers, and her death went unnoticed by the film industry and the public.elected filmography
* The Wrong Man (1917)
*My Fighting Gentleman (1917)
*The Lover's Gift (1914)
*A Mix-Up in Pedigrees (1913)References
External links
*imdb name | id = 0082537 | name = Francelia Billington
*amg name|2:6217
* [http://www.silentsaregolden.com/photos2/franceliabillington.html Francelia Billington] photo at silentsaregolden
* [http://www.silentsaregolden.com/articles/franceliabillingtonbio.html Frencelia Billington] article
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