Edna Hibbard

Edna Hibbard (May 12, 1895 – December 26, 1942) was a stage and motion picture actress from California. She had a "sharp tongue" and was known for her roles in comedy.

Theatrical prominence

She made her stage debut in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1907 as the child in The Kreutzer Sonata. Hibbard trained with the Poli Stock Company in Hartford, Connecticut and Washington, DC. Soon she performed in "Officer 666", "Ready Money", and "Stop Thief". She spent a year in vaudeville with Lynne Overman in a rendition of "The Highest Bidder".

Hibbard first came to theatrical prominence as the ingenue lead in "Rock-a-Bye Baby" in 1918. The play was staged at the Rialto Theater in New York City with the ingenue role being the primary part in the cast. She graduated from drama school in New York before being sent to train under the Selwyns. The New York Times described Hibbard as a combination of Madge Kennedy and Marguerite Clark in appearance.

One of her best received roles was chorus girl, Dot Miller, in "Ladies of the Evening", performed at the Lyceum Theater in 1924. Two years after she gained critical acclaim as the brunette partner of Lorelei Lee in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She made her London, England debut in the same part in 1928. Hibbard played the role of "Ethel Brooks" at the Belasco Theater in September 1929 in a production of "The Door Between". Her final Broadway (Manhattan) appearance was in December 1932 at the Belasco Theater. She played "Lulu Corliss" in "Anybody's Game".

Marriage and death

Edna Hibbard died in 1942 at Mother Cabrini Hospital, 611 Edgecombe Avenue, New York City, at the age of 47. She was married to Lester Bryant at the time of her death. An earlier husband was John C. Seager, Jr., Treasurer of the Seager Steamship Company.

References

* New York Times, "Who Is Edna Hibbard?", June 2, 1918, Page 51.
* New York Times, "J.C. Seager Jr. Weds Edna Hibbard", November 24, 1922, Page 23.
* New York Times, "Noted Actress Returns in Comedy", September 6, 1929, Page A9.
* New York Times, "Edna Hibbard, 47, Actress, Is Dead", December 27, 1942, Page 34.