- Neva Gerber
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Neva Gerber Born Genevieve Dolores Gerber,
April 3, 1894
Chicago, Illinois, USADied January 2, 1974 (aged 79)
Palm Springs, California, USAOther names Jean Dolores, Genevieve Millett Years active 1912-1930 Spouse Arthur Nelson Millett (1913–1914)
Edward Dana Nolan (1923–?)
W. A. Booth (?–?)
William Munchoff (?–?)[1]Neva Gerber (3 April 1894 – 2 January 1974), was an American actress of the silent era. She appeared in 128 films between 1912 and 1930.
She was born in Chicago, Illinois to S. Nelson Gerber and Jean Pullman.[1] Her parents were separated when she was young and her mother moved her to Los Angeles, California. Neva was raised by nuns from the College of the Immaculate Heart. After her father died, Neva's impoverished mother gave guardianship of her daughter to an attorney.[2]
After her graduation from high school, Neva became an actress and appeared in several one-reelers. Beginning in 1917, she starred in multiple serial films, and she is considered one of the top ten "serial queens" of the silent film period. She teamed with director and actor Ben F. Wilson in many of these productions,[3] and starred in the first crude sound era serial, The Voice from the Sky, also directed by Wilson. However, her career stalled after 1930 when Ben died from heart disease. She was married four times and had her first child by the age of 20. She died in Palm Springs, California, and was buried in a pauper's grave.[2]
Selected filmography
- The Voice From the Sky (1930)
- Officer 444 (1926)
- The Power God (1925)
- The Santa Fe Trail (1923)
- The Screaming Shadow (1920)
- The Trail of the Octopus (1919)
- A Fight for Love (1919)
- Roped (1919)
- Three Mounted Men (1918)
- Hell Bent (1918)
- The Mystery Ship (1917)
- The Voice on the Wire (1917)
References
- ^ a b "Whatever Became of Neva Gerber?". Lost Players. Classic Images, a Lee Enterprises subsidiary. http://www.classicimages.com/past_issues/view/?x=/1999/february99/gerber.html. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
- ^ a b Lowe, Denise (2004). An Encyclopedic Dictionary of Women in Early American Films, 1895-1930. Haworth Press. pp. 234–236. ISBN 0789018438.
- ^ Strickland, A. W.; Ackerman, Forrest J. (1981). A reference guide to American science fiction films. T.I.S. Publications Division. p. 188. ISBN 0899172687.
External links
- Neva Gerber at the Internet Movie Database
- "Neva Gerber, the screen-actress, and her dog". The Green Book Magazine (The Story-press Association) 16: 295. 1916. http://books.google.com/?id=InvNAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA295. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
Categories:- 1894 births
- 1974 deaths
- American film actors
- American silent film actors
- Film serial actors
- Actors from Illinois
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