- Frances Lee
Frances Lee, birth name Myrna Tibbetts, (
May 5 ,1906 -November 5 ,2000 ) was an Americanfilm actress during Hollywoodssilent film era, and well into the sound film era of the 1930s.Dancing career
Frances Lee was born Myrna Tibbetts in
Eagle Grove, Iowa . Excelling in school, Lee initially moved toward pursuing a career as a teacher, but began takingdance lessons, which led to her being spotted by Gus Edwards, who owned atheater inNew York City . Edwards convinced Lee to perform at his theater, and she joined the cast of "The Ziegfeld Follies" in 1923. She was then recruited byAl Christie to perform in his "Christie Comedies".ilent film career
Moving to Hollywood in the mid-1920s to pursue acting, she received her first film role in 1924, starring in "Hello and Goodbye", a comedy short film. That brought her to the attention of studios, and launched her into a very successful and busy silent film career. In 1925, she would have roles in three films, but in 1926, her number of films jumped to seven. She was a frequent guest at the home of
Mary Pickford andDouglas Fairbanks , and became friends with other notable Hollywood legends, to includeRudolph Valentino until his death in 1926. In 1927, she had roles in five films, and was selected as one of thirteen girls to beWAMPAS Baby Stars , which that year included silent film starSally Phipps and actressBarbara Kent .1927 was followed by a big year in 1928 when she starred in nine films, the most memorable of which was "Sweeties" with
Bobby Vernon . 1929 was by far her biggest year, with her starring in ten films, including the lead role in "Stage Struck Susie" oppositeEddie Barry , and "Divorce Made Easy" starring alongsideMarie Prevost andDouglas MacLean . That year, she married Alexander Bennett, brother toAustralia n silent film actressEnid Bennett . Their wedding was attended by such famous Hollywood legends as Enid Bennett's husband film producerFred Niblo , actressesGloria Swanson andGreta Garbo , and actorsRod La Rocque andJohn Gilbert . [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_20001122/ai_n14354015 Frances Lee obituary] ]Transition to "talking films", later life
She made a semi-successful transition to "talking films", while the majority of silent film stars did not. Her first film in 1930 was "Down with Husbands", followed by "The Stronger Sex" starring
Carmel Myers . However, her career had slowed considerably from the silent film years, and from 1931 to 1935, she would have roles in only seven films. She auditioned for the female lead role in "King Kong", and was in the last two, losing the role toFaye Wray .She retired from film acting after 1935, with she and her husband living in
Beverly Hills, California . She began working ininterior design , and studied for and received a degree in teaching. Her husband received a job in the U.S. government, and they moved toWashington DC . He died in 1964, but she remained in the Washington DC area. She instructed former U.S. PresidentRichard Nixon 's daughter in society behavior and etiquette during his presidency. In the mid-1970s, Lee moved back toCalifornia , devoting most of her time to charity work. She died on November 5, 2000, inCardiff-by-the-Sea, California .References
*imdb name|0497271
* [http://www.b-westerns.com/ladies88.htm WAMPAS Baby Stars, Frances Lee]
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