Alma Tell
Encyclopedia
Alma Tell was an American
stage and motion picture actress whose career in cinema began in 1915 and lasted into the talkie
era of the early 1930s.
Tell was born in New York City
, New York
in 1898. She was the younger sister of stage and motion picture actress Olive Tell
(1895-1951). She began her career as an actress on the stages of New York before making her screen debut in the Edward José
-directed drama Simon, the Jester, released in September 1915. Tell's career never quite rivalled that of her older sister and she was most often cast in films as the second leading lady. Throughout the 1920s, Tell appeared opposite such leading silent film actresses as Mae Murray
, Corinne Griffith
and Madge Kennedy
and would achieve leading lady status in 1923's J. Gordon Edwards
-directed film The Silent Command
, opposite actors Edmund Lowe
, Martha Mansfield
and Béla Lugosi
in his first American film role.
Tell was married to actor Stanley Blystone
. She made her last film appearance in the 1934 John M. Stahl
-directed romantic-drama Imitation of Life
, which starred Claudette Colbert
. She died in 1937 and was interred at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
, North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
, USA.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
stage and motion picture actress whose career in cinema began in 1915 and lasted into the talkie
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
era of the early 1930s.
Tell was born in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1898. She was the younger sister of stage and motion picture actress Olive Tell
Olive Tell
Olive Tell was a stage and screen actress from New York City.She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1915....
(1895-1951). She began her career as an actress on the stages of New York before making her screen debut in the Edward José
Edward José
Edward José was a Belgian film director and actor of the silent era.He directed 42 films between 1915 and 1925...
-directed drama Simon, the Jester, released in September 1915. Tell's career never quite rivalled that of her older sister and she was most often cast in films as the second leading lady. Throughout the 1920s, Tell appeared opposite such leading silent film actresses as Mae Murray
Mae Murray
Mae Murray was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "The Gardenia of the Screen"....
, Corinne Griffith
Corinne Griffith
Corinne Mae Griffith was an American actress. Dubbed "The Orchid Lady of the Screen", she was one of the most popular film actresses of the 1920s and widely considered the most beautiful actress of the silent screen...
and Madge Kennedy
Madge Kennedy
Madge Kennedy was a movie and stage actress of the silent film era....
and would achieve leading lady status in 1923's J. Gordon Edwards
J. Gordon Edwards
J. Gordon Edwards was a Canadian-born film director, producer, and a writer who began his career as a stage actor and as a stage director. He made his directorial debut on film in 1914's St. Elmo. Soon went on helming all of the Fox studio's mega-budget spectacles, including all of actress Theda...
-directed film The Silent Command
The Silent Command
The Silent Command is a 1923 drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards, and featuring Béla Lugosi as a foreign saboteur.The Silent Command is a story of the United States Navy, revolving around experiences of a naval captain, warships, merchantmen, sea storms, a spectacular wreck, and an enemy...
, opposite actors Edmund Lowe
Edmund Lowe
Edmund Dantes Lowe was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film. He was born in San Jose, California.-Film career:...
, Martha Mansfield
Martha Mansfield
Martha Mansfield was an American actress in silent films and vaudeville stage plays.-Early life and career:Born Martha Ehrlich in New York City to Maurice and Harriett Gibson Ehrlich...
and Béla Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
in his first American film role.
Tell was married to actor Stanley Blystone
Stanley Blystone
Stanley Blystone was an American film actor who made over 500 films appearances between 1924 and 1956.-Career:Born in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Blystone's full name was William Stanley Blystone...
. She made her last film appearance in the 1934 John M. Stahl
John M. Stahl
John Malcolm Stahl was an American film director and producer.Born in New York City, New York, he began working in the city's growing motion picture industry at a young age and directed his first silent film short in 1914. In the early 1920s Stahl signed on with Louis B...
-directed romantic-drama Imitation of Life
Imitation of Life (1934 film)
Imitation of Life is a 1934 American drama film directed by John M. Stahl. The screenplay by William Hurlbut, based on Fannie Hurst's 1933 novel of the same name, was augmented by eight additional uncredited writers, including Preston Sturges and Finley Peter Dunne...
, which starred Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert
Claudette Colbert was a French-born American-based actress of stage and film.Born in Paris, France and raised in New York City, Colbert began her career in Broadway productions during the 1920s, progressing to film with the advent of talking pictures...
. She died in 1937 and was interred at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 10621 Victory Boulevard in North Hollywood, California.The cemetery has a special section called the Portal of the Folded Wings Shrine to Aviation that is the final resting place for a number of aviation pioneers — barnstormers, daredevils and...
, North Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA.
Selected filmography
- The Silent CommandThe Silent CommandThe Silent Command is a 1923 drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards, and featuring Béla Lugosi as a foreign saboteur.The Silent Command is a story of the United States Navy, revolving around experiences of a naval captain, warships, merchantmen, sea storms, a spectacular wreck, and an enemy...
(1923) - Broadway RoseBroadway Rose (1922 film)Broadway Rose is a 1922 silent film released by Metro Pictures and directed by Robert Z. Leonard. It stars Leonard's wife Mae Murray and Monte Blue. The story is an original for the screen by Edmund Goulding for star Murray. It was produced by Leonard and Murray's production company Tiffany Pictures...
(1922) - On with the DanceOn with the Dance (1920 film)This article is about the 1920 film. For the 1925 musical revue, see On With the Dance . For the 1975 Upstairs, Downstairs episode, see On With the Dance....
(1920) - Right to LoveRight to Love (1920 film)Right to Love is a 1920 silent film drama directed by George Fitzmaurice. It starred Mae Murray, David Powell and Holmes Herbert. A copy of the film is preserved in the Nederlands Filmmuseum. -Cast:*Mae Murray as Lady Falkland...
(1920)