Doris Pawn
Encyclopedia
Doris Pawn was an American actress who appeared in films of the silent era.
. She was the third Nebraskan woman to make a name for herself as an actress. Previously, Mrs. Sidney Drew and Alice Dovey
gained prominence as performers from the state.
Growing up, she spent her vacations on the ranch of an uncle. There, she learned to ride horseback and rode Indian saddle as a teen. She entered a business college to prepare for life as a typist. She came to California
with her mother and brother and was left in San Diego, California
while her family returned east.
Pawn eventually met director Wilfred Lucas
. She was offered work as a fill in in the film Trey of Hearts (1914), while the company was on location in San Diego. The film featured Cleo Madison and George Larkin. So impressed were the filmmakers that she was offered additional work if she came along to Los Angeles, California
. Pawn worked for a period of three months as an extra.
She was also very well known for her extremely high singing voices.
coveted Pawn as a leading lady early in her screen career. In 1916 she appeared in her first Fox Film feature, Blue Blood and Red, directed by Raoul Walsh
. Studios were impressed with her personal charm and ability to act naturally. She was especially gifted in the art of pantomime
.
In addition to Fox, Pawn made movies with Universal
, Goldwyn
, and Paramount Pictures
. She returned to Fox in 1921 for the making of Shame. She starred alongside John Gilbert
and Anna May Wong
. Her final films were two dramas, Fools and Riches and The Hero, along with a western, The Buster. Each of these productions was released in 1923.
, but they divorced in the early 1920s.
In 1917, she was injured on location in Mexico
; a group of extras seized control of her car at gunpoint and told her they were taking her back to Mexico with them. As they were nearing the border, her co-star, George Walsh, passed the party in his auto. He sensed the situation, taking out his gun and threatening to kill the men if they did not stop. They fled from Pawn's car and quickly dispersed.
Doris Pawn died in La Jolla, California in 1988, aged 93.
Early life
Pawn was born and raised in Norfolk, NebraskaNorfolk, Nebraska
Norfolk is a city in Madison County, Nebraska, United States, 113 miles northwest of Omaha and 83 miles west of Sioux City at the intersection of U.S. Routes 81 and 275. The population was 24,210 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Nebraska. It is the principal city of the...
. She was the third Nebraskan woman to make a name for herself as an actress. Previously, Mrs. Sidney Drew and Alice Dovey
Alice Dovey
Alice Dovey was an American motion picture comedienne and actress who first appeared in The Last Commander . This was a Famous Players Lasky movie which was directed by Alan Dwan...
gained prominence as performers from the state.
Growing up, she spent her vacations on the ranch of an uncle. There, she learned to ride horseback and rode Indian saddle as a teen. She entered a business college to prepare for life as a typist. She came to 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...
with her mother and brother and was left in San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
while her family returned east.
Pawn eventually met director Wilfred Lucas
Wilfred Lucas
Wilfred Lucas was a Canadian stage and film actor, film director, and screenwriter.-Career:A native of Ontario, Canada, Lucas headed to New York City to work in the theater, making his Broadway acting debut in 1904 at the Savoy Theater in the production of The Superstition of Sue...
. She was offered work as a fill in in the film Trey of Hearts (1914), while the company was on location in San Diego. The film featured Cleo Madison and George Larkin. So impressed were the filmmakers that she was offered additional work if she came along to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Pawn worked for a period of three months as an extra.
She was also very well known for her extremely high singing voices.
Career
Director Sydney AyresSydney Ayres
Sydney Ayres was an American silent film actor, director and screenwriter.-Biography:Born Daniel Sydney Ayres in New York City, Ayres was known for his handsome, suave looks. He often simultaneously acted and directed films after 1913...
coveted Pawn as a leading lady early in her screen career. In 1916 she appeared in her first Fox Film feature, Blue Blood and Red, directed by Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh
Raoul Walsh was an American film director, actor, founding member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the brother of silent screen actor George Walsh...
. Studios were impressed with her personal charm and ability to act naturally. She was especially gifted in the art of pantomime
Pantomime
Pantomime — not to be confused with a mime artist, a theatrical performer of mime—is a musical-comedy theatrical production traditionally found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Jamaica, South Africa, India, Ireland, Gibraltar and Malta, and is mostly performed during the...
.
In addition to Fox, Pawn made movies with Universal
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
, Goldwyn
Goldwyn Pictures
Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company founded in 1916 by Samuel Goldfish in partnership with Broadway producers Edgar and Archibald Selwyn using an amalgamation of both last names to create the name...
, and Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. She returned to Fox in 1921 for the making of Shame. She starred alongside John Gilbert
John Gilbert (actor)
John Gilbert was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw...
and Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong
Anna May Wong was an American actress, the first Chinese American movie star, and the first Asian American to become an international star...
. Her final films were two dramas, Fools and Riches and The Hero, along with a western, The Buster. Each of these productions was released in 1923.
Personal life
Pawn was first married to director Rex IngramRex Ingram (director)
Rex Ingram was an Irish film director, producer, writer and actor. Legendary director Erich von Stroheim once called him "the world's greatest director."-Early life:...
, but they divorced in the early 1920s.
In 1917, she was injured on location in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
; a group of extras seized control of her car at gunpoint and told her they were taking her back to Mexico with them. As they were nearing the border, her co-star, George Walsh, passed the party in his auto. He sensed the situation, taking out his gun and threatening to kill the men if they did not stop. They fled from Pawn's car and quickly dispersed.
Doris Pawn died in La Jolla, California in 1988, aged 93.
External links
- portrait of Doris Pawn late 1910s or early 1920s circa 1935
