Dorothy Walters
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Walters was an actress of the Broadway
stage and Hollywood silent motion pictures. She was born in Houston, Texas
and began her stage career as a whistler. She tenured for fifteen years in vaudeville
before getting her first dramatic role in Paris By Night. This was the play which Stanford White
was watching on the roof of Madison Square Garden
when he was shot multiple times and murdered by Harry K. Thaw
, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
coal and railroad scion. The date was June 25, 1906. (This event is featured in Ragtime (novel)
and Ragtime (film)
).
Miss Walters was most noted for her character roles in theater. A memorable one came in Dinner at Eight (play)
, playing the part of the cook. Also she played in The Warrior's Husband and Mr. Gilhooly (1930), among others. Dorothy created the role of the mother in Irene (musical)
, which she performed for eighty-five weeks. As an actress she supported such famous luminaries as Ethel Barrymore
,
Helen Hayes
, and Minnie Maddern Fiske
.
Marriage, both 1920, and The Confidence Man (1924) and A Kiss For Cinderella (1925).
Lexington Avenue, New York. The actress was 56.
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
stage and Hollywood silent motion pictures. She was born in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and began her stage career as a whistler. She tenured for fifteen years in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
before getting her first dramatic role in Paris By Night. This was the play which Stanford White
Stanford White
Stanford White was an American architect and partner in the architectural firm of McKim, Mead & White, the frontrunner among Beaux-Arts firms. He designed a long series of houses for the rich and the very rich, and various public, institutional, and religious buildings, some of which can be found...
was watching on the roof of Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
when he was shot multiple times and murdered by Harry K. Thaw
Harry K. Thaw
Harry Kendall Thaw was the son of coal and railroad baron William Thaw. He is best known for murdering the architect Stanford White at Madison Square Garden in 1906 in a jealous rage.- Early life:...
, a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
coal and railroad scion. The date was June 25, 1906. (This event is featured in Ragtime (novel)
Ragtime (novel)
Ragtime is a 1975 novel by E. L. Doctorow. This work of historical fiction is primarily set in the New York City area from about 1900 until the United States entry into World War I in 1917...
and Ragtime (film)
Ragtime (film)
Ragtime is a 1981 American film based on the historical novel Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow. The action takes place in and around New York City, New Rochelle, and Atlantic City in the first decade of the 1900s, and includes fictionalized references to actual people and events of the time. The film was...
).
Miss Walters was most noted for her character roles in theater. A memorable one came in Dinner at Eight (play)
Dinner at Eight (play)
Dinner at Eight is a play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber.-1932 Original Production:Dinner at Eight opened October 22, 1932 at the Music Box Theatre. It closed after 232 performances in May 1933. The play was produced by Sam H. Harris, staged by George S. Kaufman; Assistant Director: Robert B...
, playing the part of the cook. Also she played in The Warrior's Husband and Mr. Gilhooly (1930), among others. Dorothy created the role of the mother in Irene (musical)
Irene (musical)
Irene is a musical with a book by James Montgomery, lyrics by Joseph McCarthy, and music by Harry Tierney.Based on Montgomery's play Irene O'Dare, it is set in New York City's Upper West Side and focuses on immigrant shop assistant Irene O'Dare, who is introduced to Long Island's high society when...
, which she performed for eighty-five weeks. As an actress she supported such famous luminaries as Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
,
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes
Helen Hayes Brown was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of twelve people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award...
, and Minnie Maddern Fiske
Mrs. Fiske
Minnie Maddern Fiske , born as Marie Augusta Davey, but often billed simply as Mrs. Fiske, was one of the leading American actresses of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. She also spearheaded the fight against the Theatrical Syndicate for the sake of artistic freedom...
.
Silent Screen Performer
As a motion picture performer Walters career lasted seven years from 1918 until 1925. Her first film is The Woman Who Gave (1918). Her other screen credits include Children Not Wanted and The VeiledMarriage, both 1920, and The Confidence Man (1924) and A Kiss For Cinderella (1925).
Demise
Dorothy Walters died in 1934 at her residence, 236 West Seventieth Street, New York, New York. She succumbed from bronchial pneumonia. Her funeral was conducted by Crowley's Funeral Parlor, 597Lexington Avenue, New York. The actress was 56.