Frances Lee
Encyclopedia
Frances Lee was an American film actress during Hollywoods silent film
era, and well into the sound film era of the 1930s.
. Excelling in school, Lee initially moved toward pursuing a career as a teacher, but began taking dance
lessons, which led to her being spotted by Gus Edwards
, who owned a theater in New 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 by Al Christie
to perform in his Christie Comedies.
and Douglas Fairbanks
, and became friends with other notable Hollywood legends, to include Rudolph Valentino
until his death in 1926. In 1927, she had roles in five films, and was selected as one of thirteen girls to be WAMPAS Baby Stars
, which that year included silent film star Sally Phipps
and actress Barbara 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 opposite Eddie Barry
, and Divorce Made Easy starring alongside Marie Prevost
and Douglas MacLean
. That year, she married Alexander Bennett, brother to Australia
n silent film actress Enid Bennett
. Their wedding was attended by such famous Hollywood legends as Enid Bennett's husband film producer Fred Niblo
, actresses Gloria Swanson
and Greta Garbo
, and actors Rod La Rocque
and John Gilbert
.
", 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, including the female lead in the 1935 romantic comedy The Gay Deception
opposite Francis Lederer
. She auditioned for the female lead role in King Kong
, and was in the last two, losing the role to Faye Wray.
She retired from film acting after 1935, with she and her husband living in Beverly Hills, California
. She began working in interior design
, and studied for and received a degree in teaching. She and her husband lived in Brentwood where she began one of the early Head Start programs at Knox Presbyterian Nursery School. She also taught dance, society behavior and etiquette at the Elisa Ryan Studio where she instructed the daughters of President Richard Nixon. In 1972 she and Alex moved to Cardiff-by-the-Sea. She worked as a children's librarian at the Rancho Sante Fe Library until only a few years before her death. She died on November 5, 2000, in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, aged 94.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era, and well into the sound film era of the 1930s.
Dancing career
Frances Lee was born as Merna Tibbetts in Eagle Grove, IowaEagle Grove, Iowa
Eagle Grove is a city in Wright County, Iowa, United States. The population was 3,712 at the 2000 census. Eagle Grove is the largest city in Wright County.-Geography:Eagle Grove is located at near the Boone River....
. Excelling in school, Lee initially moved toward pursuing a career as a teacher, but began taking dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
lessons, which led to her being spotted by Gus Edwards
Gus Edwards (songwriter)
Gus Edwards was an American songwriter and vaudevillian. He also organised his own theatre companies and was a music publisher.-Early life:...
, who owned a theater 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...
. Edwards convinced Lee to perform at his theater, and she joined the cast of The Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
in 1923. She was then recruited by Al Christie
Al Christie
Al Christie was a Canadian-born motion picture director, producer and screenwriter.-Career:Born Alfred Ernest Christie, in London, Ontario, Canada, he was one of a number of Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood who made their way to Hollywood, California, attracted by the newly developing motion...
to perform in his Christie Comedies.
Silent 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 PickfordMary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
and Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, and became friends with other notable Hollywood legends, to include Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
until his death in 1926. In 1927, she had roles in five films, and was selected as one of thirteen girls to be WAMPAS Baby Stars
WAMPAS Baby Stars
The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers in the United States which honored thirteen young women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. They were selected from 1922 to 1934, and annual...
, which that year included silent film star Sally Phipps
Sally Phipps
Sally Phipps was an American actress.-Early life and career:Born Nellie Bernice Bogdon in Oakland, California, Phipps was a 1927 WAMPAS Baby Star who was discovered by Frank Borzage...
and actress Barbara Kent
Barbara Kent
Barbara Kent was a Canadian-born U.S.-based silent film actress. Following the death of Miriam Seegar, she was the last North American actor still alive to have achieved substantial fame during the silent film era as an adult.-Career:Born as Barbara Cloutman in Gadsby, Alberta, to Jullion Curtis...
.
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
Bobby Vernon
Bobby Vernon was an American comedic actor in silent films. He later became a writer and comedy supervisor at Paramount for W.C. Fields and Bing Crosby, when the sound era arrived....
. 1929 was by far her biggest year, with her starring in ten films, including the lead role in Stage Struck Susie opposite Eddie Barry
Eddie Barry
Eddie Barry was an American film actor. He appeared in 108 films between 1912 and 1930.He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and died in Newquay, England. He was the older brother of fellow actor Neal Burns....
, and Divorce Made Easy starring alongside Marie Prevost
Marie Prevost
Marie Prevost was a Canadian-born actress of the early days of cinema. During her twenty year career, she made 121 silent and talking pictures.-Early life:...
and Douglas MacLean
Douglas MacLean
Douglas MacLean was a silent motion picture actor, producer, and writer.-Life and career:...
. That year, she married Alexander Bennett, brother to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n silent film actress Enid Bennett
Enid Bennett
-Career:Born in York, Western Australia, Bennett started her film acting career in 1916, first starring in Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford, with two other films that same year...
. Their wedding was attended by such famous Hollywood legends as Enid Bennett's husband film producer Fred Niblo
Fred Niblo
Fred Niblo was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer.-Biography:He was born Frederick Liedtke in York, Nebraska, to a French mother and a father who had served as a captain in the American Civil War and was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg...
, actresses Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson
Gloria Swanson was an American actress, singer and producer. She was one of the most prominent stars during the silent film era as both an actress and a fashion icon, especially under the direction of Cecil B. DeMille, made dozens of silents and was nominated for the first Academy Award in the...
and Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
, and actors Rod La Rocque
Rod La Rocque
-Biography:He was born Roderick La Rocque in Chicago, Illinois. He began appearing in stock theater at the age of seven and eventually ended up at the Essanay Studios in Chicago where he found steady work until the studios closed. He then moved to New York City and worked on the stage until he was...
and 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...
.
Transition to "talking films", later life
She made a semi-successful transition to "talking filmsSound 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...
", 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
Carmel Myers
Carmel Myers was an American actress who worked chiefly in silent movies.Myers was born in San Francisco, the daughter of an Australian rabbi and Austrian Jewish mother. Her father became well-connected with California's emerging film industry, and introduced her to film pioneer D. W. Griffith,...
. However, her career had slowed considerably from the silent film years, and from 1931 to 1935, she would have roles in only seven films, including the female lead in the 1935 romantic comedy The Gay Deception
The Gay Deception
The Gay Deception is a 1935 romantic comedy film starring Francis Lederer and Frances Dee. Writers Stephen Morehouse Avery and Don Hartman were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Story.-Plot:...
opposite Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer
Francis Lederer was a film and stage actor with a successful career, first in Europe, then in the United States.-Europe:...
. She auditioned for the female lead role in King Kong
King Kong (1933 film)
King Kong is a Pre-Code 1933 fantasy monster adventure film co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and written by Ruth Rose and James Ashmore Creelman after a story by Cooper and Edgar Wallace. The film tells of a gigantic island-dwelling apeman creature called Kong who dies in...
, and was in the last two, losing the role to Faye Wray.
She retired from film acting after 1935, with she and her husband living in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. She began working in interior design
Interior design
Interior design describes a group of various yet related projects that involve turning an interior space into an effective setting for the range of human activities are to take place there. An interior designer is someone who conducts such projects...
, and studied for and received a degree in teaching. She and her husband lived in Brentwood where she began one of the early Head Start programs at Knox Presbyterian Nursery School. She also taught dance, society behavior and etiquette at the Elisa Ryan Studio where she instructed the daughters of President Richard Nixon. In 1972 she and Alex moved to Cardiff-by-the-Sea. She worked as a children's librarian at the Rancho Sante Fe Library until only a few years before her death. She died on November 5, 2000, in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, aged 94.