Iris Stuart was a motion picture actress of the silent film

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.

Model

Born as Frances McCann, she attended secretarial school before becoming a magazine cover girl who was much favored by artists. Her picture was used as a model for a jewelry advertisement.

Film Actress

She was signed by 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...

 associate producer B.P. Schulberg to a long-term contract with Famous Players in July 1926. She was first cast in a Bebe Daniels

Bebe Daniels

Bebe Daniels was an American actress, singer, dancer, writer and producer. She began her career in Hollywood during the silent movie era as a child actress, became a star in musicals like 42nd Street, and later gained further fame on radio and television in Britain...

 film entitled Stranded In Paris (1926). She played "Theresa Halstead", the films' second lead. She obtained the role quite by accident. Director Arthur Rosson asked to view a screen test of another actress and the projection operator mixed up the reels. Rosson quickly decided on Stuart for the part. The story was adapted from a play called Jenny's Escapade.

In January 1927 she was selected with twelve other young actresses as a Wampas baby star of 1927. Some of the other women named were 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...

, Natalie Kingston, Sally Rand

Sally Rand

Sally Rand was a burlesque dancer and actress, most noted for her ostrich feather fan dance and balloon bubble dance. She also performed under the name Billie Beck.-Early life and career:...

 and Helene Costello

Helene Costello

Helene Costello was an American motion picture actress, most notably of the silent film era.Lou Costello took his professional name from the actress.- Biography :...

.

Illness

Stuart's health declined so rapidly that physicians advised her to admit herself to a southern 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...

 sanitarium in February 1927. Her constitution was fragile and was weakened further by work and nervous strain.

Comeback and Marriage

She returned to films in December 1927 against the wishes of her family. Stuart signed a new contract with Paramount-Famous-Lasky Corporation in January 1928. Her first role in her comeback was not immediately decided upon. The following month she secretly wed wealthy New York magazine publisher, Bert A. Mackinnon, in Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

. She took out a marriage license using her true name, Iris McCann. The couple postponed plans for a honeymoon and resided temporarily at the Ambassador Hotel
in 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...

.