Miriam Seegar
Encyclopedia
Miriam Seegar Whelan was an American silent film
actress.
, Her parents were teachers. She was one of four daughters. Her father later opened up a hardware store but died when Miriam was 14. The third of four talented sisters: Dr. Helen Seegar Stone (1895-1976) (educator); Dorothy Seegar (Broadway and opera singer); and the youngest Sara Seegar Stone (1914-1990) (stage, film and TV character actress). She made her film debut in 1928. Her first film was The Price of Divorce, in which she starred alongside Frances Day
and Rex Maurice. The film was never released, but was adapted for sound and released two years later as Such Is the Law
. She followed that with a lead role in The Valley of Ghosts
the same year. She starred in four films in 1929 and six films in 1930, including New Movietone Follies of 1930
and The Dawn Trail opposite Western film
star Buck Jones
. In 1931 and 1932, she made a total of six films, all B-movies,
in October of that year left, aside from child performers such as Mickey Rooney
and Baby Peggy, only Frederica Sagor Maas
(adult silent screen writer) as a silent film veteran still alive as of late 2011.
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...
actress.
Early Life
Born in Greentown, IndianaGreentown, Indiana
Greentown is a town in Liberty Township, Howard County, Indiana, United States. The population was 2,415 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Greentown is located at ....
, Her parents were teachers. She was one of four daughters. Her father later opened up a hardware store but died when Miriam was 14. The third of four talented sisters: Dr. Helen Seegar Stone (1895-1976) (educator); Dorothy Seegar (Broadway and opera singer); and the youngest Sara Seegar Stone (1914-1990) (stage, film and TV character actress). She made her film debut in 1928. Her first film was The Price of Divorce, in which she starred alongside Frances Day
Frances Day
Frances Day was an American actress and singer who achieved great popularity in the UK in the 1930s.Day's career began as a nightclub cabaret singer in New York City and London...
and Rex Maurice. The film was never released, but was adapted for sound and released two years later as Such Is the Law
Such Is the Law (1930 film)
Such Is the Law is a 1930 British film directed by Sinclair Hill.- Cast :*Kate Cutler as Mother*Frances Day as Wife*Maud Gill as Aunt's Maid*Carl Harbord as Vivian Fairfax*Gibb McLaughlin as Valet*Nancy Price as Aunt*Miriam Seegar as Other Woman*C...
. She followed that with a lead role in The Valley of Ghosts
The Valley of Ghosts (film)
The Valley of Ghosts is a 1928 British silent mystery film directed by G.B. Samuelson and starring Miriam Seegar, Ian Hunter and Leo Sheffield...
the same year. She starred in four films in 1929 and six films in 1930, including New Movietone Follies of 1930
New Movietone Follies of 1930
New Movietone Follies of 1930 is a 1930 American musical film released by Fox Film Corporation, directed by Benjamin Stoloff. The film stars El Brendel and Marjorie White who also costarred in Fox's Just Imagine in 1930....
and The Dawn Trail opposite Western film
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
star Buck Jones
Buck Jones
Buck Jones was an American motion picture star of the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s, best known for his work starring in many popular western movies...
. In 1931 and 1932, she made a total of six films, all B-movies,
Personal life
Miriam retired from acting in 1933. After which she married and had children, later finding employment as an interior decorator. She and director/husband had two sons. Her husband died in 1957 and, tragically, both sons died within a span of nine months later on. She had 2 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren at the time of her death. Michael, who was born with Down's Syndrome, in 1998, and Tim S Whelan Jr from cancer in 1997.Later life and death
In 2000 aged 93, Seegar appeared in the documentary I Used to Be in Pictures, which featured commentary from many of her contemporaries. There after she made a series of guest appearances at film festivals which culminated in an award for her screen work from the Memphis Film Festival in 2002 when she was 95. 2007 saw Miriam turn 100 years old and marked 10 years since Tim Jr's death and 50 years since Tim Sr's death. When she was 101 she was still her height of 5' ¾" (154 cm). On her 102nd birthday she sailed from Southampton to New York on the Queen Elizabeth. Seegar died on January 2, 2011, according to her daughter-in-law Harriet Whelan. No cause of death was given apart from Harriet said that Miriam was very frail and could not respond and stated that she died from "age-related causes". She was 103 years old. Her death in January 2011 and the death of Barbara KentBarbara 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...
in October of that year left, aside from child performers such as Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
and Baby Peggy, only Frederica Sagor Maas
Frederica Sagor Maas
Frederica Alexandrina Sagor Maas is an American playwright, screenwriter, memoirist and author, the youngest daughter of Russian immigrants. Maas is best known for a detailed, tell-all memoir of her time spent in early Hollywood. She is one of the rare supercentenarians known for reasons other...
(adult silent screen writer) as a silent film veteran still alive as of late 2011.
External links
- Obituary - Los Angeles Times
- http://www.elbrendel.com/2011/01/miriam-seegar-1907-2011.html