Frances Starr

Frances Grant Starr (June 6, 1886 – June 11, 1973) was an American stage, film and television actress.

Frances Starr
Theatre Magazine, 1907
Born
Frances Grant Starr

June 6, 1886
Oneonta, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 11, 1973(1973-06-11) (aged 87)
New York City, New York, U.S.
Resting placeAlbany Rural Cemetery[1]
OccupationActress
Years active1901–1955
Spouse(s)Haskell Coffin
Robert G. Donaldson
Emil C. Wetten[2]

Biography

Her parents were Charles Edward Starr and Emma (née Grant). She had two half sisters. Her father died when she was a child. Starr started in plays in 1901 in an Albany stock company, in which Lionel Barrymore and Alison Skipworth were members. She signed with David Belasco in 1906 and appeared in a small role with David Warfield in The Music Master.[2]

In November 1906 she appeared along with another young actress, Jane Cowl, in The Rose of the Rancho. She achieved her breakout stage role in 1909 in Belasco's production of The Easiest Way. Starr continued to have a string of successes such as The Case of Becky (1912) and Shore Leave (1922). Several of the plays she starred in were turned into early silent films often by Famous Players-Lasky.

She delivered a standout role as the wronged mother in Five Star Final (1931), an early talkie about newspaper corruption. It was her second of only three sound films.[3] Lastly she appeared in This Reckless Age (1932) with Buddy Rogers and Richard Bennett. On television, Starr appeared on Studio One,[4] Omnibus,[5] Kraft Television Theatre[6] and other programs.

Frances Starr died on June 11, 1973, aged 87.

Film and television
  • Tiger Rose (1923)
  • The Star Witness (1931)
  • Five Star Final (1931)
  • This Reckless Age (1932)
  • Ford Theatre Hour, "Little Women" (1949)
  • Constitution Island (1952)
  • Crime Photographer, "Blackmail" (1952)
  • Studio One, '"Jane Eyre" (1952)[4]
  • Omnibus, "The Sojourner" (1953)[5]
  • Love Story, "The Good Morrow" (1954)
  • Center Stage, "Golden Anniversary" (1954)
  • Mr. Citizen, "Seven Below at Midnight" (1955)
  • Kraft Television Theatre, "The Braveness of Christy Fellon" (1955)[6]
  • The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse, "The Trees" (1955)

References
  1. Van Tuyl lot, sec. 122, lot 11, Albany Rural Cemetery, Albany, NY., Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 44790). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
  2. Great Stars of the American Stage by Daniel Blum, Profile #58 c.1954
  3. Frances Starr; AllMovie.com bio by Hans J. Wollstein
  4. "Westinghouse Studio One, Season 4 (August 4, 1952)". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  5. "Omnibus, Season 2 (December 27, 1953)". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
  6. "Kraft Television Theatre, Season 8 (May 18, 1955)". Classic TV Archive. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.