Louise Campbell (actress)

Louise Campbell Weisbecker (May 30, 1911 – November 5, 1997) was an American actress.[1] Despite her success in Hollywood, she made it clear she preferred the stage.

Louise Campbell
Campbell in 1938
Born	Louise Campbell Weisbecker (1911-05-30)May 30, 1911 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	November 5, 1997(1997-11-05) (aged 86) Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
Resting place	Saint Mary's Cemetery, Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
Education	DePaul University
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1930s–1980s
Spouse(s)	Horace McMahon ​ ( m. 1937; died 1971)
Children	3
Parent(s)	Joseph Weisbecker Martha Langer

Campbell was a leading lady in the late 1930s films, notably Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937) and The Star Maker (1939).

Early years

Campbell was born Louise Weisbecker in Chicago, Illinois. She had a sister named Ottilia.[2]

Campbell attended St. Michael's School.[3] Northwestern Universit][4] and DePaul University, studying dramatic arts at the latter.[5] She gained additional dramatic training at the Chicago School of Expression.[6] She said that when she was 6 years old, she decided to be an actress after she watched a production of Uncle Tom's Cabin.[7]

At one point, she worked as a dental assistant, an experience which she said was "invaluable to me in my acting" as she observed changes in patients' facial expressions in the dentist's office, with their changing expressions displaying "their real character."[5]

Stage

Campbell gained early theatrical experience by performing in stock theater.[5] Her Broadway debut was in Three Men on a Horse (1935).[6] Her other Broadway credits include Julie the Great,[5] Guest in the House (1941), A House in the Country (1936) and White Man (1936).[8] A column in the June 13, 1942, issue of Billboard complimented "Louise Campbell, that fine actress, for a lovely, beautifully projected, altogether excellent performance in Guest in the House."[9]

Film

Campbell went to Hollywood in 1937 and made 13 films in the 1930s and 1940s. Her film debut was in Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937).[5] Her film credits included Bulldog Drummond sequels Night Club Scandal (1937),[6] Men with Wings (1938), The Buccaneer (1938) and The Star Maker (1939).[10]

Personal life

Campbell was married to actor Horace McMahon, whom she met when they were both in the Broadway play Three Men on a Horse.[5] They wed in 1938 and remained married until his death in 1971.[6]

Death

Campbell died November 5, 1997 in Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut.[11] She was survived by two daughters, a son and three grandchildren.[10] She is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Norwalk, Connecticut.[11]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1937	Wild Money	Judy McGowan
1937	Bulldog Drummond Comes Back	Phyllis Clavering
1937	Night Club Scandal	Vera Marsh
1937	Bulldog Drummond's Revenge	Phyllis Clavering
1938	The Buccaneer	Marie de Remy
1938	Scandal Street	Nora Langdon
1938	Bulldog Drummond's Peril	Phyllis Clavering
1938	Men with Wings	Peggy Ranson
1939	Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police	Woman in Drummond's Dream	Uncredited, (archival footage)
1939	The Star Maker	Mary
1940	Emergency Squad	Betty Bryant
1940	Anne of Windy Poplars	Catherine Pringle
1940	Bowery Boy	Anne Cleary
1947	Bush Pilot
1947	Devil Ship	Madge Harris	(final film role)

References

1. "Louise Campbell (1911–1997)". Find a Grave. Retrieved July 31, 2018.
2. Lyon, Herb (June 13, 1961). "Tower Ticker". Chicago Tribune. p. Part 1-Page 14. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
3. Harrison, Paul (April 10, 1938). "She's No Glamor Girl". The Zanesville Signal. Ohio, Zanesville. p. 18.
4. "Screen Names-Real Names". Modern Screen. 20 (3): 96. February 1940. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
5. Oliver, Myrna (November 7, 1997). "Louise Campbell; Actress in 'Star Maker'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
6. Sutton, Larry (November 6, 1997). "Actress McMahon Dead at 86". New York Daily News. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
7. "They're Talking About -- Louise Campbell". Photoplay. LIII (3): 68. March 1939. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
8. "("Louise Campbell" search results)". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
9. Burr, Eugene (June 13, 1942). "From Out Front". Billboard. p. 10. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
10. "Louise Campbell, Actress, 86". The New York Times. November 11, 1997. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
11. Wilson, Scott (16 September 2016). "Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed". McFarland – via Google Books.

External links

• Louise Campbell on IMDb
• Louise Campbell at the Internet Broadway Database