Betty Compson

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Betty Compson (1897–1974)

Betty Compson (real name: Eleanor Luicime Compson ; born March 19, 1897 in Beaver , Utah , † April 18, 1974 in Glendale , California ) was an American film actress of the silent and early talkies era .

Career

Compson was the daughter of a mining engineer and began a career early in the theater and vaudeville , where she enjoyed success as The Vagabond violinist . Her film career started in 1915 and she played numerous roles before starring in 1919 with The Miracle Man alongside Lon Chaney . In 1923 she worked in Woman against Woman , for which Alfred Hitchcock wrote the screenplay. In the following years, the actress was only seen as the leading lady in B-Movies and a. in the film The Secret Agent of Paris .

Only her role in Josef von Sternberg's Die Docks von New York brought Compson better roles again. In the same year she appeared again with Chaney in The Big City .

The sound film helped her to a renewed career boost and fairground love of George Fitzmaurice , it was on the 1930 (April) Oscars for an Oscar as best actress nomination. Directed by her then husband James Cruze , Compson played the leading female role in The Great Gabbo alongside Erich von Stroheim in 1929 . After the attempt to get a permanent contract with RKO failed, the actress's popularity fell and she found herself reduced to the status of a supporting actress again. During the casting for Gone With the Wind , Compson screened for the role of prostitute Belle Watling, but she lost the role to Ona Munson in the end .

After 1948 she withdrew completely from the film business and ran a company called Ashtrays Unlimited with her second husband .

Filmography (selection)

Individual evidence

  1. ^ The secret agent of Paris. Illustrated Film Week, accessed on May 9, 2020 .

Web links

Commons : Betty Compson  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files