Francelia Billington

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Francelia Billington (1914)

Francelia Billington (born February 1, 1895 in Dallas , Texas , † November 24, 1934 in Glendale , California ) was an American actress and camerawoman .

Life

Francelia Billington grew up on the farm of her father James Billington and her mother, the musicians Adelaide Bueter. At the age of ten she moved to New Orleans with her parents .

In 1912 Billington began her acting career with the Kalem Company , before moving to Reliance-Majestic Studios in Hollywood in 1913 . Under the direction of David Wark Griffith , Billington starred in several leading roles over the next two years, including partnering with Jack Pickford in The Half Breed . In 1915 she left the film studio.

In the following years, Francelia Billington worked for various film companies, including the Palo Alto Film Corporation, Universal Studios and the American Film Company. In 1919 she played her best-known role as Margaret Armstrong in Erich von Stroheim's directorial debut, Blind Husbands . Despite this film, which was praised by critics and viewers, Billington did not have the big break as an actress. In the following years she mostly played supporting roles in rather insignificant dramas, westerns or adventure films. In 1930 Francelia Billington ended her career after the rise of talkies. In addition to her work as an actress, she was also active as a camerawoman. How many films she has worked on in this position is not known.

In 1920 Francelia Billington married the actor Lester Cuneo . The Beverly Hills couple had two children together and have appeared in 14 films together. The marriage ended in divorce in 1925. Cuneo committed suicide the following year.

Francelia Billingtons health deteriorated in the course of 1934. On November 24th of the same year she died at the age of 39 from tuberculosis in Glendale, California. By then, her career was so largely forgotten that no newspaper published an obituary and the news of her death went unnoticed by the public. Billington was buried under her ex-husband's last name in Calvary Cemetery, Los Angeles .

Filmography (selection)

  • 1913: The Half Breed
  • 1914: The Lover's Gift
  • 1916: Naked Hearts
  • 1916: The Right to Be Happy
  • 1917: My Fighting Gentleman
  • 1917: The Wrong Man
  • 1919: Blind husbands
  • 1919: The Day She Paid
  • 1920: Hearts Are Trumps
  • 1920: The Terror
  • 1925: Hearts of the West
  • 1930: The Mounted Stranger

Web links

Commons : Francelia Billington  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Lester Cuneo. In: Find a Grave . August 8, 2000, accessed April 8, 2020 .
  2. ^ Francelia Billington. In: Find a Grave . July 1, 2004, accessed April 8, 2020 .
personal data
SURNAME Billington, Francelia
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actress and camerawoman
DATE OF BIRTH February 1, 1895
PLACE OF BIRTH Dallas , Texas
DATE OF DEATH November 24, 1934
Place of death Glendale , California