Pearl Fay White ( English Pearl White ; March 4, 1889 - August 4, 1938 ) is an American actress , a silent movie star. She starred in the serial films of the Pate studio, Polina’s Dangerous Adventures , New York Secrets, and Helen’s Adventures .
| Pearl white | |
|---|---|
| Pearl white | |
 Pearl White in 1916 | |
| Birth name | Pearl Fay White |
| Date of Birth | March 4, 1889 |
| Place of Birth | Green Ridge, Missouri , USA |
| Date of death | August 4, 1938 (49 years old) |
| Place of death | Paris , Third French Republic |
| Citizenship | |
| Profession | actress |
| Career | 1910-1924 |
| IMDb | |
Biography
Pearl White was born March 4, 1889 in Green Ridge ( Missouri ). The girl was named Pearl Fay White ( English pearl - pearl, English white - white).
Pearl's mother, Italian Ines, died when she was three years old. Father Irish Edward J. White was a farmer . According to the census for 1880, the names of two more children of Edward and Ines, Fred and Grace, are known for sure, although Pearl claimed that the White family had eight children [1] .
Graduated from Springfield School.
Pearl began her career at the circus. The actress several times mentioned how she ran away from home at the age of thirteen to become a circus artist. In the circus troupe, Pearl acted as an aerialist and rider.
In 1907, Pearl White joined the troupe "Diemer Theater Company" [2] . In the same year, she married a colleague on the stage of Victor Sutherland . The wedding took place in Oklahoma . The actors soon parted, but officially the divorce was formalized only in 1914.
She played small roles on stage. White went to Cuba , where under the pseudonym Miss Mazee ( Eng. Miss Mazee ) sings in the dance hall.
By 1910, she had problems with her voice, and she decided to try herself in the movies.
At the Kalem studio, she was refused due to "non-photogenicity." She was taken on probation at Powers Studios. In 1910, Pearl White starred in the movie " New Magdalene " based on the novel by Wilkie Collins ). White began acting under the pseudonym Powers Girl.
From the Powers, White went to the company of Sigmund Lubin . There she worked with Arthur Johnson and Florence Lawrence .
In the summer of 1911, Pearl moved to New York .
These lines are the anthem of the one that the general public, involuntarily making a pun, called Perl Wit (Pronouncing the English name in French, the audience gave it a different meaning: “Quick Pearl”) and, thus, paid tribute to its turbulent energy and its unusual beauty.
- Louis Aragon about Pearl White [3]
In New York, White was invited to the American branch of the Pate film studio, where she starred in the films The Missing Necklace , Roman from the Window , Slum Angel , Unexpected Complications , and Fatal Portrait . Later, films began to appear with her name in the title " Pearl and the Tramp ", " Pearl 's Error ." The director of most of these tapes was the French director Louis Gagnier . At that time, Moving Picture World magazine wrote: "Of all modern actresses, Pearl White has the most admirers and, admittedly, she deserves it."
At the end of 1913, the Chicago Tribune newspaper announced the release of the feuilleton novel The Adventures of Kathleen, and a series of films based on the printed novel were released. The Chicago Tribune circulation has grown rapidly.
William Hurst , picking up McCormick's idea, began to print the novel Polina's Dangerous Adventures in the spring of 1914.
In 1914, the Pate studio directed the series Polina’s Dangerous Adventures , which became the first and most popular Pearl White career [2] .
If I’m really proud of anything in my film career, it’s because in all the years I spent in front of the camera, I have never used the services of understudies ... When I do the “trick”, I know that it can end for me sadly, but I try to throw such thoughts out of my head. I believe that I will do everything successfully, and I attack everyone who somehow violates my state of mind; because if I fail, she will be the last in my life.
- Pearl White
After "Polina's Dangerous Adventures," Pearl starred in the series "Secrets of New York."
The "Secrets of New York" was followed by "Adventures of Helen" and " Roman Helen " (10 episodes).
In addition to serial action movies, Pate starred in Roman Anabel , The Royal Game , and Hazel Kirk .
In 1919, Pearl married WWII veteran Major Wallace McCutchen Jr. with whom they divorced in 1921.
In the same 1919, White signed a contract with William Fox . She starred in the films “ White Moth ”, “ Tiger Cub ”, “ Pagan ”, “ Thief ”, “ Woman from the Mountains ”. At Fox, Pearl White worked with Harry Millard , Charles Giblen, Edward Jose.
Pearl moved to Paris , where she signed a contract with entrepreneur Leon Volterre and herds star of the music hall " Casino de Paris ".
Pearl White married the young Greek millionaire Theodore Cossika ( English Theodore Cossika ), traveled a lot.
In July 1938, White was hospitalized in a private Parisian clinic, where she died on August 4, 1938 from cirrhosis of the liver . Pearl White is buried in Paris at Passy Cemetery .
Filmography
- 1910 - The New Magdalene
- 1911 - The Missing Necklace
- 1911 - Through the Window
- 1911 - The Angel of the Slums
- 1911 - Unforeseen Complications
- 1911 - The Fatal Portrait
- 1913 - Pearl and the Tramp
- 1914 - Pearl's Mistake Error
- 1914 - The Perils of Pauline Dangerous Adventures
- 1914 - Secrets of New York
- 1914 - The Exploits of Elaine
- 1915 - Washington Post
- 1916 - Iron Claw
- 1919 - White Moth
- 1919 - Tiger Cub
- 1919 - Pagan
- 1919 - Thief
- 1919 - Woman from the Mountains
See also
- Andrio, Josette
- Vampires (film, 1915)
Notes
- ↑ US Census, 1900, Springield Ward 6, Green Co., Mo.
- ↑ 1 2 Bishop, 1959 .
- ↑ Sadul, 1958 .
Links
- Georges Sadoul. The general history of cinema. - M .: Art , 1958. - T. 3. - 3500 p. - 10,000 copies.
- Jim Bishop. Many Remember Pearl White America's First Movie Star // The Evening Independent: newspaper. - 1959. - 3 August. - P. 7-A .