Frances Starr

Frances Grant Starr (1880/1881[3] – June 11, 1973) was an American stage, film and television actress.

Frances Starr
Theatre Magazine, 1907
Born
Frances Grant Starr

1880/1881
Oneonta, New York, U.S.
DiedJune 11, 1973, aged 92
New York City, U.S.
Resting placeAlbany Rural Cemetery[1]
OccupationActress
Years active1901–1955
Spouse(s)Haskell Coffin
Robert G. Donaldson
Emil C. Wetten[2]

Early years

Starr's parents were Charles Edward Starr and Emma (née Grant). She had two half sisters, and her father died when she was a child.

Career

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.[4] Lastly she appeared in This Reckless Age (1932) with Buddy Rogers and Richard Bennett. On television, Starr appeared on Studio One, Omnibus, Kraft Television Theatre and other programs.

Starr's Broadway credits included The Ladies of the Corridor (1953), The Sacred Flame (1952), The Long Days (1951), The Young and Fair (1948), Claudia (1941), The Good (1938), Field of Ermine (1935), Lady Jane (1934), Moor Born (1934), The Lake (1933), Diplomacy (1928), Immoral Isabella? (1927), The Shelf (1926), Shore Leave (1922), The Easiest Way (1921), One (1920), Tiger! Tiger! (1918), Little Lady in Blue (1916), Marie-Odile (1915), The Secret (1914), The Secret (1913), The Case of Becky (1912), The Easiest Way (1909), The Rose of the Rancho (1906), Gallops (1906), and Nell Gwyn (1901).[5]

Personal life

Starr's marriages to artist William Haskell Coffin and banker R. Golden Donaldson ended in divorce. She was widowed by her third husband, attorney Emil C. Wetten.[3]

Death

Starr died on June 11, 1973, at her home at age 92.[3]

Filmography

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 dies; acted for Belasco". The New York Times. June 12, 1973. p. 48. Retrieved October 21, 2020 – via ProQuest.
  4. Frances Starr; AllMovie.com bio by Hans J. Wollstein
  5. "Frances Starr". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved October 21, 2020.
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