Nancy Drexel (born Dorothy Kitchen, April 6, 1910 – November 19, 1989) was an American

film actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

of the late silent and early

sound era A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

. She was sometimes credited by her birth name in films. She appeared in 29 films, generally

B-film A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...

Westerns The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated wit ...

. Drexel was the daughter of George P. Kitchen, who was described in a newspaper article as "a pioneer of the film industry." Her professional debut came when she was 8 years old, performing in ''The Royal Vagabond'' comic opera. She ventured to Hollywood after winning a Miss New York contest that had 10,000 competitors. In 1931, she appeared in one of the earliest Spanish-language sound films, ''

Hollywood, City of Dreams ''Hollywood, City of Dreams'' (Spanish:''Hollywood, ciudad de ensueno'') is a 1931 American drama film directed by George Crone and starring José Bohr, Lia Torá and Donald Reed.Jarvinen p.16-17 It was a Spanish-language film made in the United ...

'', as a glamorous movie star who is the idol of the film's hero,

José Bohr José Bohr (3 September 1901 – 29 May 1994) was a German-born Chilean film director, film producer, producer, actor and screenwriter. He directed 35 films between 1919 and 1969. Selected filmography Actor * ''Thus Is Life, Así es la vida ...

. Drexel is presented as one of the leading stars of Hollywood, rather than the B-movie

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or leading man or lady or simply lead (), plays a main role in a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person w ...

she was in real life. On September 28, 1932, Drexel married Thomas H. Ince Jr., son of film producer

Thomas H. Ince Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent era filmmaker and media proprietor. Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. Ince revolutionized the motion p ...

, in Beverly Hills. Both of them were students at Antioch College in

Antioch, Illinois Antioch is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 14,622. The village is nestled into the Chain O'Lakes waterway system and borders the state of Wisconsin. Part of t ...

, and resumed their studies after the wedding. The couple had two daughters. Drexel sued for divorce in 1947 and married John Stornes in 1953.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Way of All Flesh ''The Way of All Flesh'' (originally titled ''Ernest Pontifex or the Way of All Flesh'') is a semi-autobiographical novel by Samuel Butler that attacks Victorian-era hypocrisy. Written between 1873 and 1884, it traces four generations of the ...

'' (1927) * '' Prep and Pep'' (1928) * ''

The Ridin' Renegade ''The Ridin' Renegade'' (also known as ''The Riding Renegade'') is a 1928 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by Wallace Fox for Film Booking Offices of America (FBO) and starring Bob Steele (actor), Bob Steele, ...

'' (1928) * '' Fangs of the Wild'' (1928) * '' Riley the Cop'' (1928) * ''

The Bantam Cowboy ''The Bantam Cowboy'' is a 1928 American silent Western film directed by Louis King and starring Buzz Barton, Frank Rice and Nancy Drexel. Cast * Buzz Barton as David 'Red' Hepner * Frank Rice as Sidewinder Steve * Thomas G. Lingham as ...

'' (1928) * ''

Four Devils ''4 Devils'' (also known as ''Four Devils'') is a lost 1928 American Synchronized sound drama film directed by German director F. W. Murnau and starring Janet Gaynor. While the 1928 version of the film had no audible dialog, it was released wi ...

'' (1929) * ''(The Shrimp)'' (1930) * ''

'' (1931) * '' Speed Madness'' (1932) * '' Partners'' (1932) * '' Law of the West'' (1932) * '' Texas Buddies'' (1932)

References

External links

* 1910 births 1989 deaths American film actresses Actresses from New York City 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-1910s-stub