Sybil Seely (born Sibye Trevilla, January 2, 1900 – June 26, 1984) was a silent film actress who worked with the well known silent film comedy actor

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

. She was credited in some of her films as Sibye Trevilla.

Early years

Seely was born to Harry Travilla and Lucie Ellen Boyker in Los Angeles, the sixth of seven children. She was of French, English, and Scottish descent. Her three brothers performed "as the Travilla Brothers, a popular vaudeville act featuring stunts in a huge onstage tank using a trained seal named Winks, advertised as 'The Seal With The Human Brain.'”

Career

Seely is known to have appeared in 23 films, and her first role, according to IMDb, was an uncredited part in ''Her Nature Dance'' (1917), at the age of 17. This picture was made for the Mack Sennett studio, where she began as a " Bathing Beauty" and where she was under contract for all of her short career. Sennett loaned her to

for five short films, including her first role with the great silent screen comedian as his bride and fellow ill-fated house-kit-builder in ''

One Week One Week may refer to: * One Week (1920 film), ''One Week'' (1920 film), a short film starring and co-directed by Buster Keaton * One Week (2008 film), ''One Week'' (2008 film), a Canadian feature film directed by Michael McGowan * One Week (song), ...

'' (1920). This is the role for which Seely is best known, and her unflappable screen personality, as well as the ability to keep up with Keaton and perform her own stunts, earned her the roles in the four other Keaton two-reelers. The final role of her short career was in Buster Keaton's ''

The Frozen North ''The Frozen North'' is a 1922 American short comedy film directed by and starring Buster Keaton. The film is a parody of early western films, especially those of William S. Hart. The film was written by Keaton and Edward F. Cline (credited as ...

'' (1922). One_Week_(1920)

Family

In 1920, she married screenwriter Jules Furthman. They had a son, Jules Jr. In 1922, she retired from her acting career.Sybil Seely
Classic Video Streams; accessed January 18, 2019.

Death

Seely was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1983 and also suffered from cerebral arteriosclerosis at the time of her death from cardiac failure in

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most d ...

, aged 84, on June 26, 1984.Death Certificate of Sybil Travilla Furthman
classicvideostreams.com; accessed January 5, 2017.

Filmography

*''Hearts and Flowers'' (1919) *''A Lady's Tailor'' (1919) *'' Salome vs. Shenandoah'' (1919) *''Up in Alf's Place'' (1919) *''His Last False Step'' (1919) *'' Down on the Farm'' (1920) *''By Golly!'' (1920) *''Married Life'' (1920) *''

'' (1920) *'' Convict 13'' (1920) *''Movie Fans'' (1920) * '' Love, Honor and Behave'' (1920) *'' The Scarecrow'' (1920) (uncredited) *''Bungalow Troubles'' (1920) *'' The Boat'' (1921) *'' A Sailor-Made Man'' (1921) *''On Patrol'' (1922) *''

'' (1922)

Early years

Career

Family

Death

Filmography

References

External links