Doris G. Dawson (later Levy; April 16, 1905 – April 20, 1986) was an American

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

in the early days of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywoo ...

, mostly during the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

era.

Life and career

Dawson was born in

Goldfield, Nevada Goldfield is an unincorporated small desert city and the county seat of Esmeralda County, Nevada. It is the locus of the Goldfield CDP which had a resident population of 268 at the 2010 census, down from 440 in 2000. Goldfield is located ...

in 1905, though it has been reported that she was born in 1909. Her parents were Bonewitz Xerxes Dawson (1874–1952) and Rebecca (née Greenwood) Dawson (1883–1905). Her mother died three months later of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, ...

. She began acting in the mid-1920s. Her first film role was in the 1927 film ''The Arizona Night''. She starred in four films that year, and another four in 1928. In 1929, she was one of thirteen girls selected as "

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

", a group that included future Hollywood legend

Jean Arthur Jean Arthur (born Gladys Georgianna Greene; October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an American Broadway and film actress whose career began in silent films in the early 1920s and lasted until the early 1950s. Arthur had feature roles in three F ...

. She would star in five films that year, including ''

Broadway Scandals ''Broadway Scandals'' is a 1929 American Pre-Code musical film. Cast * Sally O'Neil - Mary * Jack Egan - Ted Howard * Carmel Myers - Valeska * J. Barney Sherry - Le Claire * Charles C. Wilson - Jack Lane * Doris Dawson - Bobby * Wild Bill Ell ...

'', which starred

Sally O'Neil Sally O'Neil (born Virginia Louise Concepta Noonan; October 23, 1908 – June 18, 1968) was an American film actress of the 1920s. She appeared in more than 40 films, often with her name above the title. Early years O'Neil was one of eleven child ...

. She was at the height of her career in 1929. With the advent of sound films, her career suffered due to what critics dubbed as a grating voice. She had only one film role in 1930, and did not have another until 1934.

Later years & death

Her last film, in 1934, was '' The Silver Streak'', starring

Sally Blane Sally Blane (born Elizabeth Jane Young; July 11, 1910 – August 27, 1997) was an American actress who appeared in over 100 movies. Early life Blane was born in Salida, Colorado. She was the sister of actresses Polly Ann Young and Loretta Young ...

and

Charles Starrett Charles Robert Starrett (March 28, 1903 – March 22, 1986) was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the ''Durango Kid'' westerns. Starrett still holds the record for starring in the longest series of theatrical features: ...

. With her career dwindling, she retired from acting that same year, at the age of 29. She was married twice. She eventually settled in

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...

. She died there in 1986 at the age of 81.

Partial filmography

*''

Gold from Weepah ''Gold from Weepah'' is a 1927 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film directed by William Bertram (actor), William Bertram and starring Bill Cody (actor), Bill Cody, Doris Dawson and Dick La Reno. Cast * Bill Cody (actor), B ...

'' (1927) *'' Heart Trouble'' (1928) *''

Do Your Duty ''Do Your Duty'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by William Beaudine. This is lost film.The Little Wildcat ''The Little Wildcat'' is a 1928 American comedy drama film directed by Ray Enright and starring Audrey Ferris, James Murray and Robert Edeson. Cast * Audrey Ferris as Audrey * James Murray as Conrad Burton * Robert Edeson as Joel Ketchum ...

'' (1928) *'' Naughty Baby'' (1928) *''

His Captive Woman ''His Captive Woman'' is a 1929 American part-talking drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Milton Sills and Dorothy Mackaill. This film is "based on the short story "Changeling" by Donn Byrne in ''Changeling and Other Stories' ...

'' (1929) *'' Hot Stuff'' (1929) *''

'' (1929) *'' The Silver Streak'' (1934)

References

External links

* 1905 births 1986 deaths American silent film actresses Actresses from Nevada Actors from Coral Gables, Florida People from Goldfield, Nevada 20th-century American actresses WAMPAS Baby Stars {{US-actress-stub