Dorothy Seastrom (born Dorothy Susan Seastrunk Corby; March 17, 1903 – January 31, 1930) was an American

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, w ...

actress.

Early life and career

Born in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

, Seastrom got into acting after winning a beauty competition. Her family later relocated to

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

. Her film career began in 1923 with the role of Eleanor Harmon in ''

The Call of the Canyon ''The Call of the Canyon'' is a 1923 American silent Western film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Richard Dix, Lois Wilson, and Marjorie Daw. Based on the novel ''The Call of the Canyon'' by Zane Grey, the film is about a returning wa ...

'', directed by

Victor Fleming Victor Lonzo Fleming (February 23, 1889 – January 6, 1949) was an American film director, cinematographer, and producer. His most popular films were '' Gone with the Wind'', for which he won an Academy Award for Best Director, and '' The Wiza ...

. Later she acted under the direction of Cecil B. Demille. She signed a five-year contract with

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

in September 1925. Seastrom was called the "Candy Kid" at First National due to her taffy colored hair. She appeared in '' The Perfect Flapper'' with

Colleen Moore Colleen Moore (born Kathleen Morrison; August 19, 1899 – January 25, 1988) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. Moore became one of the most fashionable (and highly-paid) stars of the era and helped po ...

and ''

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'' with

Corinne Griffith Corinne Griffith (née Griffin; November 21, 1894 – July 13, 1979) was an American film actress, producer, author and businesswoman. Dubbed "The Orchid Lady of the Screen," she was widely regarded as one of the most beautiful actresses of the ...

. Seastrom barely avoided a potentially disfiguring accident during the filming of ''

We Moderns ''We Moderns'' is a 1925 American silent comedy film directed by John Francis Dillon and starring Colleen Moore. The film was produced by Moore's husband John McCormick and was released through First National Pictures. It was based on the pla ...

'' (1925). A shower of sparks from a short-circuited light fell upon her hair and shoulders at the United Studios. Seastrom escaped injury when assistant director James Dunne grabbed a tablecloth from a prop table and covered the actress's head. Electricians shut off the power to a light which hung from the

fly system A fly system, or theatrical rigging system, is a system of rope lines, blocks (pulleys), counterweights and related devices within a theater (structure), theater that enables a stage crew to fly (hoist) quickly, quietly and safely components suc ...

above the scene. Seastrom made a full recovery from the burns she sustained. She returned to complete the film. In 1926, Seastrom missed six months from acting while she had to rest in a sanitarium and "build up a physique weakened by work and worry".

Death

After being in a sanatorium, in 1926, Seastrom returned and appeared in her final film ''It Must Be Love''. (The widower Corby wed a young script girl turned actress named Ellen Hansen in 1934; they divorced in 1944.) Seastrom died of tuberculosis in Dallas on January 31, 1930, aged 26. She was buried in Grove Hill Memorial Park in Dallas, Texas.

Filmography

References

*''

Charleston Gazette The ''Charleston Gazette-Mail'' is the only daily morning newspaper in Charleston, West Virginia. It is the product of a July 2015 merger between ''The Charleston Gazette'' and the '' Charleston Daily Mail''. The paper is one of nine owned by HD ...

'', "Dorothy Seastrom On For Long Term", September 27, 1925, Page 35. *''Frederick Daily News'', "She Just Worships Vikings", Tuesday, March 24, 1925, Page 11. *''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...

'', "Beauty Periled By Shower of Sparks", August 18, 1925, Page A1. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Actress Burned In Film Set Recovers", August 24, 1925, Page A3. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Dorothy Seastrom Will Be With First National", September 9, 1925, Page A9. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Avoirdupois is Banned on First National Lot", September 16, 1925, Page 6. *''Los Angeles Times'', "Illness Halts Film Rise", September 28, 1925, Page A10. *''Nevada State Journal'', "Behind The Screen", Sunday, May 2, 1926, Page 6.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Seastrom Dorothy 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Texas American film actresses American silent film actresses 20th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis deaths in Texas People from Dallas Western (genre) film actresses 1903 births 1930 deaths