Hilda Vaughn (December 27, 1898 – December 28, 1957) was an American actress of the stage, film, radio, and television.

Early years

Hilda Weiller Strouse, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Eli Strouse, Vaughn attended

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

and the

American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a private performing arts conservatory with two locations, one in Manhattan and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related art ...

Career

Vaughn frequently played a "pleb", or a commoner, in the films she acted in (waitresses, maids, charwomen, governesses, and saleswomen). A fixture at MGM in the sound era of the early 1930s, she acted in more than 50 films. Her most notable films were 1933's '' Dinner at Eight'' where she was memorable as

Jean Harlow Jean Harlow (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) was an American actress. Known for her portrayal of "bad girl" characters, she was the leading sex symbol of the early 1930s and one of the defining figures of the ...

's blackmailing maid, as well as ''

Today We Live ''Today We Live'' is a 1933 American pre-Code romance drama film produced and directed by Howard Hawks and starring Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Robert Young and Franchot Tone.

'' (1933), '' Chasing Yesterday'' (1935), and ''

Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum ''Charlie Chan at the Wax Museum'' is a 1940 mystery film starring Sidney Toler as detective Charlie Chan. Revisiting an old case results in fresh deaths. Plot Chan's testimony results in a death sentence for convicted murderer Steve McBirney (M ...

'' (1940). She appeared on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

, and in 1924 toured as the lead in ''Rain'' based on a story by

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

. Her "smoldering quality" came back to Broadway two years later in ''The Seed of the Brute'' at the Little Theatre. She also appeared on Broadway in ''Glory Hallelujah''. After making several films, Vaughn was part of the

Hollywood blacklist The Hollywood blacklist was an entertainment industry blacklist, broader than just Hollywood, put in effect in the mid-20th century in the United States during the early years of the Cold War. The blacklist involved the practice of denying empl ...

. She returned to the stage in 1942 to play the lead in ''Only the Heart'' at the American Actors Company. In 1943 she appeared in

William Saroyan William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''T ...

's ''Get Away Old Man'', followed by several other appearances, including playing the nurse to Judith Anderson's ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; grc, Μήδεια, ''Mēdeia'', perhaps implying "planner / schemer") is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis, a niece of Circe and the granddaughter of the sun god Helios. Medea figures in the myth of Jaso ...

'' and the mother in '' The Devil's Disciple'' by

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

. She was also known for her concert readings of plays.

Death

On December 28, 1957, Vaughn died in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...

Filmography

*'' Three Live Ghosts'' (1929) - Peggy Woofers *''

Manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th ce ...

'' (1930) - Louise Evans *''

A Tailor Made Man ''A Tailor Made Man'' is a 1931 American MGM pre-Code comedy film directed by Sam Wood. Adapted from the 1908 Hungarian play ''A Szerencse Fia'' by Gábor Drégely (staged in English in New York in 1917), the film stars William Haines and Dor ...

'' (1931) - (uncredited) *'' It's a Wise Child'' (1931) - Alice Peabody *''

Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise) ''Susan Lenox (Her Fall and Rise)'' is a 1931 American pre-Code film directed and produced by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Greta Garbo and Clark Gable. The film was based on the novel by David Graham Phillips and made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. ...

'' (1931) - Astrid Ohlin *''

Ladies of the Big House ''Ladies of the Big House'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film directed by Marion Gering and written by Ernest Booth, William Slavens McNutt and Grover Jones. The film stars Sylvia Sidney, Gene Raymond, Wynne Gibson, Earle Foxe, Rockl ...

'' (1931) - Millie *'' The Phantom of Crestwood'' (1932) - Mrs. Carter *'' No Other Woman'' (1933) - Miss LeRoy - Governess *''

Today We Live ''Today We Live'' is a 1933 American pre-Code romance drama film produced and directed by Howard Hawks and starring Joan Crawford, Gary Cooper, Robert Young and Franchot Tone.

'' (1933) - Eleanor *'' No Marriage Ties'' (1933) - Fanny Olmstead, Foster's Secretary *'' Dinner at Eight'' (1933) - Tina *''

Anne of Green Gables ''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, ...

'' (1934) - Mrs. Blewett *'' The Wedding Night'' (1935) - Hezzie Jones *'' Straight from the Heart'' (1935) - Miss Nellie *'' Chasing Yesterday'' (1935) - Collette - the Slavey (uncredited) *''

Men Without Names ''Men Without Names'' is a 1935 American crime film directed by Ralph Murphy and written by Kubec Glasmon and Howard J. Green. The film stars Fred MacMurray, Madge Evans, David Holt, Lynne Overman, Elizabeth Patterson, J. C. Nugent, Grant Mi ...

'' (1935) - Nurse Simpson *''

I Live My Life ''I Live My Life'' is a 1935 American comedy-drama film starring Joan Crawford, Brian Aherne, and Frank Morgan, and is based on the story "Claustrophobia" by A. Carter Goodloe. Plot summary Kay Bentley (Joan Crawford), a bored socialite seeks ...

'' (1935) - Miss Ann Morrison *'' The Trail of the Lonesome Pine'' (1936) - Gaptown Teacher (uncredited) *''

Everybody's Old Man ''Everybody's Old Man'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by James Flood and written by Patterson McNutt and A.E. Thomas. The film stars Irvin S. Cobb, Rochelle Hudson, Johnny Downs, Norman Foster, Alan Dinehart, Sara Haden, Donald Meek an ...

'' (1936) - Maid *'' Gentle Julia'' (1936) - Telephone Operator (uncredited) *'' Captain January'' (1936) - Dress Saleswoman (uncredited) *''

The Witness Chair ''The Witness Chair'' is a 1936 courtroom drama film directed by George Nicholls, Jr. and starring Ann Harding and Walter Abel. Plot Late one night, secretary Paula Young (Ann Harding) leaves the office of her boss, Stanley Whittaker (Douglas ...

'' (1936) - Anna Yifnick (uncredited) *'' Half Angel'' (1936) - Bertha *''

And Sudden Death ''And Sudden Death'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Charles Barton and written by Joseph Moncure March. The film stars Randolph Scott, Frances Drake, and Tom Brown; with supporting actors Billy Lee, Fuzzy Knight, Terry Walker and P ...

'' (1936) - Prison Inmate (uncredited) *''

The Accusing Finger ''The Accusing Finger'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by James P. Hogan and written by Madeleine Ruthven, Brian Marlow, John Bright and Robert Tasker. The film stars Paul Kelly, Marsha Hunt, Kent Taylor, Robert Cummings, Harry Care ...

'' (1936) - Maid *'' Charlie Chan at the Opera'' (1936) - Agnes - Wardrobe Woman (uncredited) *'' Banjo On My Knee'' (1936) - Gurtha *'' Danger – Love at Work'' (1937) - Pemberton's Maid *'' Nothing Sacred'' (1937) - Mrs. Cartwright - Chief Ranger (uncredited) *'' Maid's Night Out'' (1938) - Mary - Harrison's Maid *''

'' (1940) - Mrs. Rocke *'' Confirm or Deny'' (1941) - Receptionist (scenes deleted)

References

External links

* * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughn, Hilda 1898 births 1957 deaths Actresses from Baltimore 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American stage actresses