Priscilla Dean (November 25, 1896 – December 27, 1987) was an American actress popular in
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 ...
as well as in theatre, with a career spanning two decades.
Biography
She was born on November 25, 1896 in
Manhattan, New York City
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the List of co ...
to an active theatrical family. Her mother was popular stage actress Mary Preston Dean, Priscilla Dean made her stage debut at the age of four, appearing in plays starring her parents. From then on, she pursued her stage career at the same time as being educated at a convent school until the age of fourteen. Following her leave from school, Priscilla went to work on stage, then tried to get into the movies.
Dean made her film debut at the age of fourteen in one-reelers for Biograph and several other studios. She was finally signed on to
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a t ...
(then called IMP) in
1911
A notable ongoing event was the race for the South Pole.
Events January
* January 1 – A decade after federation, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory are added to the Commonwealth of Australia.
* ...
. She soon gained popularity as the female lead in the comedy series of
Eddie Lyons
Eddie Lyons (November 25, 1886 – August 30, 1926) was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer of the silent era. He appeared in 388, directed 153, wrote for 93, and produced 40 films between 1911 and 1926. He was born in B ...
and Lee Moran.
She was propelled to stardom after she appeared in '' The Gray Ghost'' in 1917. Following this film, she became very successful in her work. However, when the age of sound dawned, Dean's career was severely damaged. She continued to do several low-budget films for minor independent studios during the 1930s, but never regained the popularity she had earned in
silent films
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 ...
.
Dean died at her home in
Leonia, New Jersey
Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 8,937,Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.ace of aces had been "affianced for some time."
*She married
Wheeler Oakman
Wheeler Oakman (born Vivian Eichelberger; February 21, 1890 – March 19, 1949) was an American film actor.
Early years
Oakman was born as Vivian Eichelberger in Washington, D.C., and educated in that city's schools. He grew up in Fairfax, Vir ...
, who was also under contract at Universal and appeared in ''
The Virgin of Stamboul
''The Virgin of Stamboul'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Tod Browning and starring husband and wife team Priscilla Dean and Wheeler Oakman and featuring Wallace Beery in a supporting role.
Plot
Based upon a review in a film ...
'' and '' Outside the Law'' with Priscilla. They divorced in 1926.
*She married Leslie P. Arnold on October 6, 1928 in Tijuana, Mexico. He was famous as one of the "Around The World Flyers". He was previously married and divorced, and a court ruled that his divorce was invalid, making him a bigamist. A later court decree ruled his divorce valid. Dean and Arnold remained married until his death on March 21, 1961. She had no children.
Filmography
Silent
*''A Blot on the 'Scutcheon'' (1912)(short)
*''The Sunbeam (1912)(short)
*''He Had But Fifty Cents'' (1912)(short)
*''The Man Who Wouldn't Marry'' (1913)(short)
*''
Mother
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ...
'' (1914)(short)
*''The Heiress and the Crook'' (1914)(short)
*''Oh, for the Life of a Fireman'' (1916)(short)
*''Bungling Bill's Burglar'' (1916)(short)
*''Igorrotes' Crocodiles and a Hat Box'' (1916)(short)
*''Heaven Will Protect a Woiking Goil'' (1916)(short)(*extant;Library of Congress)
*''Love, Dynamite and Baseballs'' (1916)(short)
*''More Truth Than Poetry'' (1916)(short)
*''Bungling Bill's Peeping Ways'' (1916)(short)
*''Search Me!'' (1916)(short)
*''
The Social Pirates
''The Social Pirates'' is a 1916 American silent film serial directed by James W. Horne. It starred Marin Sais, Ollie Kirkby and True Boardman. It was written by George Bronson Howard and produced by the Kalem Company.''Pictorial History of Sil ...
'' (1916)(serial)
*''The Lion Hearted Chief'' (1916)(short)
*''Knocking Out Knockout Kelly'' (1916)(short)
*''Caught with the Goods'' (1916)(short)(extant;Library of Congress)
*''Beer Must Go Down'' (1916)(short)
*''He Maid Me'' (1916)(short)
*''All bets Off'' (1916)(short)
*''The Battle of Chili Con Carne'' (1916)(short)
*''Broke But Ambitious'' (1916)(short)
*''The Terrible Turk'' (1916)(short)
*''Tigers Unchained'' (1916)(short)
*''The Boy from the Gilded East'' (1916)(short)
*''Nobody Guilty'' (1916)(short)
*''A Silly Sultan'' (1916)(short)
*''Model 46'' (1916)(short)
*''With the Spirit's Help'' (1916)(short)
*''When the Spirits Fell'' (1916)(short)
*''Almost Guilty'' (1916)(short)
*''His Own Nemesis'' (1916)(short)
*''The Barfly'' (1916)(short)
*''Love and a Liar'' (1916)(short)
*''A Political Tramp'' (1916)(short)
*''Knights of a Bathtub'' (1916)(short)
*''How Do You Feel?'' (1916)(short)
*''The White Turkey'' (1916)(short)
*''Pass the Prunes'' (1916)(short)
*''Two Small Town Romeos'' (1916)(short)
*''It Sounded Like a Kiss'' (1916)(short)
*''
The Bad Man of Cheyenne
''The Bad Man of Cheyenne'' is a 1917 two-reel American silent Western short featuring Harry Carey and Priscilla Dean. The film's survival status is unknown.
Cast
* Harry Carey as Cheyenne Harry
* Priscilla Dean as The Sheriff's Wife
* Eliz ...
Goin' Straight
''Goin' Straight'' is a 1917 American silent film featuring Harry Carey and released by Universal Pictures.
Cast
* Harry Carey - Cheyenne Harry
* Priscilla Dean - Mary Carter
* Vester Pegg - Pinnacle Bill (as Vesta Pegg)
* Ted Brooks - Billy ...
'' (1917)(short)
* ''
Even As You and I
''Even As You and I'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Lois Weber and starring Ben F. Wilson, Mignon Anderson and Bertram Grassby.''American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929''. p.184
Cast
* Ben ...
Beloved Jim
''Beloved Jim'' is a lost 1917 American silent drama film produced and released by Universal Film Manufacturing Company. It was directed by Stuart Paton and starred Priscilla Dean.
Cast
* Harry Carter as 'Beloved' Jim Brockton
*Priscilla Dean as ...
'' (1917)
* ''
The Two-Soul Woman
''The Two-Soul Woman'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Elmer Clifton and starring Priscilla Dean, Ashton Dearholt and Joseph W. Girard.Parish & Pitts p.71
Cast
* Priscilla Dean as Joy Fielding / Edna
* Ashton Dearholt as Chester ...
'' (1918)
*''
Which Woman?
''Which Woman?'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Tod Browning and Harry A. Pollard. The film stars Ella Hall as a reluctant bride and Priscilla Dean as an adventuress and leader of a gang of thieves. The story was remade in 192 ...
'' (1918)
*'' The Brazen Beauty'' (1918)
*''Three Mounted Men'' (1918)
* '' Kiss or Kill'' (1918)
*''The Wildcat of Paris'' (1918)
*''She Hired a Husband'' (1918)
*''Klever Kiddies'' (1919) (short)
*''
The Wicked Darling
''The Wicked Darling'' is a 1919 American silent crime film directed by Tod Browning, and starring Priscilla Dean, Wellington A. Playter and Lon Chaney as pickpocket "Stoop" Connors. This was the first time Lon Chaney appeared in a Tod Brownin ...
The Virgin of Stamboul
''The Virgin of Stamboul'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Tod Browning and starring husband and wife team Priscilla Dean and Wheeler Oakman and featuring Wallace Beery in a supporting role.
Plot
Based upon a review in a film ...
Reputation
The reputation of a social entity (a person, a social group, an organization, or a place) is an opinion about that entity typically as a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria, such as behavior or performance.
Reputation is a ubiquitous ...
The Flame of Life
''The Flame of Life'' (also known as ''That Lass o' Lowrie's'') is a 1923 American silent drama film starring Priscilla Dean, Robert Ellis, Kathryn McGuire, and Wallace Beery. The film was written by Elliott J. Clawson from the Frances Hodgso ...
White Tiger
The white tiger or bleached tiger is a leucistic pigmentation variant of the Mainland tiger. It is reported in the wild from time to time in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Odisha, in the Sunderbans region and ...
'' (1923)
*''
The Storm Daughter
''The Storm Daughter'' is a lost 1924 American silent drama film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Priscilla Dean. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. Some sources claim Edward J. Le Saint and/or Colin Campbell as ...
'' (1924)(*fragment; BFI archive)
*''
The Siren of Seville
''The Siren of Seville'' is a 1924 American silent adventure film directed by Jerome Storm and Hunt Stromberg
Hunt Stromberg (July 12, 1894 – August 23, 1968) was a film producer during Hollywood's Golden Age. In a prolific 30-year career b ...
'' (1924)
*''
A Cafe in Cairo
''A Cafe in Cairo'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Chester Withey and starring Priscilla Dean, Robert Ellis and Carl Stockdale. Hunt Stromberg produced it for release by the recently established Producers Distributing Corpora ...
'' (1924)
* ''
The Crimson Runner
''The Crimson Runner'' is a 1925 American silent film, silent drama film directed by Tom Forman (actor), Tom Forman and starring Priscilla Dean, Bernard Siegel (actor), Bernard Siegel, and Alan Hale Sr., Alan Hale.
Plot
As described in a film m ...
West of Broadway
''West of Broadway'' is a lost 1926 American silent romantic comedy Western film directed by Robert Thornby and starring Priscilla Dean. It was released through Producers Distributing Corporation. The film was based on the short story "New Yo ...
Birds of Prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predat ...
'' (1927)
*''
Slipping Wives
''Slipping Wives'' is a silent comedy short film starring Priscilla Dean, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy prior to their official billing as the duo Laurel and Hardy. The team appeared in a total of 107 films between 1921 and 1951. Priscilla Dean ...
'' (1927)(short)
*''The Honorable Mr. Buggs'' (1927)(short)
*''Life in Hollywood No. 7'' (1927) (short)
*''All for Nothing'' (1928)(short)
Sound
* '' Trapped'' (1931)
*'' Law of the Sea'' (1931)
*''Hollywood Halfbacks'' (1931)
*''Behind Stone Walls'' (1932)
*'' Klondike'' (1932)