Alice Lake (September 12, 1895 – November 15, 1967) was an American film actress who began her career during the

silent film A silent film is a film without 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 ...

era and often appeared in comedy shorts opposite

Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle Roscoe Conkling "Fatty" Arbuckle (; March 24, 1887 – June 29, 1933) was an American silent film actor, director, and screenwriter. He started at the Selig Polyscope Company and eventually moved to Keystone Studios, where he worked with Mabel ...

Career

Born in

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, Lake began her career as a dancer. She made her screen debut in 1912, and she appeared in a number of comedy shorts by

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career. Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...

. Lake was often the leading lady of Fatty Arbuckle in comedies such as '' Oh Doctor!'' (1917) and '' The Cook'' (1918). Arbuckle directed both films and was joined by

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 films during the 1920s, in which he performed physical comedy and inventive stunts. He frequently ...

who had a leading role in ''Oh Doctor!''. Lake also played dramatic roles with

Bert Lytell Bertram Mortimer Lytell (February 24, 1885 – September 28, 1954) was an American actor in theater and film during the silent film era and early talkies. He starred in romantic, melodrama, and adventure films. Background Born in New York ...

in ''

Blackie's Redemption ''Blackie's Redemption'', also known by its working title ''Powers That Pray'', is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by John Ince (actor), John Ince. It stars Bert Lytell, Alice Lake, and Henry Kolker, and was released on April 14, 1919 ...

'' and '' The Lion's Den'', both from 1919. She starred in the 1920 film ''Body and Soul'' and appeared in a number of Metro silent film features in the 1920s as the lead actress. At the height of her career she earned $1,200 per week as a motion picture actress. Lake had only limited success in dramatic roles. Following the introduction of

talkies A sound film is a Film, motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, bu ...

, her parts in films began to wane and she only performed in supporting roles. Her last appearance in film was in 1935 with a bit part in ''Frisco Kid''. In all her screen credits numbered ninety-six.

Personal life

In March 1924, Lake married fellow actor

Robert Williams Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob or Bobby Williams may refer to: Architecture * Train %26 Williams#Robert Edmund Williams, Robert Edmund Williams (1874–1960), Canadian-American architect * Robert Williams (architect) (1848–1918), Welsh architect a ...

, but they were divorced in 1925. The couple separated and reunited three times before they permanently separated. Williams was a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

performer who had appeared in a number of stage plays. He was previously married to singer

Marion Harris Marion Harris (born Mary Ellen Harrison; March 25, 1897 – April 23, 1944) was an American popular singer who was most successful in the late 1910s and the 1920s. She was the first widely-known white singer to sing jazz and blues songs.Ward, Elij ...

. Lake was the aunt of Filipina actress

Anita Linda Anita Linda (born Alice Bueñaflor Lake; November 23, 1924 – June 10, 2020), was a Filipino actress whose career spanned nearly eight decades and had done close to 400 motion pictures. A romantic lead in her early years, she gained wides ...

Death

Lake died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

at Paradise Sanitarium in

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) * Hollywood ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. She was 72. She was buried at

Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery is a cemetery located at 10621 Victory Boulevard, straddling the border between the Los Angeles neighborhood of North Hollywood and Burbank, California. The cemetery's East entrance features the Portal of the Fo ...

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...

. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Alice Lake has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 1620

Vine Street Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, and Melrose Avenue. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine being symbolic of Hollywood itself. The intersection has be ...

Selected filmography

Footnotes

References

* ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', "Another Romance Of Films On Rocks", March 16, 1925, Page 20. * ''Los Angeles Times'', "Ex-Actress Alice Lake Dies at 71", November 17, 1967, Page 29.

External links

*
Alice Lake
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Lake, Alice American film actresses American silent film actresses Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery Actresses from Brooklyn Western (genre) film actresses 1895 births 1967 deaths 20th-century American actresses