Elizabeth "Bessie" Toner (1885-1951) was a motion picture and theater actress in the early 20th century.

Theater

Toner was married to actor Harry Childs by 1904. They were in the play ''The Sign of the Cross'' which toured beginning in the fall of 1904. She was in the cast of '' The College Widow'', a comedy

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

of college life, produced by

George Ade George Ade (February 9, 1866 – May 16, 1944) was an American writer, syndicated newspaper columnist, librettist, and playwright who gained national notoriety at the turn of the 20th century with his "Stories of the Streets and of the Town", a ...

. The theatrical presentation was performed at the McDonough Theater in

Oakland, California Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, California, Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major We ...

in November 1906.

Louise Rutter Louise Rutter (born September 15, 1887 – died before 1972) was an American actress of the stage and screen. Early life Louise Rutter was born on September 15, 1887, in Baltimore, Maryland, although some sources give Philadelphia as her birthpla ...

appeared in the title role. The

Henry Wilson Savage Henry Wilson Savage (1859 – 1927) was an American theatrical manager and real estate entrepreneur. Biography Henry Wilson Savage was born in New Durham, New Hampshire, on March 21, 1859. He earned his degree from Harvard in 1880. In 1895, he ...

Company, with the

troupe Troupe may refer to: General *Comedy troupe, a group of comedians *Dance troupe, a group of dancers **Fire troupe, a group of fire dancers *Troupe system, a method of playing role-playing games *Theatrical troupe, a group of theatrical performers ...

of ''The College Widow'', arrived in

Portland, Maine Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...

by boat on August 24, 1906. The comedy was given in Portland before audiences at the Jefferson Theater. It also was staged in

Kennebec County, Maine Kennebec County is a county located in the South-central portion of the U.S. state of Maine. At the 2020 census, the population was 123,642. Its county seat is Augusta, the state capital. The county was established on February 20, 1799, from ...

, at the Opera House. The stock company's travels took them west to

Fresno, California Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

and

Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

, in addition to Oakland. In August 1908 she replaced Laura Nelson Hall in the role of ''Pamela'', in a production of ''Girls'' at Daly's Theater 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 Stre ...

. A

Clyde Fitch William Clyde Fitch (May 2, 1865 – September 4, 1909) was an American dramatist, the most popular writer for the Broadway stage of his time (). Biography Born in Elmira, New York and educated at Holderness School and Amherst College (clas ...

farce Farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable. Farce is also characterized by heavy use of physical comedy, physical humor; the use of delibe ...

, the comedy made the run of the Shubert Theater chain. It was presented in

La Crosse, Wisconsin La Crosse ( ) is a city in La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. Positioned alongside the Mississippi River, La Crosse is the largest city on Wisconsin's western border. La Crosse's population was 52,680 as of the 202 ...

in October 1908 prior to an engagement in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an Independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Miss ...

. Toner acted at the

Union Square (New York City) Union Square is a historic intersection and surrounding neighborhood in Manhattan, New York City, United States, located where Broadway and the former Bowery Road – now Fourth Avenue – came together in the early 19th century. ...

Theatre of

Benjamin Franklin Keith Benjamin Franklin Keith (January 26, 1846 – March 26, 1914) was an American vaudeville theater owner, who played an important role in the evolution of variety theater into vaudeville. Biography Early years Keith was born in Hillsboro Br ...

in ''Tricked'' in April 1913. She was joined on stage by actor

Albert Gran Albert Gran (August 4, 1862 – December 16, 1932) was a Norwegian-born American stage and film actor. He is most associated with his appearance in drama and light comedy films. Biography Albert Gran was born in Bergen, Norway. He was the s ...

Motion Pictures

Toner made ''The Broken Toy'', a two-reel ''heart interest'' drama with

Violet Mersereau Violet Mersereau (October 2, 1892 – November 12, 1975) was an American stage and film actress. Over the course of her screen career, Mersereau appeared in over 100 Short film, short and silent film features. Early life Mersereau was born in Ne ...

, in 1915. The movie is about a dancer who marries a millionaire and fears that he will no longer love her if she loses her ability to dance. She plays a bar maid in the National Film Corporation of America movie Tarzan of the Apes (film) (1918). Filmed at

Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the Amer ...

, the production took six months to complete.

Elmo Lincoln Elmo Lincoln (born Otto Elmo Linkenhelt; February 6, 1889June 27, 1952) was an American stage and film actor whose career in motion pictures spanned the silent and sound eras. He performed in over 100 screen productions between 1913 and 1952, a ...

and

Enid Markey Enid Markey (February 22, 1894 – November 15, 1981) was an American theatre, film, radio, and television actress, whose career spanned over 50 years, extending from the early 1900s to the late 1960s. In movies, she was the first performer to ...

are the leading actors in the cast. Toner's other screen credits are for ''The Turn of the Tide'' (1914), ''Human Hearts'' (1914), ''The Millionaire Engineer'' (1915), ''An All Around Mistake'' (1915), and ''

The Romance of Tarzan ''The Romance of Tarzan'' is a 1918 American silent action adventure film directed by Wilfred Lucas starring Elmo Lincoln, Enid Markey, Thomas Jefferson, and Cleo Madison. The movie was the second Tarzan movie ever made, and is based on Edgar ...

'' (1918). With the advent of radio and motion picture sound, Toner established a successful second career in her later years as a voice teacher.

Personal life

Elizabeth Toner married S. Russell Chesley, a businessman and socialite in 1914. She had two sons, Harry Childs Jr., from her first marriage, and Russell Chesley Jr., from her second. She moved with her family to Los Angeles in 1918 to pursue her acting career. Her grandson, Russell H. Chesley, is an entertainment industry executive and motion picture writer and producer

References

* * * * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Toner, Bessie 1885 births 1951 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses American stage actresses American musical theatre actresses American women comedians 20th-century American actresses