Camille Astor (born before 1900 – died September 16, 1944) was an American actress in silent films.

Early life

Astor usually said to have been born in 1896 in Warsaw, then a part of the Russian Empire. During 1910 court testimony, she gave a different story, saying that she was born in

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

as "Grace Curry", sometime before 1890, though this may also have been an embellished account. She trained as a dancer and was a proficient swimmer as well.

Career

Astor was a dancer and actress in Los Angeles from at least 1910. Films featuring Astor included'' Chimmie Fadden and

Chimmie Fadden Out West ''Chimmie Fadden Out West'' is a 1915 American silent Western comedy film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. It was made as a sequel to '' Chimmie Fadden''. Location shooting took place in Death Valley, California. Plot Chimmie is sent out west a ...

'' (both 1915, directed by

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American filmmaker and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of American cinema and the most co ...

),'' The Thousand-Dollar Husband'' (1916, starring

Blanche Sweet Sarah Blanche Sweet (June 18, 1896 – September 6, 1986) was an American silent film actress who began her career in the early days of the motion picture film industry. Early life Born Sarah Blanche Sweet (though her first name Sarah was ra ...

)'', For the Defense'' (1916, directed by

Frank Reicher Frank Reicher (born Franz Reichert; December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a German-born American actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Early life Reicher was born in M ...

)'',' To Have and to Hold'' (1916, directed by

George Melford George H. Melford (born George Henry Knauff, February 19, 1877 – April 25, 1961) was an American stage and film actor and director. Often taken for granted as a director today, the stalwart Melford's name by the 1920s was, like Cecil B. DeMil ...

)'',' The Garden of Allah'' (1916, starring

Helen Ware Helen Ware ( Remer; October 15, 1877 – January 25, 1939) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Born to the architect John August Remer and Elinor Maria (née Ware), Ware adopted her mother's maiden name as her professional ...

)'', ''and'' For Those We Love'' (1921, directed by

Arthur Rosson Arthur Henry Rosson (24 August 1886 – 17 June 1960) was an English film director. From 1917 to 1948, Rosson directed 61 feature films (including co-direction of '' Red River''). He also worked on many major films as a second unit director unti ...

). She earned an assistant director's credit on ''

The Sowers ''The Sowers'' is a surviving 1916 silent film drama produced by Jesse Lasky, released through Paramount Pictures and directed by William C. deMille. The feature stars Blanche Sweet and Thomas Meighan and is based on the 1896 novel ''The Sowe ...

'' (1916), working with

William C. deMille William Churchill deMille (July 25, 1878 – March 5, 1955), also spelled de Mille or De Mille, was an American screenwriter and film director from the silent film era through the early 1930s. He was also a noted playwright prior to moving into ...

and Frank Reicher. She was adept at languages, and helped with interpreting on some film sets. In 1915 she offered her services as a "Polish Red Cross nurse" and danced at war relief benefit events in Los Angeles.

Personal life

Astor was named co-respondent in the first divorce of real estate broker DeKalb Spurlin in 1910, and married him as his second wife in 1915. Based on claims of infidelity and cruelty, they divorced in 1919, but she was threatened by a judge with jail time when she continued to harass her ex-husband in 1920. She married again in 1922, to engineer Jack Moore. She died in Los Angeles in 1944, in her fifties.

References

External links

Camille Astor
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Astor, Camille 1944 deaths Year of birth unknown American film actresses American silent film actresses 20th-century American actresses American women film directors Film directors from California