Cecile Arnold (born Cecile Laval Arnoux; July 9, 1893 – June 18, 1931) was an American

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 ...

actress.

Early life

Cecile Laval Arnoux was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on July 9, 1893, although some sources indicate 1891, 1897, and 1898. She had one sibling, a brother, Given Campbell Arnoux (1895–1966). Her father, Anthony Arnoux (1865–1932), was born in New York City and was a newspaper reporter. Her parents divorced, and Arnold's mother, Susan Campbell (1872–1930), remarried to Albert D. Evans in St. Louis, Missouri in 1902. After having 3 more children there, the family moved to Texas.

Career

Arnold, who was known for playing vamps contracted with

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 ...

Keystone Studios Keystone Studios was an early film studio founded in Edendale, California (which is now a part of Echo Park) on July 4, 1912 as the Keystone Pictures Studio by Mack Sennett with backing from actor-writer Adam Kessel (1866–1946) and Char ...

in 1913. She appeared in at least fifty films with notable figures such as

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

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 ...

Mack Swain Mack Swain (born Moroni Swain; February 16, 1876 – August 25, 1935) was a prolific early United States, American film actor, who appeared in many of Mack Sennett’s comedies at Keystone Studios, including the Keystone Cops series. He also ...

and Chaplin's half brother Syd until 1917. Perhaps her most memorable role is as the vamp in '' The Face on the Bar Room Floor''. Arnold had multiple aliases, one of them being Cecele Arno, which she used when she was in the chorus of the 1916

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

show ''Robinson Crusoe, Jr.''

Personal life

Arnold married her first husband, Chauncy Frank Reynolds, who was an actor at Keystone, in 1917. They divorced in 1919, and, while on a trip to China with her newspaper reporting brother, met David Toeg, a stock broker from a wealthy Syrian family. Toeg and Arnold married, and resided in Hong Kong together. According to Brent Walker's book, ''Mack Sennett's Fun Factory'', she left Hong Kong for San Francisco in 1922 so her child could be born in America. She departed from Hong Kong on June 14, 1924, and her son, Robert Raphael Toeg, who was reportedly the result of an affair with Nicolai Nicolaivich Merkuloff (1905–1972), a Russian merchant, was born on March 15, 1925, in San Francisco. Curiously, some sources list Arnold's mother as the mother of Robert. Toeg and Arnold divorced sometime before June 18, 1931, according to Arnold's death certificate.

Death

Cecile died on June 18, 1931, of acute infective myocarditis. She is buried at Happy Valley Roman Catholic Cemetery in Hong Kong.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Property Man ''The Property Man'' is a short 1914 American comedy silent film made by Keystone Studios starring Charlie Chaplin. Plot Charlie is in charge of stage props at a vaudeville theater. These are the performances for tonight: *The Goo-Goo Sister ...

'' (1914) * '' The Face on the Bar Room Floor'' (1914) * '' His New Profession'' (1914) * '' The Rounders'' (1914) * ''He Loved the Ladies'' (1914) * ''Stout Hearts But Weak Knees'' (1914) * '' The Masquerader'' (1914) * '' Those Love Pangs'' (1914) * '' Dough and Dynamite'' (1914) * ''

Gentlemen of Nerve ''Gentlemen of Nerve'' is a 1914 American comedy silent film directed by Charlie Chaplin, starring Chaplin and Mabel Normand, and produced by Mack Sennett for Keystone Studios. Plot Mabel and her beau go to an auto race and are joined by Ch ...

'' (1914) * ''Cursed by His Beauty'' (1914) * '' His Musical Career'' (1914) * ''His Talented Wife'' (1914) * '' Fatty's Wine Party'' (1914) * ''His Taking Ways'' (1914) * '' Leading Lizzie Astray'' (1914) * '' His Prehistoric Past'' (1914) * '' Twixt Love and Fire'' (1914) * ''Gussle's Day of Rest'' (1915) * ''Caught in the park'' (1915)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Arnold, Cecile American silent film actresses 1893 births 1931 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Louisville, Kentucky