Charlotte Merriam (April 5, 1903 – July 10, 1972) was an American motion picture actress.

Career

Charlotte Merriam was the daughter of army colonel Henry Clay Merriam (1879-1955) and born in

Fort Sheridan, Illinois Fort Sheridan is a residential neighborhood within the cities of Lake Forest, Highwood, and Highland Park in Lake County, Illinois, United States. It was originally established as Fort Sheridan, an Army post named after Civil War cavalry ge ...

. Her film career began in 1919 at the age of 16 with a role in ''The Flip of a Coin''. While visiting

Universal Pictures Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American filmmaking, film production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered at the 10 Universal Ci ...

that year, she was offered a part in a comedy series starring

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 Leo Moran, possibly to replace their female regular,

Betty Compson Betty Compson (born Eleanor Luicime Compson; March 19, 1897 – April 18, 1974) was an American actress and film producer who got her start during Hollywood's silent era. She is best known for her performances in ''The Docks of New York'' and '' ...

, who graduated to features. Merriam accepted. Afterward, she played leads in one- and two-reel comedies, and appeared in important parts in longer features. She performed with

Colleen Moore Colleen Moore (born Kathleen Morrison; August 19, 1899 – January 25, 1988) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. Moore became one of the most fashionable (and highly-paid) stars of the era and helped po ...

in ''

The Nth Commandment ''The Nth Commandment'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Colleen Moore. It is based on a story, ''The Nth Commandment'', by Fannie Hurst, a well-known novelist of the day. The film's title jests somewha ...

'' (1923) and was the female lead in '' The Brass Bottle'' (1923), directed by

Maurice Tourneur Maurice Félix Thomas (; 2 February 1876 – 4 August 1961), known as Maurice Tourneur (), was a French film director and screenwriter. Life Born Maurice Félix Thomas in the Épinettes district (17th arrondissement of Paris), his father was a w ...

. She signed a long-term contract with

Vitagraph Studios Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907 ...

in June 1924. Her role of Mary Trail in '' Captain Blood'' (1924) was her transition from comedy to more serious films. Merriam was associated with

Warner Brothers Pictures Warner Bros. Pictures is an American film studio and distribution arm of the Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group division of Warner Bros., both of which are owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex ...

from 1929, when she signed to play the role of Camilla in '' Dumbbells in Ermine'' (1930). She was cast with

Paul Hurst Paul Michael Hurst (born 25 September 1974) is an English football manager and former player. As a player, he was a left back from 1993 to 2008, notably playing his entire career at Rotherham United, bar a brief loan spell with Burton Albion i ...

in an orphanage drama produced by the

Tiffany Pictures Tiffany Pictures, which also became Tiffany-Stahl Productions for a time, was a Hollywood motion picture studio in operation from 1921 until 1932. It is considered a Poverty Row studio, whose films had lower budgets, lesser-known stars, and overa ...

about children of a deceased firefighter. The early sound film is titled ''

The Third Alarm The Third Alarm may refer to: * The Third Alarm (1930 film), an American pre-Code drama film * The Third Alarm (1922 film), an American silent melodrama {{DEFAULTSORT:Third Alarm, The ...

'' (1930). After the advent of sound, Merriam's roles consisted of portrayals of

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was an era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry that occurred between the widespread adoption of sound in film in the late 1920s and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship gui ...

tarnished society women, notably the drunken mother of two little girls who are in great danger in '' Night Nurse'' (1931) starring

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career, she was known for her strong, realistic screen p ...

and

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

, and as the

syphilis Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms depend on the stage it presents: primary, secondary, latent syphilis, latent or tertiary. The prim ...

-infected Elise in '' Damaged Lives'' (1934).

Personal life and death

In December 1923, Merriam was named a co-respondent in a divorce suit brought by May Morris, the wife of film director

Reggie Morris James Reginald "Reggie" Morris (June 25, 1886 – February 16, 1928) was an American actor, director, and screenwriter of the silent era. He appeared in 46 films between 1913 and 1918. He also directed 40 films between 1917 and 1927. He was ...

. Merriam married actor

Rex Lease Rex Lloyd Lease (February 11, 1903 – January 3, 1966) was an American actor. He appeared in over 300 films, mainly in Poverty Row Westerns. Biography Rex Lease arrived in Hollywood in 1924. He found bit and supporting parts at Film Booki ...

in 1925. The two met when he appeared in one of her films two years earlier. They had two children, Douglas Merriam Kinleyside (1937–1964) and Duncan William Kinleyside (1940–1994). The actress filed for divorce in 1929. Merriam later married actor Don Douglas, who died in 1946. Their residence was at 12423 Laurel Terrace,

Studio City, California Studio City is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, United States, in the southeast San Fernando Valley, just west of the Cahuenga Pass. It is named after the studio lot that was established in the area by film producer Mack Sennett in 1 ...

. Lastly, Merriam married Russell Kennedy Woodward (1910–1974). Her childhood ambition was to become a concert pianist. She continued her musical education as a screen actress. She studied to be a vocalist with Felix Hughes. In January 1931, Merriam was operated on for an emergency

appendicitis Appendicitis is inflammation of the Appendix (anatomy), appendix. Symptoms commonly include right lower abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, fever and anorexia (symptom), decreased appetite. However, approximately 40% of people do not have these t ...

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. She was in the Bay Area to participate in the entertainment for an automobile show.Los Angeles Times, ''Actress Stricken With Appendicitis'', January 31, 1931, Page A1. Merriam died in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

on July 10, 1972, aged 69.

Partial filmography

* ''

The Blue Bonnet ''The Blue Bonnet'' is a 1919 American silent drama film directed by Louis Chaudet and starring Billie Rhodes, Ben F. Wilson, and Irene Rich.Wlaschin p.289 Cast * Billie Rhodes as Ruth * Ben F. Wilson as Jairus Drake * Irene Rich as Marth ...

'' (1919) * '' The Honey Bee'' (1920) * '' The Brass Bottle'' (1923) as Sylvia Hamilton * ''

'' (1923) as Angie Sprunt * '' Painted People'' (1924) * '' The Breathless Moment'' (1924) * '' Borrowed Husbands'' (1924) * '' Code of the Wilderness'' (1924) * '' Captain Blood'' (1924) as Mary Traill * '' So Big'' (1924) as Julie Hempel * '' Pampered Youth'' (1925) * '' Steele of the Royal Mounted'' (1925) * '' Oh Billy, Behave'' (1926) * '' One Punch O'Day'' (1926) * '' The Candy Kid'' (1928) * ''

Queen of the Night Clubs ''Queen of the Night Clubs'' is a 1929 American sound ( All-Talking) Pre-Code musical drama film produced and directed by Bryan Foy, distributed by Warner Bros., and starred legendary nightclub hostess Texas Guinan. The picture, which featured ...

'' (1929) as Girl * '' Pleasure Crazed'' (1929) * '' Second Choice'' (1930) as Satterlee * '' Dumbbells in Ermine'' (1930) as Camilla * ''

'' (1930) * '' Night Nurse'' (1931) as Mrs Ritchey * '' Man Wanted'' (1932) as Miss Smith, Receptionist (uncredited) * '' Damaged Lives'' (1933) as Elise Cooper * '' Broken Dreams'' (1933) * '' The Avenger'' (1933) * '' Alimony Madness'' (1933) * '' Dancing Man'' (1934)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Merriam, Charlotte 1903 births 1972 deaths People from Sheridan, Illinois American film actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from Illinois 20th-century American actresses People from Studio City, Los Angeles