Claire Windsor (born Clara Viola Cronk; April 14, 1892 – October 24, 1972) was an American film actress of the silent screen era.

Early life

Windsor was born Clara Viola Cronk (nicknamed "Ola") in 1892 in Marvin, Phillips County, Kansas to parents of Scandinavian descent, George Edwin Cronk and Ella Rose Fearing (later called "Rosella"), who married on October 21, 1885 in Davenport, Iowa. Their first child, a son, died shortly after birth. Her parents later moved to Cawker City, Kansas when she was two years old. At some point, Claire's sister, Nellie, was born. Claire attended Washburn Preparatory Academy in

Topeka Topeka ( ; Kansa: ; iow, Dópikˀe, script=Latn or ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the seat of Shawnee County. It is along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, in northeast Kansas, in the Central ...

from 1906-07. After a year at Broadway High School, Seattle, Washington, she returned as a student in the

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwo ...

Department at Washburn College. Intent on further refining her daughters' education and position in society, Rosella and her daughters returned to Seattle in the fall of 1910. On July 14, 1913, Claire ("Ola") was chosen for the role of

Empress An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( em ...

during the lavish

musical production A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

of ''Jappyland''. While living in Seattle, Ola met David Willis Bowes and the intense relationship continued by correspondence after Mr. Bowes' return to Denver. Soon a June wedding was planned, but en route back to Kansas, Ola and Bowes wed secretly on May 13, 1914, in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the United ...

. The union resulted in the birth of a son, David Willis Bowes Jr., on September 9, 1916, but the couple soon went their separate ways. Bowes officially filed for divorce on September 14, 1920. Ola moved to

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the ...

to be reunited with her parents who had recently retired. Seeking a way to support herself and baby son, Ola took the advice of a friend and quickly found employment at the

movie studios A film studio (also known as movie studio or simply studio) is a major entertainment company or motion picture company that has its own privately owned studio facility or facilities that are used to make films, which is handled by the production ...

. Initially receiving only

bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British televisi ...

s, she was soon spotted by

Lois Weber Florence Lois Weber (June 13, 1879 – November 13, 1939) was an American silent film actress, screenwriter, producer and director. She is identified in some historical references as among "the most important and prolific film directors in the e ...

, a highly regarded and influential director and producer of silent films for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. Weber immediately signed Windsor to a contract."Silent Era People"
accessed September 2, 2021.

Career climb

Claire Windsor's film debut was in the 1920 release of

's ''

To Please One Woman ''To Please One Woman'' is a 1920 American silent drama film produced and directed by Lois Weber and starring Claire Windsor. It was distributed by Famous Players-Lasky and Paramount Pictures. Plot The film is a take on the " vamp" genre by pio ...

'' which was only a modest success. To promote the nascent starlet, Paramount Pictures often paired Windsor with the newly divorced actor Charlie Chaplin in publicity photographs, leading the

tabloid press Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalist journalism (usually dramatized and sometimes unverifiable or even blatantly false), which takes its name from the tabloid newspaper format: a small-sized newspaper also known as ...

to give mention to the young actress in print. In 1921, Windsor costarred with

Louis Calhern Carl Henry Vogt (February 19, 1895 – May 12, 1956), known professionally as Louis Calhern, was an American stage and screen actor. Well known to film noir fans for his role as the pivotal villain in 1950's ''The Asphalt Jungle'', he was n ...

in Weber's '' The Blot'' (1921). The publicity paid off; in 1922 the newly formed Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers (WAMPAS) began their annual

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

awards and she was named, along with

Bessie Love Bessie Love (born Juanita Horton; September 10, 1898April 26, 1986) was an American-British actress who achieved prominence playing innocent, young girls and wholesome leading ladies in silent and early sound films. Her acting career spanned e ...

Lila Lee Lila Lee (born Augusta Wilhelmena Fredericka Appel; July 25, 1905 – November 13, 1973) was a prominent screen actress, primarily a leading lady, of the silent film and early sound film eras. Early life The daughter of Augusta Fredericka Appe ...

, Mary Philbin and Colleen Moore, as the year's most promising starlets. That same year Claire signed a contract with

Goldwyn Pictures Corporation Goldwyn Pictures Corporation was an American motion picture production company that operated from 1916 to 1924 when it was merged with two other production companies to form the major studio, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. It was founded on November 19, 1 ...

. She would appear in '' Broken Chains'' with fellow WAMPAS Baby Star Colleen Moore. In 1923, the former Ola Cronk officially began using the more matinee-friendly ''Claire Windsor'' as a moniker. Throughout the 1920s, Windsor established herself as highly regarded

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

in film. As her career progressed, she was often typecast as the "upscale society girl", often playing the part of a princess, or monied

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having tradit ...

. Critics lauded her elegant fashion sense, and Windsor became a noted trend-setter of 1920s fashion. Claire Windsor by Clarence Sinclair Bull

In 1924, Windsor was one of the top stars at the newly formed

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 ...

studio. Later, at

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 overall ...

, ''Souls for Sables'' (1925), co-starring Eugene O'Brien, was a box-office hit for Windsor.

Personal life and sound films

Windsor was frequently romantically linked to her leading male co-stars. She reportedly had a well-publicized affair with actor Charles "Buddy" Rogers, and in 1925 married

matinée idol Matinée idol is a term used mainly to describe film or theatre stars who are adored to the point of adulation by their fans. The term almost exclusively refers to adult male actors. Matinée idols often tend to play romantic and dramatic lea ...

Bert Lytell Bertram 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 City, Lyt ...

. The couple divorced in 1927, however. Windsor never remarried, but a few notable love affairs with men caused minor scandals in the press, including once being sued by the young wife of a Boston broker in an "

Alienation of Affection Alienation of affections is a common law tort, abolished in many jurisdictions. Where it still exists, an action is brought by a spouse against a third party alleged to be responsible for damaging the marriage, most often resulting in divorce. The ...

" lawsuit, in which the broker's wife contended that Windsor had "stolen her husband".''Claire Windsor: One Fan's Fond Remembrance'' by Al Bohrer. ''Classic Images''.
By the late 1920s, Claire (like so many of her acting peers) found it difficult to move into

talkies A sound film is a 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, but decad ...

. She made several talkies throughout the 1930s but could never recapture the success of her earlier years as a silent screen actress. She had a brief stint on a road tour with

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-billed ...

in the production of ''The Wonder Bar'' and occasionally took stage parts. In her later years, Windsor devoted herself to painting. On April 12, 1943, she legally changed her name to Claire Windsor, and her son took the name of William Willis Windsor.

Death

Claire Windsor died of a heart attack on October 24, 1972, at the age of 80 at Good Samaritan Hospital, Los Angeles, California. (Windsor's age at death was reported as 74 in Sidney D. Kirkpatrick's 1986 book ''Cast of Killers''.) She was buried at Glendale's Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Claire Windsor was given a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.

Filmography

*'' Eyes of Youth'' (1919) *'' In the Heart of a Fool'' (1920) *''

'' (1920) *'' What's Worth While?'' (1921) *''The Raiders'' (1921) *''

Too Wise Wives ''Too Wise Wives'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Lois Weber, written by Lois Weber and Marion Orth, and starring Louis Calhern, Claire Windsor, Phillips Smalley, and Mona Lisa. It was released on May 22, 1921, by Paramount ...

'' (1921) *'' The Blot'' (1921) *'' What Do Men Want?'' (1921) * ''

Dr. Jim ''Dr. Jim'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by William Worthington and starring Frank Mayo, Claire Windsor and Robert Anderson.Munden p.193 Cast * Frank Mayo as Dr. Jim Keene * Claire Windsor as Helen Keene * Oliver Cross as Kenn ...

'' (1921) *''The Raiders'' (1921) *''

Grand Larceny Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Engl ...

'' (1922) * ''

One Clear Call ''One Clear Call'' is the ninth novel in Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of Cal ...

'' (1922) *'' Fools First'' (1922) * '' Rich Men's Wives'' (1922) *'' Brothers Under the Skin'' (1922) * '' The Strangers' Banquet'' (1922) *''Broken Chains'' (1922) *'' The Eternal Three'' (1923) *''

Little Church Around the Corner The Church of the Transfiguration, also known as the Little Church Around the Corner, is an Episcopal parish church located at 1 East 29th Street, between Madison and Fifth Avenues in the NoMad neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The con ...

'' (1923) *''

Rupert of Hentzau ''Rupert of Hentzau'' is a sequel by Anthony Hope to ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', written in 1895 but not published in book form until 1898. The novel was serialized in ''The Pall Mall Magazine'' and ''McClure's Magazine'' from December 1897 thr ...

'' (1923) *''The Acquittal'' (1923) *'' Nellie, The Beautiful Cloak Model'' (1924) *'' A Son of the Sahara'' (1924) *'' For Sale'' (1924) *''

Souls For Sale ''Souls for Sale'' is a 1923 American silent comedy drama film written, directed, and produced by Rupert Hughes, based on the novel of the same name by Hughes. The film stars Eleanor Boardman in her first leading role, having won a contrac ...

'' (1924) *'' The Dixie Handicap'' (1924) *'' Born Rich'' (1924) *'' The Denial'' (1925) *''

The White Desert ''The White Desert'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Reginald Barker. The film stars Claire Windsor and Pat O'Malley, with Robert Frazer, Frank Currier, and Sōjin Kamiyama. It is written by Monte M. Katterjohn and Gordon Rig ...

'' (1925) *'' Just A Woman'' (1925) *''

The Lady Who Lied ''The Lady Who Lied'' is a 1925 American silent melodrama film produced and distributed by First National Pictures and based on a novel by Robert Hichens. Edwin Carewe directed, and Nita Naldi, and Lewis Stone star. The film has the distinctio ...

'' (1925) *''

Souls for Sables ''Souls for Sables'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by James C. McKay and starring Claire Windsor. It was produced and released by Tiffany Pictures. Plot As described in a film magazine reviews, Fred Garlan is devoted to his wi ...

'' (1925) *''

Dance Madness ''Dance Madness'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Robert Z. Leonard based upon a script by Frederica Sagor. The film starred Claire Windsor, Conrad Nagel, and Hedda Hopper. According to the credited screenwriter, Frederica ...

'' (1926) *'' Money Talks'' (1926) *'' Tin Hats'' (1926) *'' A Little Journey'' (1927) *'' The Claw'' (1927) *''

The Bugle Call ''The Bugle Call'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Edward Sedgwick and starring Jackie Coogan and Claire Windsor, which was released on August 6, 1927. The Lost Film Files database lists this film as being lost. Plot Bill ...

'' (1927) *'' Foreign Devils'' (1927) *'' The Frontiersman'' (1927) * ''

The Opening Night ''The Opening Night'' is a 1927 American silent drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring Claire Windsor, John Bowers and E. Alyn Warren.Munden, Kenneth White. ''The American Film Institute Catalog of Motion Pictures Produced in t ...

'' (1927) *'' Nameless Men'' (1928) * ''

Fashion Madness ''Fashion Madness'' is a lost 1928 American silent drama film directed by Louis J. Gasnier and starring Claire Windsor, Reed Howes and Laska Winter.Munden p.231 Cast * Claire Windsor as Gloria Vane * Reed Howes as Victor Redding * Laska ...

'' (1928) * ''

Satan and the Woman ''Satan and the Woman'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Claire Windsor, Cornelius Keefe and Vera Lewis.Munden p.681 Cast * Claire Windsor as Judith Matheny * Cornelius Keefe as Edward Daingerfi ...

'' (1928) *'' Blondes by Choice'' (1928) *''

The Grain of Dust ''The Grain of Dust'' is a lost 1928 silent film drama directed by George Archainbaud and starring Ricardo Cortez and Claire Windsor. It was produced by John M. Stahl and released through Tiffany Pictures. Cast *Ricardo Cortez Ricardo C ...

'' (1928) *''Opening Night'' (1928) * '' Domestic Meddlers'' (1928) *''

Captain Lash ''Captain Lash'' is 1929 American silent adventure drama film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Victor McLaglen, Claire Windsor and Jane Winton. It was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporation. A copy of the film exists at ...

'' (1929) * ''

Midstream The petroleum industry, oil and gas industry is usually divided into three major components: upstream (petroleum industry), upstream, midstream and downstream (petroleum industry), downstream. The midstream sector involves the transportation (by Oi ...

'' (1929) *''

Self Defense Self-defense (self-defence primarily in Commonwealth English) is a countermeasure that involves defending the health and well-being of oneself from harm. The use of the right of self-defense as a legal justification for the use of forc ...

'' (1932) * '' Sister to Judas'' (1932) *''

The Constant Woman ''The Constant Woman'' (1933), also known as ''Auction in Souls'' and ''Hell in a Circus'', is an American Pre-Code film directed by Victor Schertzinger. It is based on the 1913 Eugene O'Neill play ''Recklessness''. Plot Marlene Underwood is a ...

'' (1933) *'' Kiss of Araby'' (1933) *''

Cross Streets ''Cross Streets'' is a 1934 American melodrama film directed by Frank R. Strayer, which stars Claire Windsor, Johnny Mack Brown, and Anita Louise. The screenplay was written by Gordon Morris and Anthony Coldeway, was produced by Invincible Pictur ...

'' (1934) *''Kiss of Araby'' (1938) *'' Barefoot Boy'' (1938) *''How Doooo You Do!!!'' (1945)

References

Sources

* 1900 United States Census for Cawker, Mitchell County, Kansas, and 1910 United States Census for Kansas for Cawker, Mitchell County, Kansas * '' Massillon Evening Independent'', "Actress Asks To Keep Stage Name", April 12, 1943, p. 12. * ''

Philadelphia Inquirer ''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...

'', "Claire Windsor and Husband Former Denver Residents", February 2, 1922.

External links

* *
Silent Era People - Claire Windsor
*
Photographs and literature
{{DEFAULTSORT:Windsor, Claire 1892 births 1972 deaths Actresses from Kansas American film actresses American silent film actresses People from Mitchell County, Kansas People from Phillips County, Kansas American people of Scandinavian descent Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players 20th-century American actresses Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) WAMPAS Baby Stars