Diana Allen (1898 – June 12, 1949) was a Swedish-American actress and Ziegfeld girl who starred in silent films such as 1921's '' Miss 139'',Wollstein, Henry J
Strangers in Hollywood: the History of Scandinavian Actors in American Films from 1910 to World War II
(1994) which is now lost.

Biography

Allen was born in

Gotland Gotland (; ; ''Gutland'' in Gutnish), also historically spelled Gottland or Gothland (), is Sweden's largest island. It is also a Provinces of Sweden, province/Counties of Sweden, county (Swedish län), Municipalities of Sweden, municipality, a ...

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, in 1898 and came to the United States at the age of 5. While a high school student in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is List ...

, she began to perform with Eddie Wittstein.(20 June 1924)
He's a Star Maker
''Danville Bee'' Her stage debut was in a vaudeville act called "Girls' Gamble" with

Ned Wayburn Ned Wayburn ''(né'' Edward Claudius Weyburn; 30 March 1874 – 2 September 1942) was an American choreographer. Career Edward Claudius Weyburn was born on March 30, 1874 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Elbert Delos Weyburn and his wife, Harri ...

. She later appeared in '' Miss 1917'', the ''

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

'' (1917–18), and ''Ziegfeld's Midnight Frolic''.''Motion Pictures Studio Directory and Trade Annual'' (1921), p. 209 ("b. Gotland, Sweden; educ. New Haven, Conn.; stage career, "Follies," 1917–18; "The Frolic," 1919, "Miss 1917"; screen career ...... Hght., 5, 3; wght., 115; blond hair, blue eyes.") Allen starred in a number of silent film shorts and features between 1918 and 1925. Her first feature film appearance was in ''

Woman A woman is an adult female human. Before adulthood, a female child or Adolescence, adolescent is referred to as a girl. Typically, women are of the female sex and inherit a pair of X chromosomes, one from each parent, and women with functi ...

'' in 1918.Soister, John T. et al
American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913–1929
p. 625 (2012)Vazzana, Eugene Michael
Silent Film Necrology
p. 13 (2001)Diana Allen Scores in Victor Kremer's "Voices"
''

The Moving Picture World The ''Moving Picture World'' was an influential early trade journal for the American film industry, from 1907 to 1927. An industry powerhouse at its height, ''Moving Picture World'' frequently reiterated its independence from the film studios. ...

'', August 14, 1920, p. 885Blond Swedish Maiden Plays Lead in "The Kentuckians"
''

'', September 25, 1920, p. 480 Allen married Samuel P. Booth on August 28, 1924, in

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich ( ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it had a population of 63,518. It is the largest town on Gold Coast (Connecticut), Connectic ...

. Booth was president of the Interborough News Company, and previously had been in charge of circulation for newspapers including the ''Chicago Journal'', ''

New York Evening Journal :''Includes coverage of New York Journal-American and its predecessors New York Journal, The Journal, New York American and New York Evening Journal'' The ''New York Journal-American'' was a daily newspaper published in New York City from 1937 ...

'' and ''

The New York Globe ''The New York Globe'', also called ''The New York Evening Globe'', was a daily New York City newspaper published from 1904 to 1923, when it was bought and merged into ''The Sun (New York), The New York Sun''. It is not related to a New York City ...

''. He was over 30 years older than Allen. They did not have any children.(13 September 1924)
S.P. Booth Wed Actress
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

''(3 April 1939)
S.P. Booth, Head of News Company (obituary)
''

'' Allen died in

Mount Pleasant, New York Mount Pleasant is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the town population was 44,436. The hamlets of Valhalla, Hawthorne, Pocantico Hills, and Thornwood, and the v ...

, on June 12, 1949. Diana_Allen

Partial filmography

* ''

'' (1918) * '' Even as Eve'' (1920) * ''Voices'' (1920) * '' Man and Woman'' (1920) * '' Heliotrope'' (1920) *lost film * '' The Face at Your Window'' (1920) * '' The Kentuckians'' (1921) *lost film * '' The Conquest of Canaan'' (1921) * '' Miss 139'' (1921) *lost film * ''

The Way of a Maid ''The Way of a Maid'' is a surviving 1921 American silent comedy-drama film produced by Selznick Pictures and starring Elaine Hammerstein. It was released by Select Pictures and directed by William P. S. Earle from an original story for the s ...

'' (1921) * '' Get-Rich-Quick Wallingford'' (1921) *lost film * '' Beyond the Rainbow'' (1922) (was also film debut of

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

) * '' Divorce Coupons'' (1922) * ''Man Wanted'' (or ''Male Wanted'') (1922) * '' The Beauty Shop'' (1922) *lost film * ''Salome'' (1923) (film directed by Malcolm Strauss; not the

Alla Nazimova Alla Aleksandrovna Nazimova (, born Marem-Ides Leventon; June 3 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. May 22 1879 – July 13, 1945) was a Russian-American actress, director, producer and scre ...

film of the same name) * '' The Exciters'' (1923) *lost film * ''Flying Fists'' (Series of shorts with boxer

Benny Leonard Benny Leonard (born Benjamin Leiner; April 7, 1896 – April 18, 1947) was an American professional boxer who held the world lightweight championship for eight years, from 1917 to 1925. Widely considered one of the all-time greats, he was ranked ...

) (1924–25) * ''

Roulette Roulette (named after the French language, French word meaning "little wheel") is a casino game which was likely developed from the Italy, Italian game Biribi. In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various grouping ...

'' (1924)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Diana Ziegfeld girls 1898 births 1949 deaths American musical theatre actresses 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses People from Gotland County Swedish emigrants to the United States 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers