Doris G. Dawson (later Levy; April 16, 1905 – April 20, 1986) was an American

film actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

in the early days of

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

, mostly during the

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 ...

era.

Life and career

Dawson was born in

Goldfield, Nevada Goldfield is an unincorporated town and census-designated place and the county seat of Esmeralda County, Nevada. It is the locus of the Goldfield CDP which had a resident population of 268 at the 2010 census, down from 440 in 2000. Gold ...

in 1905, though it has been reported that she was born in 1909. Her parents were Bonewitz Xerxes Dawson (1874–1952), and Rebecca (née Greenwood) Dawson (1883–1905). Her mother died three months later of

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

. She began acting in the mid-1920s. Her first film role was in the 1927 film ''The Arizona Night''. She starred in four films that year, and another four in 1928. In 1929, she was one of thirteen girls selected as "

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. ...

", a group that included actress

Jean Arthur Jean Arthur (born Gladys Georgianna Greene; October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991) was an American film and theater actress whose career began in silent films in the early 1920s and lasted until the early 1950s. Arthur had feature roles in three F ...

. She would star in five films that year, including '' Broadway Scandals'', which starred

Sally O'Neil Sally O'Neil (born Virginia Louise Concepta Noonan; October 23, 1908 – June 18, 1968) was an American film actress of the 1920s. She appeared in more than 40 films, often with her name above the title. Early years O'Neil was one of eleven chi ...

. She was at the height of her career in 1929. With the advent of sound films, her career suffered due to what critics dubbed a grating voice. She had only one film role in 1930, and did not have another until 1934.

Later years & death

Her last film, in 1934, was ''

The Silver Streak ''The Silver Streak'' is a 1934 American black-and-white film drama from RKO, loosely based on the record-setting "dawn-to-dusk" run of the ''Pioneer Zephyr'' on May 26, 1934. The film stars Sally Blane, Charles Starrett, William Farnum, and Ha ...

'', starring

Sally Blane Sally Blane (born Elizabeth Jane Young; July 11, 1910 – August 27, 1997) was an American actress who appeared in more than 100 movies. Early life Blane was born in Salida, Colorado, moving to California with her family in 1916.Charles Starrett Charles Robert Starrett (March 28, 1903 – March 22, 1986) was an American actor, best known for his starring role in the ''Durango Kid'' westerns. Starrett still holds the record for starring in the longest series of theatrical features: ...

. With her career dwindling, she retired from acting that same year, at the age of 29. She was married twice. She eventually settled in

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...

. She died there in 1986 at the age of 81.

Partial filmography

*'' Gold from Weepah'' (1927) *'' Heart Trouble'' (1928) *''

Do Your Duty ''Do Your Duty'' is a 1928 American silent comedy film directed by William Beaudine. This is lost film.The Little Wildcat ''The Little Wildcat'' is a 1928 American sound part-talkie comedy drama directed by Ray Enright and starring Audrey Ferris, James Murray and Robert Edeson. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film feature ...

'' (1928) *'' Naughty Baby'' (1928) *''

His Captive Woman ''His Captive Woman'' is a 1929 American sound part-talkie part-talking drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Milton Sills and Dorothy Mackaill. In addition to sequences with audible dialogue or talking sequences, the film featur ...

'' (1929) *'' Hot Stuff'' (1929) *'' Broadway Scandals'' (1929) *''

'' (1934)

References

External links

* 1905 births 1986 deaths American silent film actresses Actresses from Nevada Actors from Coral Gables, Florida People from Goldfield, Nevada 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-1900s-stub