Elsa Benham (November 20, 1908 – April 20, 1995,

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County wi ...

) was a dancer and

silent movie ''Silent Movie'' is a 1976 American satirical comedy film co-written, directed by and starring Mel Brooks, released by 20th Century Fox in the summer of 1976. The ensemble cast includes Dom DeLuise, Marty Feldman, Bernadette Peters, and Sid Ca ...

actress. Benham was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, whic ...

. She and her family moved to Hollywood during her early childhood. Benham was

Theodore Kosloff Theodore Kosloff (born Fyodor Mikhailovich Kozlov, russian: Фёдор Михайлович Козлов; January 22, 1882 – November 22, 1956) was a Russian-born ballet dancer, choreographer, and film and stage actor. He was occasionally cr ...

's dancing partner and was discovered by

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...

James Cruze James Cruze (born James Cruze Bosen; March 27, 1884 – August 3, 1942) was a silent film actor and film director. Early years Cruze's middle name came from the battle of Vera Cruz. He was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

as a member of the Kosloff Ballet when she performed in the film ''

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) * Hollywoo ...

'' (1923). Cruz signed her to a small part in a movie he was making. Her career progressed quickly as she secured roles in ''Dick Turpin'' (1925) with

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He ...

and ''

The Phantom of the Opera ''The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra) is a novel by French author Gaston Leroux. It was first published as a serial in from 23 September 1909 to 8 January 1910, and was released in volume form in late March 1910 by Pier ...

'', which starred

Mary Philbin Mary Loretta Philbin (July 16, 1902 – May 7, 1993) was an American film actress of the silent film era, who is best known for playing the roles of Christine Daaé in the 1925 film ''The Phantom of the Opera '' opposite Lon Chaney, and as Dea in ...

and

Lon Chaney Leonidas Frank "Lon" Chaney (April 1, 1883 – August 26, 1930) was an American actor. He is regarded as one of the most versatile and powerful actors of cinema, renowned for his characterizations of tortured, often grotesque and affli ...

. In 1925 Benham won a popularity contest conducted by the

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

Business Men's Association. It was entered by many film actresses. She was awarded a diamond ring for winning. Press reports compared her appearance to actress

Barbara La Marr Barbara La Marr (born Reatha Dale Watson; July 28, 1896 – January 30, 1926) was an American film actress and screenwriter who appeared in twenty-seven films during her career between 1920 and 1926. La Marr was also noted by the media ...

, though Benham was many years younger. Benham was about 5'2" in height, 110 lbs. with hazel eyes, and brown hair. Benham had a brief tenure as a Hollywood actress. Most of her screen credits are in western films. Some of the titles are ''

Fighting With Buffalo Bill ''Fighting With Buffalo Bill'' is a 1926 American silent Western film serial directed by Ray Taylor for Universal Pictures. The film is now considered to be lost. Plot Cast * Wallace MacDonald as Ned Wheeler * Elsa Benham as Doris Ca ...

'' (1926), ''Speeding Hoofs'' (1927), and ''Code of the Cow Country'' (1927). She was married to Kenneth D. Neff.

Filmography

* '' Rough Ridin''' (1924) *''Fighting with Buffalo Bill'' (1926) * ''In Broncho Land'' (1926) * '' Speeding Hoofs'' (1927) * '' Western Courage'' (1927) * ''The Two Fister'' (1927) * ''Menace of the Mounted'' (1927) * ''The Iron Rider'' (1927) * '' Code of the Cow Country'' (1927) * '' The Air Patrol'' (1928)

References

*''Los Angeles Times'', ''How do you like these Newcomers?'', March 25, 1925, Page C4.

External links

* * Actresses from St. Louis American film actresses American silent film actresses Western (genre) film actresses American female dancers Dancers from Texas 1908 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American dancers {{US-film-actor-1900s-stub