Fanny Midgley (born Fanny B. Tilton; November 26, probably 1865 – January 4, 1932) was an American film actress of Hollywood's early years, mostly in

silent films 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, wh ...

Biography

Midgley was born Fanny B. Tilton in Cincinnati, Ohio, the daughter of Joseph Tilton and Henrietta Garrison. Her death certificate gives a birth date of November 26, 1879, but it is more likely that she was born about 1865, as she is listed with her parents in the 1870 and 1880 censuses as being 5 and 14 years old. She married fellow actor Sager Midgley, Jr.(1862-1929), in Cincinnati in 1885, and they performed together as a

Vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

act, finding the footlights in New York by 1890. They had four known children, at least two of which died in infancy. A surviving son, Miles Raymond Midgley (1899-1945) also worked in show business. Fanny Midgley's work on stage included portraying Mopsa in the Broadway production ''The Free Lance'' (1906). After moving to Hollywood, Midgley married Cecil S. Frier on August 14, 1914. Midgley's first feature film was ''Shorty Escapes Marriage'' (1914). In 1914 alone, she had 27 film appearances, including ''The Sheriff of Bisbee'', in which she starred with actress

Mildred Harris Mildred Harris (November 29, 1901 – July 20, 1944) was an American stage, film, and vaudeville actress during the early part of the 20th century. She began her career in the film industry as a child actress at age 10. She was also the first w ...

, the future mother of

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

's first child. From 1915 through 1919, she appeared in another 32 films, mostly in supporting roles. Her last film appearance during this period was the 1919 film ''The Lottery Man'', in which she starred with

Wanda Hawley Wanda Hawley (born Selma Wanda Pittack; July 30, 1895 – March 18, 1963) was an American actress during the silent film era. She entered the theatrical profession with an amateur group in Seattle, and later toured the United States and Cana ...

and

Wallace Reid William Wallace Halleck Reid (April 15, 1891 – January 18, 1923) was an American actor in silent film, referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover". He also had a brief career as a racing driver. Early life Reid was born in St. Lou ...

. During the 1920s, her career began to slow, appearing in 22 films between 1920 and 1926, with her biggest film role during that time being in the 1922 film '' The Young Rajah'' with

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor who starred in several well-known sile ...

. From 1927 to 1929, her career almost completely halted compared to her previous years, with only five film appearances during this period, most notably with

Buddy Roosevelt Buddy Roosevelt (born Kenneth Stanhope Sanderson; June 25, 1898 – October 6, 1973) was an American film and television actor and stunt performer from Hollywood's early silent film years through the 1950s. Biography Roosevelt was born as Kenn ...

in ''The Cowboy Cavalier'' in 1928. She did transition somewhat successfully to sound films, and appeared in the 1930 movie ''The Poor Millionaire'', starring Richard Talmadge and Constance Howard. In 1931, she appeared in ''

An American Tragedy ''An American Tragedy'' is a 1925 novel by American writer Theodore Dreiser. He began the manuscript in the summer of 1920, but a year later, abandoned most of that text. It was based on the notorious murder of Grace Brown in 1906, and the tria ...

'', starring

Sylvia Sidney Sylvia Sidney (born Sophia Kosow; August 8, 1910 – July 1, 1999) was an American stage, screen, and film actress whose career spanned 70 years. She rose to prominence in dozens of leading roles in the 1930s. She was nominated for the Academy ...

and

Phillips Holmes Phillips Raymond Holmes (July 22, 1907 – August 12, 1942) was an American actor. For his contributions to the film industry, he was posthumously given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960. Early life, education and career Born in ...

. Midgley died on January 4, 1932, in Hollywood. Her death certificate gave her age as 52, but given census records, it is more likely that she was about 67.

Partial filmography

* '' The Immortal Alamo'' (1911) * '' The Italian'' (1915) * ''

Somewhere in France ''Somewhere in France'' is a 1916 silent film, silent era war film, war espionage drama film, drama film, motion picture starring Louise Glaum and Howard C. Hickman. film director, Directed by Charles Giblyn and film producer, produced by Thoma ...

'' (1916) * '' The Apostle of Vengeance'' (1916) * '' Blood Will Tell'' (1917) * '' Madam Who?'' (1918) * '' Wolves of the Rail'' (1918) * '' How Could You, Jean?'' (1918) * '' Cheating the Public'' (1918) * '' The Goat'' (1918) * '' The Corsican Brothers'' (1920) * '' Always Audacious'' (1920) * '' All Soul's Eve'' (1921) * ''

Patsy Patsy is a given name often used as a diminutive of the feminine given name Patricia or sometimes the masculine name Patrick, or occasionally other names containing the syllable "Pat" (such as Cleopatra, Patience, or Patrice). Among Italian A ...

'' (1921) * '' Don't Call Me Little Girl'' (1921) * '' First Love'' (1921) * '' The Young Rajah'' (1922) *'' When Love Comes'' (1922) * '' Stephen Steps Out'' (1923) * ''

Greed Greed (or avarice, ) is an insatiable desire for material gain (be it food, money, land, or animate/inanimate possessions) or social value, such as status or power. Nature of greed The initial motivation for (or purpose of) greed and a ...

'' (1924) * '' Some Pun'kins'' (1925) * '' Three of a Kind'' (1925) * '' The Dangerous Dub'' (1926) * '' The Fighting Cheat'' (1926) * ''

Ace of Action ''Ace of Action'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by William Bertram and starring Hal Taliaferro, Alma Rayford and Charles Colby. Plot synopsis A feud develops between two families, the Waltons and the Darcys, regarding ow ...

'' (1926) * '' Hair-Trigger Baxter'' (1926) * '' The Harvester'' (1927) * '' The Flyin' Buckaroo'' (1928) * '' The Cowboy Cavalier'' (1928) * '' The Poor Millionaire'' (1930) * ''

'' (1931)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Midgley, Fanny American stage actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from Cincinnati 1879 births 1932 deaths 20th-century American actresses