Jobyna Howland (March 31, 1880 – June 7, 1936) was an American stage and screen actress.

Early years

Howland was born on March 31, 1880, in Indianapolis, Indiana. Her parents were Joby Howland, a Civil War veteran who at age 11 was one of the youngest enlistees in the conflict, and his wife Mary C. Bunting. She was given the feminine version of her father's name. Her brother was character actor

Olin Howland Olin Ross Howland (February 10, 1886 – September 20, 1959) was an American film and theatre actor. Life and career Howland was born in Denver, Colorado, to Joby A. Howland, one of the youngest enlisted participants in the Civil War, an ...

. Tall, regal and beautiful, red-haired Howland once modeled as a ''

Gibson Girl The Gibson Girl was the personification of the feminine ideal of physical attractiveness as portrayed by the pen-and-ink illustrations of artist Charles Dana Gibson during a 20-year period that spanned the late 19th and early 20th centuries ...

'' for the famous illustrator

Charles Dana Gibson Charles Dana Gibson (September 14, 1867 – December 23, 1944) was an American illustrator who created the Gibson Girl, an iconic representation of the beautiful and independent American woman at the turn of the 20th century. He published his ...

; however, after three sessions Gibson was never satisfied with his drawings of her, and they were never used or published.

Career

Having performed as an amateur actress, Howland left her Denver, Colorado, home to seek professional work on stage. In December 1897, Howland appeared in ''A Milk White Flag'' at the Tacoma Theater in Tacoma, Washington. She also performed in San Francisco. There, she joined a company headed by

Clay Clement Clay Clement (May 19, 1888 – October 20, 1956) was an American stage, film, and TV actor. He appeared in more than 80 films between 1918 and 1947. Clement was one of the earliest members of the Screen Actors Guild. Howland attracted the attention of a photographer named Thors. His photographs of her were published in the ''Illustrated American'' and attracted the attention of Gibson. She worked professionally as a model, beginning her posing a week after she arrived in New York, and she had become a model for Gibson before a month elapsed. She made her first appearance on the New York Stage in 1899 managed by

Daniel Frohman Daniel Frohman (August 22, 1851 – December 26, 1940) was an American theatrical producer and manager, and an early film producer. Biography Frohman was born to a Jewish family in Sandusky, Ohio. His parents were Henry (1826–1899) and Ba ...

. During her long theatrical career, she apprenticed everything from drawing room farces to musical comedies always seeming to play the other woman, a best friend's pal or a distant cousin. She didn't achieve the kind of stardom of other beautiful actresses such as

Elsie Ferguson Elsie Louise Ferguson (August 19, 1883 – November 15, 1961) was an American stage and film actress. Seen by some as an early feminist, she promoted suffrage, which she discussed in interviews, and supported animal rights. Early life Born in ...

, but was content to play the amiable and much needed support so vital in numerous Broadway productions. She decided to try her luck in film and moved to a Lloyd Wright (Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr.) bungalow in Beverly Hills which was maintained by Hernando, a Navajo servant who liked to sample Howland's makeup. She appeared in a few silent pictures, but this medium did not seem to suit her booming, direct and distinct voice. In sound films, she typically played the kind of roles she had mastered on the stage, the domineering but dependable support. Her appearances in the comedies of

Bert Wheeler Bert Wheeler (April 7, 1895 – January 18, 1968) was an American comedian who performed in vaudeville acts, Broadway theatre, American comedy feature films, and television. He was teamed with Broadway comic Robert Woolsey, and they went on to ...

Robert Woolsey Robert Rollie Woolsey (August 14, 1888 – October 31, 1938) was an American stage and screen comedian and half of the 1930s comedy team Wheeler & Woolsey. Early life Robert Rollie Woolsey (sometimes spelled Rolla or even Raleigh) was born o ...

are some of her best known. Howland's Broadway debut came as Queen Flavia in ''Rupert of Hentzau'' (1899), and her final Broadway role was Amy Bellaire in ''O Evening Star'' (1936).

Personal life and death

Howland married Arthur Stringer in 1903, but the marriage didn't last and was dissolved in 1914. She bore no children. On June 7, 1936, Howland was found dead at age 56 on the kitchen floor of her home. Police attributed her death to heart disease. She is interred in

Forest Lawn Memorial Park Forest Lawn may refer to: Cemeteries California * Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries, a chain of cemeteries in southern California * Forest Lawn Cemetery (Cathedral City), California * Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale), California * Fore ...

Glendale, California Glendale is a city located primarily in the Verdugo Mountains region, with a small portion in the San Fernando Valley, of Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is located about north of downtown Los Angeles. As of 2024, Glendale ha ...

.Wilson, Scott. ''Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons'', 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.

Filmography

*'' Her Only Way'' (1918) *''

The Way of a Woman ''The Way of a Woman'' is a 1919 silent film drama directed by Robert Z. Leonard and starring Norma Talmadge. Talmadge produced and the film was distributed by Select Pictures. Cast *Norma Talmadge - Nancy Lee *Conway Tearle - Anthony Weir * Ge ...

'' (1919) *'' Second Youth'' (1924) *''

Honey Honey is a sweet and viscous substance made by several species of bees, the best-known of which are honey bees. Honey is made and stored to nourish bee colonies. Bees produce honey by gathering and then refining the sugary secretions of pl ...

'' (1930) *'' The Cuckoos'' (1930) *'' Dixiana'' (1930) *''

The Virtuous Sin ''The Virtuous Sin'' is a 1930 American pre-Code comedy-drama film directed by George Cukor and Louis J. Gasnier and starring Walter Huston, Kay Francis, and Kenneth MacKenna. The screenplay by Martin Brown and Louise Long is based on the 19 ...

'' (1930) *'' A Lady's Morals'' (1930) *'' Hook, Line and Sinker'' (1930) *''

Stepping Sisters ''Stepping Sisters'' is a 1932 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code comedy film directed by Seymour Felix and starring Louise Dresser, Minna Gombell and Jobyna Howland.Solomon p.331 Plot A trio of former burlesque dancers now living in high soc ...

'' (1932) *'' Big City Blues'' (1932) as Serena Cartlich *'' Once in a Lifetime'' (1932) *'' Rockabye'' (1932) *'' Silver Dollar'' (1932) (uncredited) *'' Topaze'' (1933) *''

The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble ''The Cohens and Kellys in Trouble'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film starring Charlie Murray, Andy Devine, and Maureen O'Sullivan. It is the last film in the ''Cohens and Kellys'' series and the first director credit for George Steve ...

'' (1933) *''

The Story of Temple Drake ''The Story of Temple Drake'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code drama film directed by Stephen Roberts (director), Stephen Roberts and starring Miriam Hopkins and Jack La Rue. It tells the story of Temple Drake, a reckless woman in ...

'' (1933) *''

Meet the Baron ''Meet the Baron'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film starring Jack Pearl, Jimmy Durante, Edna May Oliver, ZaSu Pitts, Ted Healy and His Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). The title of the film refers to Pearl's character ...

'' (1933) (uncredited) *''Ye Olde Saw Mill'' (1935) (short)

References

External links

* *
Jobyna Howland portrait gallery New York Public Library, Billy Rose Collection

Univ. of South Carolina) {{DEFAULTSORT:Howland, Jobyna 1880 births 1936 deaths 19th-century American actresses 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Indianapolis American film actresses American stage actresses Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)