Lenore Ulric (born Lenore Ulrich; July 21, 1892 – December 30, 1970) was a star of the

Broadway theatre Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, American and British English spelling differences), many of the List of ...

as well as

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 ...

films of 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, wh ...

and early

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the br ...

era. Discovered in 1913 by theater director

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of ...

, who would go on to manage her stage career, she was noted for portraying fiery, hot-blooded women of the vamp type.

Early life, theater, and silent films

Lenore Ulrich was born on July 21, 1892, to Franz Xavier Ulrich, who was a United States Army hospital steward, and Ida Ulrich (née Engenhart). Both of her parents were first generation German-Americans. Franz reportedly named his daughter Lenore due to his fondness for the

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

poem, "

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a visit ...

". She later dropped the "h" from her surname."Lenore Ulric, Broadway Star of Belasco Era, Is Dead at 78", ''New York Times'', December 31, 1970 She had four sisters, Isabel, Francis, Alma, and Florence, and a brother, Roy Richard. She left school after completing 3rd grade. As a young girl, Lenore obtained a job with a stock company in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

. She played with stock companies in

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

, and

Chicago, Illinois Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

. She worked briefly as a film actress for

Essanay Studios Essanay Studios, officially the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company, was an early American motion picture studio. The studio was founded in 1907 in Chicago by George Kirke Spoor and Gilbert M. Anderson, originally as the Peerless Film Manufactu ...

and joined another stock company in

Schenectady, New York Schenectady ( ) is a City (New York), city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the United States Census 2020, 2020 census, the city's population of 67,047 made it the state's ninth-most populo ...

. She found work in ''The First Man'' (1911), ''A Polished Burglar'' (1911), '' Kilmeny'' (1915), and ''The Better Woman'' (1915). She specialized in playing sultry, impassioned women. In 1915, she went to work for Pallas Pictures starring in several silent pictures, such as ''Frozen Justice'' and ''The Intrigue'', that survive today at the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

.Lombardi, Frederic. ''Allan Dwan and the Rise and Decline of the Hollywood Studios'', McFarland (2013) p. 174Soister, John T. ''American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929'', McFarland (2012) p. 296

Broadway

Ulric was discovered by theatrical producer

, who went to see her in ''The Bird of Paradise'' in 1913 after Ulric wrote to him requesting that he see her on stage. Belasco, who would go on "fishing trips" to find new stage talents, recalled that it was often a long time between "bites," but he enjoyed the sport as he sometimes would "hook a big one." After watching her on stage, he asked her to audition at his playhouse. He watched her perform while he sat incognito in one of the theater's seats. "After twenty minutes," he said, "I knew I was watching a very talented and unusual young woman." He then offered her the leading role in ''The Heart of Wetona''.Bordman, Gerald. ''American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama 1914-1930'', Oxford Univ. Press (1995), p. 43 He recalled: "Among the biggest I have ever landed is, I believe, little Miss Ulric: I think she will grow bigger every season she is before the public."Winter, William. ''The Life of David Belasco'', Univ. of Toronto Libraries (1918) Biographer William Winter called her a "born actress," someone who Belasco hoped would fulfill the theater's need for talent. Winter also notes that no one in her family had ever been involved in acting, adding: "She resorted to the dramatic calling not through mere vanity, the impulse of personal exhibition, or the acquisitive hope of profit, but because her natural vocation is acting." Lenore Ulric- 1919

Under Belasco's management during most of her stage career, Ulric played a variety of female roles. Among them was her portrayal of Rose, a French-Canadian orphan, in ''Tiger Rose'' (1917). Winter says that Ulric's personality traits allowed her to play the role realistically as written: She acted in numerous plays at the Belasco Theater, all under the direction of Belasco. She played in ''The Son-Daughter'' (1919), a play about China by Belasco and George Scarborough, which ran for 223 performances. She played a Parisian street urchin in ''Kiki'' (1921), a seductress in ''The Harem'' (1924), and in one of Ulric's biggest hits for Belasco, the 1926 ''Lulu Belle'', where she played a prostitute, a genre that spawned several Broadway hits in the 1920s. In 1928, she starred in ''Mima''. Other stars who played at the Belasco during that period included

Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blyth; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in '' A Free Soul'' (1931) ...

and

Katharine Cornell Katharine Cornell (February 16, 1893 – June 9, 1974) was an American stage actress, writer, theater owner and producer. She was born in Berlin to American parents and raised in Buffalo, New York. Dubbed "The First Lady of the Theatre" by cri ...

.Botto, Louis
''At this Theatre: 100 Years of Broadway Shows, Stories and Stars''
Hal Leonard Corp. (2002) After seeing Ulric in some of her plays, British producer Charles Cochrane cabled David Belasco with an "urgent request" that he be granted the privilege of presenting Ulric at one of his London playhouses.''National Magazine: An illustrated American Monthly'', Volume 49, March 1920 to March 1921, Chapple Publishing (1921), p. 361 During that time, however, Belasco had been writing a new version of ''Camille'' for Ulric to star in. According to one critic, "Miss Ulric's youth fits her peculiarly for the part, while her undisputed genius as an emotional actress justifies the prediction that she would be the greatest Camille who has ever been seen upon the stage." In 1947, after doing seven films in Hollywood, she returned to the Belasco Theater as Charmian in ''

Antony and Cleopatra ''Antony and Cleopatra'' is a tragedy by William Shakespeare. The play was first performed around 1607, by the King's Men at either the Blackfriars Theatre or the Globe Theatre. Its first appearance in print was in the First Folio published ...

'', which starred

Godfrey Tearle Sir Godfrey Seymour Tearle (12 October 1884 – 9 June 1953) was a British actor who portrayed the quintessential British gentleman on stage and in both British and US films. Biography Born in New York City and brought up in United Kingdom of ...

and

in the title roles. (Future stars

Eli Wallach Eli Herschel Wallach ( ; December 7, 1915 – June 24, 2014) was an American film, television, and stage actor from New York City. Known for his character actor roles, his entertainment career spanned over six decades. He received a British Aca ...

Maureen Stapleton Lois Maureen Stapleton (June 21, 1925 – March 13, 2006) was an American actress. She received numerous accolades becoming one of the few actors to have achieved the Triple Crown of Acting winning an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award ...

, and

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923 – April 5, 2008) was an American actor. He gained stardom for his leading man roles in numerous Cinema of the United States, Hollywood films including biblical epics, science-fiction f ...

had small roles in the production.) She told a critic, "I certainly never really left the theater." Belasco had managed her stage career until shortly before his death. In a tribute to Belasco, she said: During the height of her stage career, Ulric was considered one of the American theater's "great stars." She was noted for portraying fiery, hot-blooded women and " femmes fatale." According to the ''New York Times'', theater-goers would go to her plays just to see ''her'', while the play in which she appeared was secondary. Ulric's "name in white lights blazing on the playhouse marquee was always more compelling" than the play itself.

Hollywood and return to theater

Lenore came to Hollywood in 1929 and appeared in '' Frozen Justice'' and '' South Sea Rose''. She signed with

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox (producer), William Fox. It was the corporate successor to ...

to make several films with an approximate salary of $650,000. ''Frozen Justice'' was directed by

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan was ...

. Some of the scenes were filmed in

Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

. She was successful in a supporting role in '' Camille'', starring

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress and a premier star during Hollywood's Silent film, silent and early Classical Hollywood cinema, golden eras. Regarded as one of the g ...

. Ulric returned to Broadway in 1940, acting in ''The Fifth Column'' by

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

and again in 1947, in a revival of ''

''.

Personal life

Ulric was married only once, to actor

Sidney Blackmer Sidney Alderman Blackmer (July 13, 1895 – October 6, 1973) was an American Broadway theatre, Broadway and film actor active between 1914 and 1971, usually in major supporting roles. Biography Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, ...

from 1929 to 1939. She accepted some of the blame for their divorce: She died of heart failure in Rockland State Hospital,

Orangeburg, New York Orangeburg is a hamlet and census-designated place, in the town of Orangetown, Rockland County, New York, United States. It is located north of Tappan, south of Blauvelt, east of Pearl River and west of Piermont. The population was 4,568 at ...

, on December 30, 1970, aged 78.

Filmography

*'' The First Man'' (1911, short) – Miriam Chetwood *''A Polished Burglar'' (1911, short) – Louise *''For Memory's Sake'' (1911, short) *''There's Many a Slip'' (1912, short) – The Young Lady *'' Kilmeny'' (1915, short, extant, Library of Congress) – Doris Calhoun – aka Kilmeny *''

Capital Punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty and formerly called judicial homicide, is the state-sanctioned killing of a person as punishment for actual or supposed misconduct. The sentence (law), sentence ordering that an offender b ...

'' (1915, short) – Olive Baxley *'' The Better Woman'' (1915) – Kate Tripler *'' The Heart of Paula'' (1916, extant, Library of Congress) – Paula Figueroa *'' The Intrigue'' (1916, extant, Library of Congress) – Countess Sonia Varnli *'' The Road to Love'' (1916, extant, Library of Congress) – Hafsa *''

Her Own People ''Her Own People'' is a 1917 American drama silent film directed by Scott Sidney and written by Gardner Hunting and Julia Crawford Ivers. The film stars Lenore Ulric, Colin Chase, Howard Davies, Adelaide Woods, Jack Stark and Gail Brooks. The ...

'' (1917) – Alona *'' Tiger Rose'' (1923, extant) – Rose Bocion – Tiger Rose *'' Frozen Justice'' (1929, lost) – Talu *'' South Sea Rose'' (1929, lost) – Rosalie Dumay *'' Camille'' (1936) – Olympe *'' Two Smart People'' (1946) – Maria Ynez – Inn of the 4 Winds *'' Notorious'' (1946) – Horsewoman with Sebastian (uncredited) *''

Temptation Temptation is a desire to engage in short-term urges for enjoyment that threatens long-term goals.Webb, J.R. (Sep 2014). Incorporating Spirituality into Psychology of temptation: Conceptualization, measurement, and clinical implications. Sp ...

'' (1946) – Marie * ''

Northwest Outpost ''Northwest Outpost'' (also known as ''End of the Rainbow'') is a 1947 American Musical Western film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Nelson Eddy and Ilona Massey. The film was Eddy's last, and is an operetta film like his previous starring ...

'' (1947) – Baroness Kruposny

References

External links

* *
Lenore Ulric
NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection
Lenore Ulric
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Ulric Lenore 1892 births 1970 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses American people of German descent Burials at Ferncliff Cemetery Actresses from Minnesota People from New Ulm, Minnesota