Lillian Worth (born Lillian Burgher Murphy, June 24, 1884 – February 23, 1952) was an American actress. She appeared in 58 films between 1913 and 1937.
Early life and career
Lillian Burgher Murphy was born on June 24, 1884, in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, the daughter of Katherine Stahler and John Burgher Murphy. After she married in 1905, she began using her husband's surname as her stage name; and by 1909 she, as Lillian Wiggins, had gained public attention and favorable reviews for her performance in the theatrical production ''
The Beauty Spot''. By early 1913, she was a leading actress at
Pathé's West Coast studio in
Edendale, Los Angeles
Edendale is a historical name for a district in Los Angeles, California, northwest of downtown Los Angeles, in what is known today as Echo Park, Los Angeles, Echo Park, Los Feliz, Los Angeles, Los Feliz and Silver Lake, Los Angeles, Silver Lake ...
, where she starred in Western films. Pathé transferred Wiggins a few months later to its East Coast studio in
, and then in October 1913 to its new Southern studio in
St. Augustine, Florida
St. Augustine ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of St. Johns County, Florida, United States. Located 40 miles (64 km) south of downtown Jacksonville, the city is on the Atlantic coast of northeastern Florida. Founded in 1565 by Spani ...
. In March 1914, Pathé once again relocated her, dispatching her to Europe, where she worked at the company's Paris studio before moving to London. There she made films first for
British and Colonial Kinematography Company and then for Motograph Film Company.
Wiggins returned to the United States in September 1914 and the next year started performing in films for Deer Film Company. Following the dissolution of her first marriage, she married again in 1918. She, however, elected not to use her second husband's surname professionally; instead, she adopted the new stage name Lillian Worth, which is how she continued to be credited until 1937.
Personal life and death
Lillian Worth was married twice. On May 3, 1905, she married Benjamin Platt Wiggins in Brooklyn, New York. The couple separated after a couple of years, and she filed for divorce in
Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
in 1911, although on that occasion she did not obtain the divorce. She filed again in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, and was finally granted a divorce in 1914. She then married
Erville Alderson
Erville Alderson (September 11, 1882 – August 4, 1957) was an American character actor, usually portraying strong-willed or wise men. He appeared in nearly 200 films between 1918 and 1957.
Life
Alderson was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He ...
, an American actor, on January 14, 1918, in Sydney,
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. That marriage too ended in divorce in 1925.
Worth died at age 67 in Los Angeles, California, on February 23, 1952. In death records from that time, she is identified as Lillian Alderson despite the fact that she had divorced Erville Alderson 27 years earlier.
["California, Death Index, 1940-1997", entry for Lillian Alderson.] Her gravesite is located at
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematorium, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries ...
in Los Angeles.
Selected filmography
* ''
The Shadow of Rosalie Byrnes'' (1920)
* ''
In Search of a Sinner'' (1920)
* ''
The Adventures of Tarzan'' (1921)
* ''Wise Husbands'' (1921)
* ''
The Lady from Longacre'' (1921)
* ''
The Foolish Age
''The Foolish Age'' is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Doris May, Hallam Cooley and Otis Harlan.Munden p.259
Plot
Cast
* Doris May as Margie Carr
* Hallam Cooley as Homer Dean Chadwick
* Otis Ha ...
'' (1921)
* ''
Rustlers' Ranch'' (1926)
* ''
On the Stroke of Twelve'' (1927)
* ''
Upstream'' (1927)
* ''
The Docks of New York'' (1928)
* ''
Stairs of Sand'' (1929)
* ''
The Fighting Sheriff'' (1931)
* ''
Other Men's Women'' (1931)
* ''
The White Angel'' (1936)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Worth, Lillian
1884 births
1952 deaths
American film actresses
American silent film actresses
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from Brooklyn