Lola Todd (May 14, 1904 – July 31, 1995) was an American

film actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

in the early years of

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 ...

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, w ...

era.

Biography

Todd was born in New York City in 1904, the daughter of Eugene Parker Todd and Minnie Todd. Before Todd became an actress, she was assistant designer for the

Ziegfeld Follies The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' were a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934, 1936, 1943, and 1957. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Foll ...

. She used those skills to design her costumes for her roles in films. She moved to Hollywood in the early 1920s to pursue film acting. She received her first role in the 1923 film ''

The Ghost City ''The Ghost City'' is a 1923 American silent Western film serial directed by Jay Marchant. It is considered to be a lost film. Plot As described in a film magazine, in Sunshine Valley, California, there is trouble aplenty brewing. Laughing L ...

'', followed by ''Rustlin' Buster'' that same year, opposite

Jack Mower Jack Mower (September 5, 1890 – January 6, 1965) was an American film actor. He appeared in more than 520 films between 1914 and 1965. He was born in Honolulu and died in Hollywood. After studying at Punahou College, in Honolulu, Mower moved ...

. In 1924 her career briefly took off, and she would star in nine films that year. In 1925 she would have roles in only three films, but would be one of thirteen girls selected to be "

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

", a list which included future Hollywood star

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

, as well as actress

June Marlowe June Marlowe (born Gisela Valaria Goetten, November 6, 1903 – March 10, 1984) was an American film actress who began her career during the silent film era. She was best known for her role as "Miss Crabtree" in the ''Our Gang'' short subj ...

. She would star in five films the following year, and four in 1927, but afterward her career would slow considerably. In 1928 and 1929 combined she would have roles in only three films, and with the advent of "talking films" her career ended promptly. Some of Todd's film work was in serials, including ''The Iron Man'' (1924), '' The Scarlet Streak'' (1926), and ''

The Return of the Riddle Rider ''The Return of the Riddle Rider'' is a 1927 American silent film, silent Western (genre), Western film serial directed by Robert F. Hill. It is a sequel to ''The Riddle Rider'' (1924) which also starred William Desmond (actor), William Desmond ...

'' (1927). When sound films began to replace silent films, Todd left acting and became a secretary. She later retired in

Los Angeles 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, ...

, where she resided until her death on July 31, 1995, aged 91.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (

1923 In Greece, this year contained only 352 days as 13 days was skipped to achieve the calendrical switch from Julian to Gregorian Calendar. It happened there that Wednesday, 15 February ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Thursday, 1 March ' ...

) * '' Dark Stairways'' (1924) * ''

The Iron Man Iron Man, Ironman or Ironmen may refer to: People * Nathaniel "Iron Man" Avery (1939–1985), American caddie for Arnold Palmer * Travis Fulton (1977–2021), American mixed martial arts fighter * Gunnar Graps (1951–2004), Estonian musician * ...

'' (

1924 Events January * January 12 – Gopinath Saha shoots Ernest Day, whom he has mistaken for Sir Charles Tegart, the police commissioner of Calcutta, and is arrested soon after. * January 20–January 30, 30 – Kuomintang in Ch ...

) * ''Captain John Smith and Pocahontas'' (1924) -

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

* '' The Scarlet Streak'' (

1925 Events January * January 1 – The Syrian Federation is officially dissolved, the State of Aleppo and the State of Damascus having been replaced by the State of Syria (1925–1930), State of Syria. * January 3 – Benito Mussolini m ...

) * ''

The Fighting Peacemaker ''The Fighting Peacemaker'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Clifford Smith and starring Jack Hoxie, Lola Todd, and Ted Oliver. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Peace Parker returns to Tarp City after serving a ...

'' (1926) * '' The Tough Guy'' (1926) * '' The Demon'' (1926) * '' The Bells'' (

1926 In Turkey, the year technically contained only 352 days. As Friday, December 18, 1926 ''(Julian Calendar)'' was followed by Saturday, January 1, 1927 '' (Gregorian Calendar)''. 13 days were dropped to make the switch. Turkey thus became the ...

) * ''

Remember Remember may refer to: Film and television Film * ''Remember'' (1926 film), an American silent drama film * ''Remember?'' (1939 film), an American romantic comedy * ''Remember'' (2015 film), a Canadian film by Atom Egoyan * ''Remember?'' (201 ...

'' (1926 film) * ''

'' (

1927 Events January * January 1 – The British Broadcasting ''Company'' becomes the BBC, British Broadcasting ''Corporation'', when its Royal Charter of incorporation takes effect. John Reith, 1st Baron Reith, John Reith becomes the first ...

) * '' The War Horse'' (1927) * ''

Red Clay Ultisol, commonly known as red clay soil, is one of twelve soil orders in the United States Department of Agriculture soil taxonomy. The word "Ultisol" is derived from "ultimate", because Ultisols were seen as the ultimate product of continuous ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Harvester ''The Harvester'' is a 1936 American comedy film directed by Joseph Santley and written by Homer Croy, Robert Lee Johnson, Elizabeth Meehan and Gertrude Orr. It is based on the 1911 novel ''The Harvester'' by Gene Stratton-Porter, which had pre ...

'' (1927) * ''

Wallflowers ''Erysimum'', or wallflower, is a genus of flowering plants in the cabbage family, Brassicaceae. It includes more than 150 species, both popular garden plants and many wild forms. ''Erysimum'' is characterised by star-shaped and/or two-sided) tr ...

'' (1928) * '' Taking a Chance'' (1928)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Todd, Lola American silent film actresses Actresses from New York City 1904 births 1995 deaths 20th-century American actresses Film serial actresses Western (genre) film actresses