Louise Carter (born Betty-Lee Carter; March 17, 1875 – November 10, 1957) was an American

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...

and film actress. She appeared in 48 films between 1924 and 1940, mostly in maternal supporting roles. Among her roles were the mother of

Paul Muni Paul Muni (born Frederich Meshilem Meier Weisenfreund; September 22, 1895 – August 25, 1967) was an American stage and film actor from Chicago. He started his acting career in the Yiddish theater and during the 1930s, he was considered one of ...

in ''

I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang ''I Am a Fugitive from a Chain Gang'' is a 1932 American pre-Code crime tragedy film directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Paul Muni as a convicted man on a chain gang who escapes to Chicago. It was released on November 10, 1932. The film r ...

'' (1932), the wife of

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) ...

in '' Broken Lullaby'' (1932) and the wife of

W. C. Fields William Claude Dukenfield (January 29, 1880 – December 25, 1946), better known as W. C. Fields, was an American actor, comedian, juggler and writer. His career in show business began in vaudeville, where he attained international success as a ...

in ''

You're Telling Me! ''You're Telling Me!'' is a 1934 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring W.C. Fields. It is a remake of the 1926 silent film ''So's Your Old Man'', also starring Fields. Both films are adapted from the short stor ...

'' (1934).

Early years

Carter was born Betty-Lee Carter on March 17, 1875, in

Denison, Iowa Denison is a city in Crawford County, Iowa, United States, along the Boyer River, and located in both Denison Township and East Boyer Township. The population was 8,373 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Crawford Count ...

. Her parents, Lawrence "Louis" J. Carter and Philomine Richards Carter, were French-Canadian. She had five younger siblings, and she was a graduate of Denison High School.

Career

By 1902, Carter had acted in Boston, New London, and New York City. She became the leading lady of the Gotham Stock Company in New York City in 1911. The company performed in Orpheum Company vaudeville houses owned by Percy G. Williams, who often had the cast of a play present it in one theater, then hurry to a second theater in the chain for another performance in the same evening. In 1928, Carter and her daughter Betty-Lee acted together in Skidding at the Bayes Theatre in New York City. Carter also wrote plays, including the one-act ''The Soldiers'', which was presented in Toronto by a stock touring company headed by Miss Percy Haswell. She went on to write at least six more plays. In 1931,

Thomas Nelson and Sons Thomas Nelson is a publishing firm that began in West Bow, Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1798, as the namesake of its founder. It is a subsidiary of HarperCollins, the publishing unit of News Corp. It describes itself as a "world leading publisher an ...

published ''Bible Jingle Rymes'', Carter's adaptation of Bible stories into "delightful children's verse".

Personal life

When Carter was 21, she married Frederick Seymour. They had two daughters (the second of whom was named Betty-Lee Carter, like her mother and became an actress) before they separated. By that time Carter was living in

Silver City, New Mexico Silver City is a town in Grant County, New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat and the home of Western New Mexico University. As of the 2010 census the population was 10,315. As of the 2020 census, the population was 9,704. History ...

, to which the rest of her family had moved. By 1915, the two had apparently divorced. She had married Cobrun Broun, and they were living in Toronto.

Partial filmography

* ''

The Truth About Women ''The Truth About Women'' is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Laurence Harvey, Julie Harris, Mai Zetterling and Diane Cilento. The film was not a commercial success. Plot When his son-in-law comes to him with a ...

'' (1924) - Bronson's Mother * '' Scandal Street'' (1925) - Cora Forman * ''

The Lost Chord "The Lost Chord" is a song composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1877 at the bedside of his brother Fred Sullivan, Fred during Fred's last illness. The manuscript is dated 13 January 1877; Fred Sullivan died five days later. The lyric was written as a ...

'' (1925) - Phyllis * '' The Substitute Wife'' (1925) - Evelyn Wentworth * '' In Borrowed Plumes'' (1926) - Clara Raymond * '' Striving for Fortune'' (1926) * '' Broken Lullaby'' (1932) - Frau Holderlin * '' Are You Listening?'' (1932) - Mrs. O'Neil (uncredited) * '' The Strange Case of Clara Deane'' (1932) - Couturiere (uncredited) * '' Week-End Marriage'' (1932) - Mrs. Davis * '' Stranger in Town'' (1932) - Mrs. Croaker (uncredited) * '' The Last Mile'' (1932) - Mrs. Walters * '' Blondie of the Follies'' (1932) - Ma Callahan * '' Two Against the World'' (1932) - Mrs. Polansky (scenes deleted) * '' Hell's Highway'' (1932) - Mrs. Ellis * '' Trouble in Paradise'' (1932) - Woman with Wrong Handbag (uncredited) * ''

'' (1932) - James Allen's Mother * '' Tess of the Storm Country'' (1932) - Mrs. Garfield (uncredited) * ''

Madame Butterfly ''Madama Butterfly'' (; ''Madame Butterfly'') is an opera in three acts (originally two) by Giacomo Puccini, with an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is based on the short story " Madame Butterfly" (1898) by John Lut ...

'' (1932) - Suzuki * ''

The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a Horror fiction, horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs. It first appeared in ''Harper's Monthly'' in September, 1902, and was reprinted in his third collection of short stories, ''The Lady of the Barge'', late ...

'' (1933) - Mrs. White * ''

Ladies They Talk About ''Ladies They Talk About'' is a 1933 pre-Code American crime drama directed by Howard Bretherton and William Keighley, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Preston Foster, and Lyle Talbot. The film is about an attractive woman who is a member of a ...

'' (1933) - Lefty's Landlady (uncredited) * ''

Jennie Gerhardt ''Jennie Gerhardt'' is a 1911 novel by Theodore Dreiser. Plot summary Jennie Gerhardt is a destitute young woman. While working in a hotel in Columbus, Ohio, Jennie meets George Brander, a United States Senator, who becomes infatuated with her ...

'' (1933) - Mrs. Gerhardt * ''

Pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

'' (1933) - Mrs. Rogers * '' This Day and Age'' (1933) - Grace Smith * '' Beauty for Sale'' (1933) - Mrs. Lawson * '' Doctor Bull'' (1933) - Mrs. Ely, New Winton's Gossip (uncredited) * ''

Footlight Parade ''Footlight Parade'' is a 1933 pre-Code American musical film directed by Lloyd Bacon, with songs written by Harry Warren (music), Al Dubin (lyrics), Sammy Fain (music) and Irving Kahal (lyrics). The film's numbers were staged and choreograp ...

'' (1933) - Old Maid in Elevator in 'Honeymoon Hotel' (uncredited) * '' The Right to Romance'' (1933) - First Face Lift Patient * '' East of Fifth Avenue'' (1933) - Mrs. Mary Lawton * '' Beloved'' (1934) - Mrs. Tarrant * ''

'' (1934) - Mrs. Bessie Bisbee * '' Ready for Love'' (1934) - Mrs. Sarah Thompson (uncredited) * '' Here Is My Heart'' (1934) - Charity Lady (uncredited) * ''

The Mystery of Edwin Drood ''The Mystery of Edwin Drood'' is the final novel by English author Charles Dickens, originally published in 1870. Though the novel is named after the character Edwin Drood, it focuses more on Drood's uncle, John Jasper, a precentor, choirm ...

'' (1935) - Mrs. Crisparkle (uncredited) * '' Straight from the Heart'' (1935) - Mother in Breadline * '' Party Wire'' (1935) - Grandma Kern (uncredited) * ''

Reckless Roads ''Reckless Roads'' is a 1935 American drama film directed by Burt P. Lynwood and starring Judith Allen, Regis Toomey and Lloyd Hughes.Palmer p.462 Plot Cast * Judith Allen as Edith Adams * Regis Toomey as Speed Demming * Lloyd Hughes as ...

'' (1935) - Mrs. Adams * '' Rose of the Rancho'' (1936) - Guadalupe * '' Paddy O'Day'' (1936) - Aunt Jane * '' The Bold Caballero'' (1936) - Indian woman (uncredited) * '' The Last Train from Madrid'' (1937) - Rosa Delgado (uncredited) * ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

'' (1937) - Flower Woman (uncredited) * '' Inside Story'' (1939) - Dora * '' Unmarried'' (1939) - Mrs. Charles * '' Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase'' (1939) - Miss Floretta Turnbull * ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

'' (1939) - Bandleader's Wife (uncredited) * ''

Brother Orchid ''Brother Orchid'' is a 1940 American crime/comedy film directed by Lloyd Bacon and starring Edward G. Robinson, Ann Sothern and Humphrey Bogart, with featured performances by Donald Crisp, Ralph Bellamy and Allen Jenkins. The screenplay was w ...

'' (1940) - Scrub Woman at End (uncredited) (final film role)

References

Bibliography

* Tag Gallagher. ''John Ford: The Man and His Films''. University of California Press, 1988.

External links

* *
Images
(New York City Public Library) {{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, Louise 1875 births 1957 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses