May Collins (May 26, 1903 – May 6, 1955) was an American actress on stage and in

silent films 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 ...

, was the star in several of the first of the modern

romantic comedies Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Romantic comedy e ...

to reach the movie screen.

Biography

The daughter of Benjamin Collins and Lillie Smith, she spent most of her early life in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. At the age of four years she saw

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythical ...

on stage and it was said that after the play she ran out to the stage door to catch a glimpse of the main star,

Maude Adams Maude Ewing Adams Kiskadden (November 11, 1872 – July 17, 1953), known professionally as Maude Adams, was an American actress and stage designer who achieved her greatest success as the character Peter Pan, first playing the role in the 190 ...

. “I ran up to her calling ‘oh Peter Pan,’” said Collins in an interview, “…Miss Adams raised me up in her arms and gave me a kiss.”Los Angeles Times April 17, 1921
May Collins started out as a member of Mrs. August Belmont's dramatic society in New York City. While there she earned several prizes for acting. She was cast in the stage play "The Betrothal." Later she joined

William A. Brady William Aloysius Brady (June 19, 1863 – January 6, 1950) was an American theater actor, producer, and sports promoter. Biography Brady was born to a newspaperman in 1863. His father kidnapped him from San Francisco and brought him to New York ...

's forces, and played in

Owen Davis Owen Gould Davis (January 29, 1874 – October 14, 1956) was an American dramatist known for writing more than 200 plays and having most produced. In 1919, he became the first elected president of the Dramatists Guild of America. He received th ...

melodramas. "The sort you know," laughed Miss May Collins, "where you say: 'You're not the man I married! Get out of the room before I shoot! But gawd, how I love you!'" Collins also had a part in a play with

Grace George Grace George (December 25, 1879 – May 19, 1961) was a prominent American stage actress, who had a long career on Broadway stage and also appeared in two films. Biography George was born on December 25, 1879. She married producer William A. ...

in "She Would and She Did." She had top billing in several silent films, All’s Fair in Love and The Shark Master; in 1921; and '' Red Hot Romance'', and Little Eva Ascends in 1922. Collins' last role, on Broadway, was as Elizabeth Edwards in the original Abe Lincoln in Illinois in October 1939. The play won the 1939

Pulitzer Prize for Drama The Pulitzer Prize for Drama is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It is one of the original Pulitzers, for the program was inaugurated in 1917 with seven prizes, four of which were a ...

. Collins later reprised her role in the first TV adaptation of the play in 1945. She also spent two years in Australia starring in The Trial of Mary Dugan.

Personal life

Collins was briefly engaged to

Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is considered o ...

in 1921, but Chaplin broke it off and she ultimately married Edmund Thomas on August 8, 1930. She lost one of her two sons to

polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

in 1939. She continued to act on stage in Australia and New York City. She was also in the stage play " Kiss and Tell (play)," which included

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. ...

and

Joan Caulfield Beatrice Joan Caulfield (June 1, 1922 – June 18, 1991) was an American actress and model. After being discovered by Broadway producers, she began a stage career in 1943 that eventually led to signing as an actress with Paramount Pictures. Ear ...

. Collins worked "seriously" with the

March of Dimes March of Dimes is a United States nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies. The organization was founded by US President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, as the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, to co ...

."Bridgeport Sunday Herald May 17, 1953"

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, May 1903 births 1955 deaths American silent film actresses 20th-century American actresses