Early life

Seymour was born to Albert V. and Florence Seymour in Brooklyn, New York where her father ran a prosperous ribbon manufacturing business.. Seymour's only sibling was her brother, Harry, who was born in 1916. By the time she was eighteen years of age, the family relocated to New Rochelle, New York where her father became so ill that he had no choice but to close his successful business. In an effort to preserve the Seymour Family Fortune, she secured work through the Thanhouser Film Company which was conveniently located in the town of New Rochelle. As a result of her work through that company, she obtained work through Pathé

Pathé

Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...

 in a Pearl White

Pearl White

Pearl Fay White was an American film actress, the so-called "Stunt Queen" of silent films, most notably in The Perils of Pauline.-Early life:...

 serial.

Career

In 1917 she began her film career in Mystery of the Double Cross opposite actress Mollie King. Soon Pathé offered her work at film studios in the West Coast

West Coast of the United States

West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

 and Seymour gladly accepted. She was soon doing work in the Toto the Clown film serials for the Robin Company and in time she was also doing comedic sketches with Al Christie Comedies. Soon, however, she no longer enjoyed her serial work and desperately wanted to branch out into meatier roels.

In 1918 she meet film director D.W. Griffith and soon took a screen test for him. Her first real one was in The Girl who stayed at Home (1919) and although the film may not have opened to rave reviews Seymour's performance did and in time interest began to grow in her. Soon she found herself doing a film entitled True Heart Susie (1919) opposite Lillian Gish

Lillian Gish

Lillian Diana Gish was an American stage, screen and television actress whose film acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912 to 1987....

 and Robert Harron

Robert Harron

Robert "Bobby" Harron was an American motion picture actor of the early silent film era. Although he acted in scores of films, he is possibly best remembered for his roles in the D.W. Griffith directed films Intolerance and The Birth of a Nation...

. After that she had another role in Starlet Days (1919) opposite Richard Barthelmess

Richard Barthelmess

Richard Semler "Dick" Barthelmess was an Oscar-nominated silent film star.-Early life:Barthelmess was educated at Hudson River Military Academy at Nyack and Trinity College at Hartford, Connecticut...

 and Carol Dempster

Carol Dempster

Carol Dempster was an American film actress of the silent film era.-Biography:Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Dempster got her start in films as a protégé of legendary film director D.W. Griffith alongside other Griffith actresses of the mid-1910s Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Mae Marsh...

 and the film was directed by Griffith, the man who discovered her.

Death

In 1920 Seymour cemented her fame in The Idol Dancer and the public was beginning to fall in love with her. Shortly after that film's release she signed a four year contract and went on to star in Way Down East

Way Down East

Way Down East is a silent film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is the best known of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play Way Down East by Lottie Blair Parker...

(1920). However, half way through production Seymour suddenly died unexpectedly from an intestinal ailment following an operation at Misericordia Hospital in New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

 at the age of 21. Lillian Gish took over her role and the film was a box office success.

Seymour was laid to rest in Greenwood Union Cemetery in Rye, New York in the section known as Hedgemont Acre. She is interred in an unmarked grave that is adjacent to the marked graves of Albert and Florence Seymour.

Sources

• 1900 United States Federal Census, Brooklyn, Ward 24, Kings, New York; Roll T623_1062; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 429.
• 1910 United States Federal Census, Brooklyn Ward 24, Kings, New York; Roll T624_975; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 655; Image: 655.
• 1920 United States Federal Census,New Rochelle Ward 3, Westchester, New York; Roll T625_1278; Page: 4B; Enumeration District: 131; Image: 328.

External links