Cleo Ridgely
Encyclopedia
Cleo Ridgely was a star of silent and sound motion pictures, whose career began early in the silent film era, in 1911. Her acting career continued for forty years. She retired in the 1930s but returned to make more movies. Her final film was Hollywood Story (1951), in which she had a bit part. She was a native of New York, New York.
in a girl detective series in the 1920s and co-starred in a number of films with Wallace Reid
and Lew Cody
. She was married to James W. Horne
, who directed the Laurel and Hardy
comedies for many years. Horne died in 1942. She was divorced from her first husband, Jaudon M. Ridgely, in the Los Angeles, California
courts in December 1916.
Cleo worked with Famous Players-Lasky
Film Company and also for Paramount Pictures
. She was selected queen of the Auburn exhibit at the downtown automobile show in Los Angeles, California
in October 1915. A publicity photo posed the actress with a 1916 Auburn Six. It was made by the Auburn Automobile
Company and appeared at the show.
in 1962. She died at home, aged 69. She was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park
.
Early Life
Cleo was born Freda Cleo Helwig in New York City. She was the daughter of August Helwig and Catherine Emily Sommerkamp. She had two sisters, Christina and Martha.A Star of the Silent Screen
Cleo starred with Ruth RolandRuth Roland
Ruth Roland was an American stage and film actress and film producer.-Early life and career:Born in San Francisco, California, her father managed a theatre and she became a child actress who went on to work in vaudeville...
in a girl detective series in the 1920s and co-starred in a number of films with Wallace Reid
Wallace Reid
Wallace Reid was an actor in silent film referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover".-Early life:Born William Wallace Reid in St...
and Lew Cody
Lew Cody
Lew Cody, birth name Louis Joseph Côté was an American actor whose career spanned the silent film and early sound film age....
. She was married to James W. Horne
James W. Horne
James Wesley Horne was an early American actor, screenwriter and film director. He began his career as an actor under director Sidney Olcott at Kalem Studios in 1913 and directed his first film for the company two years later....
, who directed the Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy
Laurel and Hardy were one of the most popular and critically acclaimed comedy double acts of the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema...
comedies for many years. Horne died in 1942. She was divorced from her first husband, Jaudon M. Ridgely, in the Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
courts in December 1916.
Cleo worked with Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company created on July 19, 1916 from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company -- originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays -- and Jesse L...
Film Company and also for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. She was selected queen of the Auburn exhibit at the downtown automobile show in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in October 1915. A publicity photo posed the actress with a 1916 Auburn Six. It was made by the Auburn Automobile
Auburn Automobile
Auburn was a brand name of American automobiles produced from 1900 through 1936.-Corporate history:The Auburn Automobile Company grew out of the Eckhart Carriage Company, founded in Auburn, Indiana, in 1875 by Charles Eckhart...
Company and appeared at the show.
Equestrian
Cleo was an accomplished horse woman and once rode across country on horseback with her first husband from New York. In one of her Lasky features she stopped a run-away four-in-hand, risking her life, while on top of a stage coach. Miss Ridgely died in Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
in 1962. She died at home, aged 69. She was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
.