Edna Flugrath was the eldest of three sisters who found fame as silent film stars.

Early life

Born in Brooklyn, New York on December 29, 1893, she was the first born of Emil and Mary Dubois Flugrath. Her father, a printer by trade, was the son of Polish-German immigrants and had at one time been considered a talented amateur athlete. Edna’s mother was born in New York, the daughter of German immigrants. Some years later when their daughters were working on films, the Flugraths moved to the West Coast where they became popular on movie sets conversing with curious Hollywood tourists. Mary Flugrath died in Los Angeles in 1922 at the age of 55. Her husband passed away there twenty years later, a bit over a month past his 74th birthday.

Career

Edna began working on stage at a very early age appearing in vaudeville shows, legitimate theater and ballet. Before she had turned twenty Edna had tired of the road and decided to try her hand working in the fledgling film industry. She began as a stock player with The Edison Film Company and eventually was given starring roles in one or two reel productions that were common for that period. At some point during her time with Edison she became involved with director Harold Marvin Shaw and later followed him to England after her contract with Edison had expired. Edna achieved some success as a leading lady working with Shaw in England but left acting after they married in Johannesburg, South Africa while filming Die Voortrekkiers (1917). Three years later she attempted a comeback working on a few films for the London Film Company and Stoll Film Company before returning to America where she found it difficult to get work.

Later life

Eventually Edna gave up on acting and opened a beauty salon in Hollywood. Her husband later became secretary for the Motion Picture Directors’ Association. On January 30, 1926, while driving in Los Angeles, Harold Marvin Shaw was killed instantly in a head-on collision. He was 48 years old and a native of Tennessee. Coincidently, all three of the Flugrath sisters married motion picture directors, Shaw, Bernard Durning

Bernard Durning

Bernard Joseph Durning was an American silent film director and star who worked primarily withLon Chaney, Dustin Farnum, and Buck Jones. He was married to silent movie star Shirley Mason, whose sister, Viola Dana,...

 and John Collins, who all died prematurely. Sometime around 1930 Edna next married Halliburton (or Haliberton) Houghton, a broker from Dallas, Texas

Dallas, Texas

Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...

. In the years to follow Edna would become estranged from her sisters Leonnie (Shirley Mason) and Virginia (Viola Dana

Viola Dana

Viola Dana was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent movies.- Career :Born Virginia Flugrath, Dana was a child star, appearing on the stage at the age of three. She read Shakespeare and particularly identified with the teenage Juliet. She enjoyed a long run at the...

), a rift that would last until the end of her life.

Death

Edna Flugrath died in San Diego, California

San Diego, California

San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...

 on the sixth of April, 1966, some seven years after her husband’s passing. Her sisters did not immediately learn of her death until notified by a stranger (most likely a reporter).

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