Edna Wallace Hopper
Encyclopedia
Edna Wallace Hopper was an American actress on stage and in silent films.
to Waller Wallace and Josephine. She was probably born on January 17, 1872, but she refused to give her age and said no one could find out for sure because her birth records were destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
. Her father was head night usher at the California Theater. He and Josephine had two children.
When Edna was still young, Wally and Josephine took in a wealthy boarder, Alexander Dunsmuir (1853–1900), co-heir to the Dunsmuir coal and shipping fortune. Alex and Josephine fell in love, and Wally left with the children. Josephine was lonely for her children, and they made a cash settlement with Wally, so they could have Edna back.
Wally sued for divorce, but Alex had parents who disapproved of his new love and so their marriage had to wait.
Alex began to drink heavily. In spring 1886, he disappeared in San Francisco on a drinking binge. He went missing for ten days, and shortly after being found suffered from delirium tremens
.
After Alex's father died in 1889, Alex and his brother tried to buy their mother out, but she had been left in control. Finally it happened. Alex then bought the estate of Souther Farm, now known as Dunsmuir House, near San Leandro at a cost of $350,000 and deeded it to Josephine.
On their much-delayed wedding day, Alex made out a will leaving everything else to his brother James. They married December 21, 1899 at a hotel in San Pablo, California
and honeymooned in New York City
.
(1858–1935) on 28 June 1895. They appeared in several comic operas together, including John Philip Sousa
's El Capitan
, before they divorced in 1898. The couple presented a striking physical contrast on stage. DeWolf, at 6 ft 3 in, was exceptionally tall for the time, while Edna stood under five feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds. By the time of her mother's marriage to Alex, Edna was already a star on Broadway.
Edna met up with her mother, and new stepfather while they were in New York. Alex sick with alcohol withdrawal got worse every day and died on New Year's Day in a New York City hospital.
Josephine returned a widow, to her new San Leandro estate. She died of cancer there on June 22, 1901.
By this time Wallace Hopper had starred in her most famous role, Lady Holyrood in the popular London
importation Florodora
. Though not playing one of the renowned Florodora Sextettes, she shared in some of the wild adulation of male admirers who mobbed the backstage door after every performance.
Wallace Hopper remained active on stage over the next decade, including starring in George M. Cohan
's Fifty Miles from Boston in 1907. Edna married Wall Street
broker Albert O. Brown in 1908. Her professional activity lessened in the 1910s but resumed in a new direction in the 1920s. One of the earlier stage actors to have a facelift
, Wallace Hopper had the operation filmed and then made personal appearance tours over the next eight years showing the film and giving beauty tips.
She put her name on a line of products, noted for keeping her looking youthful - Edna Wallace Hopper Cosmetics: at the beginning a society by the advertising man Claude C Hopkins, then a part of American Home Products.
Wallace Hopper separated from her second husband and he died in the 1930s. She went on to become the only woman of the thirty-six member board of L. F. Rothschild & Co
. She traveled daily by subway to her office to handle investments until shortly before her death in New York City from complications of pneumonia on December 14, 1959, at the reported age of 94.
Early life
Born Edna Wallace in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
to Waller Wallace and Josephine. She was probably born on January 17, 1872, but she refused to give her age and said no one could find out for sure because her birth records were destroyed in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
. Her father was head night usher at the California Theater. He and Josephine had two children.
When Edna was still young, Wally and Josephine took in a wealthy boarder, Alexander Dunsmuir (1853–1900), co-heir to the Dunsmuir coal and shipping fortune. Alex and Josephine fell in love, and Wally left with the children. Josephine was lonely for her children, and they made a cash settlement with Wally, so they could have Edna back.
Wally sued for divorce, but Alex had parents who disapproved of his new love and so their marriage had to wait.
Alex began to drink heavily. In spring 1886, he disappeared in San Francisco on a drinking binge. He went missing for ten days, and shortly after being found suffered from delirium tremens
Delirium tremens
Delirium tremens is an acute episode of delirium that is usually caused by withdrawal from alcohol, first described in 1813...
.
After Alex's father died in 1889, Alex and his brother tried to buy their mother out, but she had been left in control. Finally it happened. Alex then bought the estate of Souther Farm, now known as Dunsmuir House, near San Leandro at a cost of $350,000 and deeded it to Josephine.
On their much-delayed wedding day, Alex made out a will leaving everything else to his brother James. They married December 21, 1899 at a hotel in San Pablo, California
San Pablo, California
San Pablo is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city of Richmond surrounds nearly the whole city. The population was 29,139 at the 2010 census. The current Mayor is Paul V. Morris, and the current Vice Mayor is Cecilia Valdez. Current Councilmembers include Arturo M....
and honeymooned 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...
.
To New York
Edna had gone to New York to train for the stage. While there, she had married DeWolf HopperDeWolf Hopper
William DeWolf Hopper was an American actor, singer, comedian, and theatrical producer. Although a star of the musical stage, he was best-known for performing the popular baseball poem Casey at the Bat. -Biography:...
(1858–1935) on 28 June 1895. They appeared in several comic operas together, including John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
's El Capitan
El Capitan (operetta)
El Capitan is an operetta in three acts by John Philip Sousa and has a libretto by Charles Klein . The piece was Sousa's first successful operetta and his most successful stage work....
, before they divorced in 1898. The couple presented a striking physical contrast on stage. DeWolf, at 6 ft 3 in, was exceptionally tall for the time, while Edna stood under five feet tall and weighed less than 100 pounds. By the time of her mother's marriage to Alex, Edna was already a star on Broadway.
Edna met up with her mother, and new stepfather while they were in New York. Alex sick with alcohol withdrawal got worse every day and died on New Year's Day in a New York City hospital.
Josephine returned a widow, to her new San Leandro estate. She died of cancer there on June 22, 1901.
By this time Wallace Hopper had starred in her most famous role, Lady Holyrood in the popular London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
importation Florodora
Florodora
Florodora is an Edwardian musical comedy and became one of the first successful Broadway musicals of the 20th century. The book was written by Jimmy Davis under the pseudonym Owen Hall, the music was by Leslie Stuart with additional songs by Paul Rubens, and the lyrics were by Edward Boyd-Jones...
. Though not playing one of the renowned Florodora Sextettes, she shared in some of the wild adulation of male admirers who mobbed the backstage door after every performance.
Wallace Hopper remained active on stage over the next decade, including starring in George M. Cohan
George M. Cohan
George Michael Cohan , known professionally as George M. Cohan, was a major American entertainer, playwright, composer, lyricist, actor, singer, dancer, and producer....
's Fifty Miles from Boston in 1907. Edna married Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
broker Albert O. Brown in 1908. Her professional activity lessened in the 1910s but resumed in a new direction in the 1920s. One of the earlier stage actors to have a facelift
Facelift
Facelift is the common name for rhytidectomy, a cosmetic surgery procedure.Facelift may also refer to:* Facelift , the revival of a product through cosmetic means such as changing its appearance...
, Wallace Hopper had the operation filmed and then made personal appearance tours over the next eight years showing the film and giving beauty tips.
Later years
"The June 8, 1953 issue of Life Magazine featured an article on Edna Wallace Hopper, who was a popular stage actress and singer during the turn of the 20th Century. In this article, Mrs. Hopper, in her 80's at the time of the article, performed the same role she began her acting career with in 1893. It was to be the final performance of the Empire Theater in New York City, which was scheduled for demolition."She put her name on a line of products, noted for keeping her looking youthful - Edna Wallace Hopper Cosmetics: at the beginning a society by the advertising man Claude C Hopkins, then a part of American Home Products.
Wallace Hopper separated from her second husband and he died in the 1930s. She went on to become the only woman of the thirty-six member board of L. F. Rothschild & Co
L.F. Rothschild
L.F. Rothschild was a merchant and investment banking firm based in the United States and founded in 1899. The firm collapsed following the 1987 stock market crash.-History:...
. She traveled daily by subway to her office to handle investments until shortly before her death in New York City from complications of pneumonia on December 14, 1959, at the reported age of 94.
Sources
- studiolarz.com
- Tale of Love and Hate in Old San Francisco, Millie Robbins; Chronicle Books, San Francisco. 1971
- Dunsmuir.org
External links
- Biographical bits and picture of Alex Dunsmuir
- Her picture
- Edna Wallace Hopper Youth Cream Face Powder box
- postcard of Edna Wallace Hopper 1872-1959
- Edna Wallace Hopper photo gallery at NY Public Library
