Elsie Ferguson
Encyclopedia
Elsie Louise Ferguson was an American stage and film actress.
, Elsie Ferguson was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Benson Ferguson, a successful attorney. Raised and educated in Manhattan
, she became interested in the theater at a young age and made her stage debut at seventeen as a chorus girl in a musical comedy. She quickly became known as one of the most beautiful women to ever set foot on the American stage. For almost two years from 1903-05 she was a cast member in The Girl from Kays
which despite its title starred Sam Bernard
. In 1908 she was leading lady to Edgar Selwyn in Pierre of the Plains. By 1909, after several years apprenticeship under several producers including Charles Frohman
, Klaw & Erlanger, Charles Dillingham and Henry B. Harris, she was a major Broadway
star, starring in Such A Little Queen. In 1910, she spent time on the stage in London
. Actresses Evelyn Nesbit
and Ethel Barrymore
were friends of hers.
During World War I
, a number of Broadway stars organized a campaign to sell Liberty Bonds
from the theatre stage prior to the performance as well as at highly publicized appearances at places such as the New York Public Library
. Ferguson, noted for her great beauty and as one of the "Park Avenue aristocrats," on one occasion is reputed to have sold $85,000.00 worth of bonds in less than an hour.
director, Maurice Tourneur
, proposed she appear in the lead role as a sophisticated patrician in his 1917 silent film
, Barbary Sheep. She also may have consented to films because she no longer had the protection of her beloved Broadway employers Henry B. Harris
, who died on the Titanic and Charles Frohman
, who perished on the Lusitania
in May 1915. Producer and director Adolph Zukor
then signed her to an eighteen film, 3 year, $5,000.00 per week contract.
Following this first film, Ferguson was highly billed in promotional campaigns, and starred in two more films directed by Tourneur under a lucrative contract from Paramount Pictures
that paid her $1,000 per day of filming in addition to her weekly contract income. Her only surviving silent film is The Witness for the Defense
(1919) co-starring Warner Oland
and performed as a play in 1911 by her friend Ethel Barrymore
.
Continuing to play roles of elegant society women, Ferguson was quickly dubbed "The Aristocrat of the Silent Screen", but the aristocratic label was also because she was known as a difficult and sometimes arrogant personality with whom to work. Many of the films she agreed to do were because they were adaptations of stage plays with which she was familiar.
Elsie Ferguson eventually followed the move west and bought a home in the hills of Hollywood, California. In 1920, she traveled to the Middle East
and Europe
. She fell in love with Paris
and the French Riviera
and within a few years bought a permanent home there.
In 1921, she accepted another contract offer from Paramount Pictures to star in four films to be spread over a two-year period. One of these was the 1921 film entitled Forever in which she starred opposite the leading heartthrob of the day, Wallace Reid
.
. Although her voice came across well enough, at age 47, she was well past her prime for fans who wanted to see her as the great youthful beauty she had once been.
Despite her wealth and fame and glamorous lifestyle, Elsie Ferguson's personal life had more than its share of turmoil. Well known behind the scenes as difficult to work with, temperamental, and argumentative, she married four times. Following her final marriage at age 51, she and her husband acquired a farm in Connecticut
and divided their time between it and her Cap d'Antibes
home on the Mediterranean Sea
in the south of France.
Ferguson made her final appearance on Broadway in 1943, at the age of 60, that met with critical acclaim. She played in Outrageous Fortune, a play written by her neighbor Rose Franken
. The play closed eight weeks after it opened. Critics hailed Ferguson's performance as "glowing" and
having "the charm and winning manner of old."
Elsie Ferguson died in Lawrence Memorial Hospital in New London, Connecticut
in 1961. She lived on an estate called White Gate Farms. She was interred in the Duck River Cemetery
in Old Lyme, Connecticut
. A very wealthy woman with no heirs and a lover of animals, on her passing in 1961, she left a large part of her considerable estate to a variety of charities including several for animal welfare.
Early life
Born in New York CityNew 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...
, Elsie Ferguson was the only child of Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Benson Ferguson, a successful attorney. Raised and educated in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, she became interested in the theater at a young age and made her stage debut at seventeen as a chorus girl in a musical comedy. She quickly became known as one of the most beautiful women to ever set foot on the American stage. For almost two years from 1903-05 she was a cast member in The Girl from Kays
The Girl from Kays
The Girl from Kays is an English musical comedy with music by Ivan Caryll, Paul Rubens, Wilhelm Meyer Lutz and Edward Jones, book by Cecil Cook and lyrics by Adrian Ross and Claude Aveling...
which despite its title starred Sam Bernard
Sam Bernard
Sam Bernard was a renowned stage, film and vaudeville star. He also performed comic opera and burlesque....
. In 1908 she was leading lady to Edgar Selwyn in Pierre of the Plains. By 1909, after several years apprenticeship under several producers including Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman was an American theatrical producer. Frohman was producing plays by 1889 and acquired his first Broadway theatre by 1892. He discovered and promoted many stars of the American theatre....
, Klaw & Erlanger, Charles Dillingham and Henry B. Harris, she was a major Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
star, starring in Such A Little Queen. In 1910, she spent time on the stage in 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...
. Actresses Evelyn Nesbit
Evelyn Nesbit
Evelyn Nesbit was an American artists' model and chorus girl, noted for her entanglement in the murder of her ex-lover, architect Stanford White, by her first husband, Harry Kendall Thaw.-Early life:...
and Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
were friends of hers.
During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, a number of Broadway stars organized a campaign to sell Liberty Bonds
War bond
War bonds are debt securities issued by a government for the purpose of financing military operations during times of war. War bonds generate capital for the government and make civilians feel involved in their national militaries...
from the theatre stage prior to the performance as well as at highly publicized appearances at places such as the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
The New York Public Library is the largest public library in North America and is one of the United States' most significant research libraries...
. Ferguson, noted for her great beauty and as one of the "Park Avenue aristocrats," on one occasion is reputed to have sold $85,000.00 worth of bonds in less than an hour.
Stardom
At the peak of her popularity, several film studios offered her a contract but she declined them all until widely respected New York-based FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
director, Maurice Tourneur
Maurice Tourneur
Maurice Tourneur was an important international film director and screenwriter.-Life:Born Maurice Thomas in the Belleville district of Paris, France, his father was a jeweler. As a young man, Maurice Thomas first trained as a graphic designer and a magazine illustrator but was soon drawn to the...
, proposed she appear in the lead role as a sophisticated patrician in his 1917 silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
, Barbary Sheep. She also may have consented to films because she no longer had the protection of her beloved Broadway employers Henry B. Harris
Henry B. Harris
Henry B. Harris ; Henry Birkhardt Harris, born in St. Louis, was a Broadway producer and theatre owner who died in the sinking of the...
, who died on the Titanic and Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman
Charles Frohman was an American theatrical producer. Frohman was producing plays by 1889 and acquired his first Broadway theatre by 1892. He discovered and promoted many stars of the American theatre....
, who perished on the Lusitania
RMS Lusitania
RMS Lusitania was a British ocean liner designed by Leonard Peskett and built by John Brown and Company of Clydebank, Scotland. The ship entered passenger service with the Cunard Line on 26 August 1907 and continued on the line's heavily-traveled passenger service between Liverpool, England and New...
in May 1915. Producer and director Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor , born Adolph Cukor, was a film mogul and founder of Paramount Pictures.-Early life:...
then signed her to an eighteen film, 3 year, $5,000.00 per week contract.
Following this first film, Ferguson was highly billed in promotional campaigns, and starred in two more films directed by Tourneur under a lucrative contract from 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...
that paid her $1,000 per day of filming in addition to her weekly contract income. Her only surviving silent film is The Witness for the Defense
The Witness for the Defense (1919 film)
The Witness for the Defense is a silent drama directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson, Warner Oland, and Wyndham Standing.-Production background:The film is based on a novel by A. E. W. Mason...
(1919) co-starring Warner Oland
Warner Oland
Warner Oland was a Swedish American actor most remembered for his screen role as the detective Charlie Chan.-Biography:He was born Johan Verner Ölund in the village of Nyby, Bjurholm Municipality,...
and performed as a play in 1911 by her friend Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore
Ethel Barrymore was an American actress and a member of the Barrymore family of actors.-Early life:Ethel Barrymore was born Ethel Mae Blythe in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the second child of the actors Maurice Barrymore and Georgiana Drew...
.
Continuing to play roles of elegant society women, Ferguson was quickly dubbed "The Aristocrat of the Silent Screen", but the aristocratic label was also because she was known as a difficult and sometimes arrogant personality with whom to work. Many of the films she agreed to do were because they were adaptations of stage plays with which she was familiar.
Elsie Ferguson eventually followed the move west and bought a home in the hills of Hollywood, California. In 1920, she traveled to the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. She fell in love with Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and the French Riviera
French Riviera
The Côte d'Azur, pronounced , often known in English as the French Riviera , is the Mediterranean coastline of the southeast corner of France, also including the sovereign state of Monaco...
and within a few years bought a permanent home there.
In 1921, she accepted another contract offer from Paramount Pictures to star in four films to be spread over a two-year period. One of these was the 1921 film entitled Forever in which she starred opposite the leading heartthrob of the day, 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...
.
"Talkies" and retirement
In 1925, she made only one film before returning to the Broadway stage. In 1930 she made her first talkie that would also be her final film, titled Scarlett Pages, which is now preserved in the Library of CongressLibrary of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
. Although her voice came across well enough, at age 47, she was well past her prime for fans who wanted to see her as the great youthful beauty she had once been.
Despite her wealth and fame and glamorous lifestyle, Elsie Ferguson's personal life had more than its share of turmoil. Well known behind the scenes as difficult to work with, temperamental, and argumentative, she married four times. Following her final marriage at age 51, she and her husband acquired a farm in Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
and divided their time between it and her Cap d'Antibes
Antibes
Antibes is a resort town in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.It lies on the Mediterranean in the Côte d'Azur, located between Cannes and Nice. The town of Juan-les-Pins is within the commune of Antibes...
home on the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
in the south of France.
Ferguson made her final appearance on Broadway in 1943, at the age of 60, that met with critical acclaim. She played in Outrageous Fortune, a play written by her neighbor Rose Franken
Rose Franken
Rose Dorothy Lewin Franken , author and playwright, was born on December 28, 1895, in Gainesville, Texas, the youngest child of Michael and Hannah Lewin. In 1914 she married Sigmund W.A. Franken, an oral surgeon who died in 1932. They had three children. In 1937 she married writer William Brown...
. The play closed eight weeks after it opened. Critics hailed Ferguson's performance as "glowing" and
having "the charm and winning manner of old."
Elsie Ferguson died in Lawrence Memorial Hospital in New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
in 1961. She lived on an estate called White Gate Farms. She was interred in the Duck River Cemetery
Duck River Cemetery
The Old Lyme Cemetery, also known as the Duck River Cemetery is the town burying ground of Old Lyme, Connecticut. The oldest surviving grave marker dates from 1676. A tidal stream known as the Duck River and a salt marsh bisect the burying ground....
in Old Lyme, Connecticut
Old Lyme, Connecticut
Old Lyme is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Main Street of the town is a historic district. The town has long been a popular summer resort and artists' colony...
. A very wealthy woman with no heirs and a lover of animals, on her passing in 1961, she left a large part of her considerable estate to a variety of charities including several for animal welfare.
Filmography
- Barbary Sheep(1917)
- The Rise of Jennie CushingThe Rise of Jennie CushingThe Rise of Jennie Cushing is a 1917 silent film directed by Maurice Tourneur, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures. The story is from a novel, , by Mary Watts and stars Broadway's Elsie Ferguson. The film marked Ferguson's second...
(1917) - Rose of the WorldRose of the World (1918 film)Rose of the World is a 1918 silent film drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures. It is based on the novels of Agnes and Egerton Castle. The film was directed by Maurice Tourneur and stars Elsie Ferguson...
(1918) - The Song of SongsThe Song of Songs (1918 film)The Song of Songs is a 1918 silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount. It is based on a stage play version by Edward Sheldon of a novel by Hermann Sudermann, Das Hohelied. This picture was directed by Joseph Kaufman and stars...
(1918) - The LieThe Lie (1918 film)The Lie is a 1918 silent film drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount. J. Searle Dawley directed and stage star Elsie Ferguson starred in a story based on a 1914 play by Henry Arthur Jones and starring Margaret Illington. The film is...
(1918) - A Doll's HouseA Doll's House (1918 film)A Doll's House is a 1918 silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Artcraft Pictures, an affiliate of Paramount Pictures. It is the third American motion picture filming of Henrik Ibsen's novel Et Dukkehjem. Maurice Tourneur directed and Elsie Ferguson starred. This film is...
(1918) - The Danger Mark(1918)
- Heart of the Wilds(1918)
- The Spirit That Wins(1918)(*short; for war effort)
- Under the Greenwood TreeUnder the Greenwood Tree (1918 film)Under the Greenwood Tree is a 1918 silent film feature directed by Emile Chautard and starring Elsie Ferguson. The movie was based on a play by Henry V. Esmond. An unrelated British film with this title based on a Thomas Hardy story was made in 1929. Film possibly has a scene where Ferguson swims...
(1918) - His Parisian Wife(1919)
- The Marriage PriceThe Marriage PriceThe Marriage Price is a 1919 silent film romantic drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures and Artcraft. Emile Chautard directed and Elsie Ferguson stars...
(1919) - Eyes of the SoulEyes of the SoulEyes of the Soul is a 1919 silent film romantic drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Paramount Pictures and Artcraft. The star of the picture is Elsie Ferguson and director is Emile Chautard.-Cast:*Elsie Ferguson - Gloria Swann...
(1919) - The AvalancheThe Avalanche (1919 film)The Avalanche is a 1919 American silent film directed by George Fitzmaurice who also served as the film's art director. William Scully was the assistant director to Fitzmaurice. The film stars Elsie Ferguson and Warner Oland. It is the first film that teamed director Fitzmaurice and star Ferguson....
(1919) - A Society ExileA Society Exile (1919 film)A Society Exile is a 1919 silent film drama directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson, Julia Dean and William Carleton. The assistant director to Fitzmaurice was William Scully. The film marks the second screen appearance of the actor Henry Stephenson. It is now a lost film...
(1919) - The Witness for the DefenseThe Witness for the Defense (1919 film)The Witness for the Defense is a silent drama directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson, Warner Oland, and Wyndham Standing.-Production background:The film is based on a novel by A. E. W. Mason...
(1919) - CounterfeitCounterfeit (1919 film)Counterfeit is a 1919 silent film detective/ drama directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Elsie Ferguson. The assistant director was C. Van Arsdale. The picture was the fourth film Fitzmaurice and Ferguson worked on and is now a lost film.-Cast:...
(1919) - His House in OrderHis House in Order (1920 film)His House in Order is a 1920 silent film drama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was directed by Hugh Ford and starred Elsie Ferguson. It is based on a 1906 Broadway play by Sir Arthur Wing Pinero which starred John Drew and Margaret Illington. The story was...
(1920) - Lady Rose's DaughterLady Rose's DaughterLady Rose's Daughter is a 1920 silent film drama starring Elsie Ferguson and David Powell with directing being from Hugh Ford. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released through Paramount Pictures. The film was based on a stage play performed in 1903 on Broadway. Both the film and the...
(1920) - Sacred and Profane LoveSacred and Profane Love (1921 film)Sacred and Profane Love is a 1921 silent film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. This film was directed by William Desmond Taylor and starred Elsie Ferguson with Conrad Nagel. It is based on a book The Book of Carlotta by Arnold Bennett and was turned into a...
(1921) - FootlightsFootlights (1921 film)Footlights is a 1921 silent film romantic drama directed by John S. Robertson. It stars Elsie Ferguson and Reginald Denny in the lead characters. The film marked the only time star Ferguson and director Robertson worked together on a picture...
(1921) - Forever(1921)
- OutcastOutcast (1922 film)Outcast is a 1922 silent film drama directed by Chester Withey. The film starred Elsie Ferguson and David Powell. William Powell has a small supporting part in this which was his third film. The movie is based on the play of the same name by Hubert Henry Davies and had been performed on Broadway...
(1922) - The Unknown Lover(1925)
- Scarlet PagesScarlet PagesScarlet Pages is a 1930 drama film starring Elsie Ferguson and directed by Ray Enright. It was produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. The film simultaneously marked the first time Ferguson talked on screen and the last picture she ever made. It is actually based on a 1929 Broadway play of the...
(1930)
External links
- Elsie Ferguson at IBDB
- Elsie Ferguson photographic gallery NYP Library
- Elsie Ferguson at Corbis
- Elsie Ferguson in scenes from many of her lost films and stage scene with husband Frederick Worlock(Univ of Washington Sayre collection)
- Elsie Ferguson and Nance O'Neil in the 1927 play The House of Women
- Elsie Ferguson; PeriodPaper.com c.1910
- passport photo 1921
- silent film lantern slide coming attraction announcing star 'Elsie Ferguson' to the audience
