Grace Cunard
Encyclopedia
Grace Cunard was an American actress, screenwriter
and film director
, who was also sister of actress Mina Cunard.
, by her late teens she was already acting on live theatre
and in silent film
s using the stage name
, Grace Cunard. Although not clearly documented, it appears Cunard made her motion picture debut in 1910 in an uncredited role in a D.W. Griffith production for Biograph Studios
.
In 1911, she had a significant secondary role in the Thomas H. Ince
western, Custer's Last Stand. After making a number of westerns, she went on to work with actor-director Francis Ford
at Universal Studios
in a variety of dramas and came to considerable fame starring in serials
. She starred in Universal Pictures
' first serial, Lucille Love, Girl of Mystery
(1914), and quickly became Universal's serial queen. The following year Cunard did a 20-episode adventure/mystery called The Broken Coin
, and in 1916, the very successful The Adventures of Peg o' the Ring
.
In an era when the fledgling film industry saw actors and other film studio personnel frequently pitch in to do multiple tasks, Cunard was no exception, and wrote close to one hundred screenplays. As well, between 1914 and 1921, she directed 11 films and produced two others. With age, her career shifted to leads in B-movie
s and secondary roles or bit parts in others. Nonetheless, she worked regularly until the mid-1940s, mostly at her home studio, Universal. Two of her more visible roles are in the 1942 serial Gang Busters
(a small role, but important enough to serial audiences for her name to appear prominently in the ads and posters) and the 1945 Gloria Jean
-Kirby Grant
musical Easy to Look At (in which she plays a Broadway seamstress). When Universal changed hands in 1946 and discontinued its program of serials and low-budget features, Cunard retired, at the age of 53.
Jack Tyler Shannon, with whom she remained for the rest of her life.
Grace Cunard Shannon died of cancer
in 1967 in Woodland Hills, California. Her husband died in December of the following year and they are interred together in the Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery
in Chatsworth, California.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, who was also sister of actress Mina Cunard.
Career
Born Harriet Mildred Jeffries in Columbus, OhioColumbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, by her late teens she was already acting on live theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and in 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...
s using the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
, Grace Cunard. Although not clearly documented, it appears Cunard made her motion picture debut in 1910 in an uncredited role in a D.W. Griffith production for Biograph Studios
Biograph Studios
Biograph Studios was a studio facility and film laboratory complex built in 1912 by the Biograph Company, formerly American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, at 807 E. 175th Street, in the Bronx, New York....
.
In 1911, she had a significant secondary role in the Thomas H. Ince
Thomas H. Ince
Thomas Harper Ince was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer of more than 100 films and pioneering studio mogul. Known as the "Father of the Western", he invented many mechanisms of professional movie production, introducing early Hollywood to the "assembly line"...
western, Custer's Last Stand. After making a number of westerns, she went on to work with actor-director Francis Ford
Francis Ford (actor)
Francis Ford was a prolific film actor, writer, and director. He was the older brother of film director John Ford. He also appeared in many of John Ford's movies, including Young Mr. Lincoln and The Quiet Man.He starred in the 1912 two-reeler The Deserter by Thomas H. Ince and acted in over 400...
at Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
in a variety of dramas and came to considerable fame starring in serials
Serial (film)
Serials, more specifically known as Movie serials, Film serials or Chapter plays, were short subjects originally shown in theaters in conjunction with a feature film. They were related to pulp magazine serialized fiction...
. She starred in Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
' first serial, Lucille Love, Girl of Mystery
Lucille Love, Girl of Mystery
Lucille Love, Girl of Mystery is a 1914 action film serial directed by Francis Ford. It was the first serial by Universal. It was originally intended to be a short subject...
(1914), and quickly became Universal's serial queen. The following year Cunard did a 20-episode adventure/mystery called The Broken Coin
The Broken Coin
The Broken Coin is a 1915 adventure-mystery film serial directed by Francis Ford. This serial is presumed to be lost.-Cast:* Grace Cunard - Kitty Gray* Francis Ford - Count Frederick* Eddie Polo - Roleau* Harry Schumm - King Michael II...
, and in 1916, the very successful The Adventures of Peg o' the Ring
The Adventures of Peg o' the Ring
The Adventures of Peg o' the Ring is a 1916 drama film serial directed by Francis Ford and Jacques Jaccard. It is now considered to be lost.-Cast:* Grace Cunard - Peg* Francis Ford - Dr. Lund, Junior* Mark Fenton - Dr. Lund, Senior...
.
In an era when the fledgling film industry saw actors and other film studio personnel frequently pitch in to do multiple tasks, Cunard was no exception, and wrote close to one hundred screenplays. As well, between 1914 and 1921, she directed 11 films and produced two others. With age, her career shifted to leads in B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s and secondary roles or bit parts in others. Nonetheless, she worked regularly until the mid-1940s, mostly at her home studio, Universal. Two of her more visible roles are in the 1942 serial Gang Busters
Gang Busters
Gang Busters was an American dramatic radio program heralded as "the only national program that brings you authentic police case histories." It premiered as G-Men, sponsored by Chevrolet, on July 20, 1935.-History:...
(a small role, but important enough to serial audiences for her name to appear prominently in the ads and posters) and the 1945 Gloria Jean
Gloria Jean
Gloria Jean is an American singer and actress who starred or co-starred in 26 feature films between 1939 and 1959. She also made radio, television, stage, and nightclub appearances.-Career:...
-Kirby Grant
Kirby Grant
Kirby Grant, , was a long-time B movie and television actor. He is mostly remembered for playing the title role in the television series Sky King....
musical Easy to Look At (in which she plays a Broadway seamstress). When Universal changed hands in 1946 and discontinued its program of serials and low-budget features, Cunard retired, at the age of 53.
Personal life
Cunard was married twice. The first time was to actor Joe Moore; following their divorce in 1925, she married film stuntmanStunt double
A stunt double is a type of body double, specifically a skilled replacement used for dangerous film or video sequences, in movies and television , and for other sophisticated stunts...
Jack Tyler Shannon, with whom she remained for the rest of her life.
Grace Cunard Shannon died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in 1967 in Woodland Hills, California. Her husband died in December of the following year and they are interred together in the Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery
Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery
The Oakwood Memorial Park Cemetery is located at 22601 Lassen Street, Chatsworth, Los Angeles, California. It has been used as a cemetery since 1924, and there was a Native American graveyard next to the cemetery before a fire destroyed the old wooden crosses that marked the site. The Old...
in Chatsworth, California.