Leora Spellman
Encyclopedia
Leora Spellman was an American
vaudeville
performer and stage and film actor
.
Born Leora Theresa Spellmyer in Bonne Terre
, Missouri
she began singing on stage as a child and as a young lady began working in vaudeville where she met and married fellow performer Charles Middleton
. They then teamed up to create a vaudeville act billed as "Middleton and Spellmeyer."
Using the stage name
Laura Spellman, she worked primarily in live theatre as did her husband but in 1920 they made their silent film
debut together in "Wits vs. Wits." However, she continued working on stage and would appear in only two more films. Her husband eventually built a very successful career as a character actor
in film, notably as "Emperor Ming
" in the Flash Gordon
serial
s.
Although sixteen years his junior, Leora Spellman predeceased her husband by four years, passing away in 1945 in Los Angeles, California
. She is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
in Hollywood next to her husband. Although most published sources list the year of her birth as 1890, her gravestone indicates she was born in 1888.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performer and stage and film actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Born Leora Theresa Spellmyer in Bonne Terre
Bonne Terre, Missouri
Bonne Terre is a city in St. Francois County, Missouri, United States. The population was estimated in 2008 as 6,854. It was 4,039 at the 2000 census. The community was originally settled by the French in 1720 after lead ore was discovered...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
she began singing on stage as a child and as a young lady began working in vaudeville where she met and married fellow performer Charles Middleton
Charles B. Middleton
Charles B. Middleton was an American stage and film actor. During a film career that began at age 46 and lasted almost 30 years, Charles Middleton appeared in nearly two hundred films as well as numerous plays...
. They then teamed up to create a vaudeville act billed as "Middleton and Spellmeyer."
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:...
Laura Spellman, she worked primarily in live theatre as did her husband but in 1920 they made their 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...
debut together in "Wits vs. Wits." However, she continued working on stage and would appear in only two more films. Her husband eventually built a very successful career as a character actor
Character actor
A character actor is one who predominantly plays unusual or eccentric characters. The Oxford English Dictionary defines a character actor as "an actor who specializes in character parts", defining character part in turn as "an acting role displaying pronounced or unusual characteristics or...
in film, notably as "Emperor Ming
Ming the Merciless
Ming the Merciless is a fictional character who first appeared in the Flash Gordon comic strip in 1934. He has since been the main villain of the strip and its related movie serials, TV shows and film adaptation.- First appearance :...
" in the Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon (serial)
Flash Gordon is a 1936 science fiction film serial. Told in 13 installments, it was the first screen adventure for the comic-strip character Flash Gordon, and tells the story of his first visit to the planet Mongo and his encounter with the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. Buster Crabbe, Jean...
serial
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...
s.
Although sixteen years his junior, Leora Spellman predeceased her husband by four years, passing away in 1945 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...
. She is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
in Hollywood next to her husband. Although most published sources list the year of her birth as 1890, her gravestone indicates she was born in 1888.