Louise Dresser (October 5, 1878 – April 24, 1965) was an American actress.
Born
Louise Josephine Kerlin in
Evansville, IndianaEvansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 121,582, and a metropolitan population of 342,815...
, her first film was in 1922 in
The Glory of Clementina, and her first starring role was in 1924's
The City that Never SleepsThe City That Never Sleeps is a nickname for New York City. It may also refer to:*The City That Never Sleeps , a 1924 drama*City That Never Sleeps, a 1953 film noir*Cairo in Egypt....
.
She took her professional last name as a tribute to her good friend, songwriter
Paul DresserJohann Paul Dresser, Jr. was an important American songwriter of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As a child and adolescent he had a number of run-ins with the law and spent several months in jail before joining a band of traveling minstrels...
. Dresser, the elder brother of novelist
Theodore DreiserTheodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist. He pioneered the naturalist school and is known for portraying characters whose value lies not in their moral code, but in their persistence against all obstacles, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of...
, was a popular songwriter of the turn of the 20th century.
Louise Dresser (October 5, 1878 – April 24, 1965) was an American actress.
Born
Louise Josephine Kerlin in
Evansville, IndianaEvansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 121,582, and a metropolitan population of 342,815...
, her first film was in 1922 in
The Glory of Clementina, and her first starring role was in 1924's
The City that Never SleepsThe City That Never Sleeps is a nickname for New York City. It may also refer to:*The City That Never Sleeps , a 1924 drama*City That Never Sleeps, a 1953 film noir*Cairo in Egypt....
.
She took her professional last name as a tribute to her good friend, songwriter
Paul DresserJohann Paul Dresser, Jr. was an important American songwriter of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As a child and adolescent he had a number of run-ins with the law and spent several months in jail before joining a band of traveling minstrels...
. Dresser, the elder brother of novelist
Theodore DreiserTheodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist. He pioneered the naturalist school and is known for portraying characters whose value lies not in their moral code, but in their persistence against all obstacles, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of...
, was a popular songwriter of the turn of the 20th century. During the first presentations of the
Academy AwardsThe Academy Awards, popularly known as the Oscars, are presented annually by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers. The formal ceremony at which the awards are presented is...
in 1929 she was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best ActressPerformance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
for
A Ship Comes InA Ship Comes In is a 1928 silent film which tells the story of immigrants coming to the United States. It stars Rudolph Schildkraut, Louise Dresser, Milton Holmes, Linda Landi, and Fritz Feld....
.
She was married twice. Her first marriage was to Jack Gardner, who died in 1951. She was later married for a time to singer/songwriter
Jack NorworthJack Norworth was a U.S. songwriter, singer and vaudeville performer.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Norworth is credited as co-writer of a number of Tin Pan Alley hits. He wrote the lyrics of the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in 1908, his most long lasting hit...
, but that relationship ended in divorce.
She also played Empress Elizabeth in The Scarlett Empress done by Paramount Pictures in 1934. Dresser's last movie was in 1937, when she made
Maid of SalemMaid of Salem is a 1937 film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Frank Lloyd, and starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray.-Plot:It tells the story of a young girl in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692, who has an affair with adventurer...
. On television she appeared on an episode of Ralph Edward's program
This is Your Life. She appeared on the episode spotlighting
Buster KeatonJoseph Frank "Buster" Keaton VI was an American comic actor and filmmaker. Best known for his silent films, his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the seventh greatest director of all...
whom she had known since he was a small boy with his parents in vaudeville.
She died after surgery for an intestinal ailment in Woodland Hills, California, and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in
Glendale, CaliforniaGlendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies at the eastern end of the San Fernando Valley, is bisected by the Verdugo Mountains, and is a suburb in the Greater Los Angeles Area...
. A beautiful well rounded blond, Dresser bore no children in either of her marriages.
External links