Pauline Curley
Encyclopedia
Pauline Curley was a vaudeville
and silent film
actress from Holyoke, Massachusetts
.
Her film career spanned much of the silent era, from 1912-1929. She married cinematographer
Kenneth Peach
in 1923, taking his last name as Pauline Curley Peach and remaining married until his death in 1988. They had two children, Kenneth Peach Jr. (29 June 1930 – 22 March 2006), and Martin Peach.
shows. In 1910 Rose brought Pauline to New York City
to find her work in the newly-established silent movie industry and on the stage, getting her bit parts in a variety of movies, as well as weekly stage performances in Uncle Tom's Cabin
and Little Lord Fauntleroy
for the Jack Packard Stock Company. In 1915 she appeared on stage in "Polygamy" at the Park Theatre in New York City. Her mother gave different ages for Pauline depending on the requirements of the role, leaving her confused about her actual age, which she only learned in 1998.
and Owen Moore
. For an audition for The Straight Road in 1914, Pauline was dressed as a boy to land a part as an orphan; a variety of such roles followed, "cornering the market in orphans and waifs".
In 1915 she played the ingenue
Claudia Frawley in Life Without Soul
, an adaptation of Mary Shelley
's Frankenstein
.
in Herbert Brenon's The Fall of the Romanovs
, her first Hollywood work and, according to Variety
, her best known.
In 1918 she was a leading lady in five films, including working opposite Douglas Fairbanks
as the leading lady
in King Vidor
's first full-length feature, The Turn in the Road
.
Curley supported Douglas Fairbanks
and Tully Marshall
in Bound in Morocco
(1918). This is a farcical tale of a young American's adventures in Morocco
. In 1920 she was featured in The Invisible Hand, a Vitagraph serial with Brinsley Shaw and Antonio Moreno
. It was directed by William J. Bauman. This was her first Western
, a genre that would henceforth dominate her work.
In 1926 Curley played with Helen Chadwick
, Jack Mulhall
, and Emmett King, in The Naked Truth. It was a film about parents who failed to tell their children about the mysteries of life at the appropriate time. It deals with the consequences.
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...
and 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...
actress from Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke, Massachusetts
Holyoke is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range of mountains. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a population of 39,880...
.
Her film career spanned much of the silent era, from 1912-1929. She married cinematographer
Cinematographer
A cinematographer is one photographing with a motion picture camera . The title is generally equivalent to director of photography , used to designate a chief over the camera and lighting crews working on a film, responsible for achieving artistic and technical decisions related to the image...
Kenneth Peach
Kenneth Peach
Kenneth D. Peach, Sr. was an American cinematographer.Kenneth D. Peach Sr. was born in El Reno, Indian Territory . Peach entered the film industry in 1923 and became a director of photography in 1926...
in 1923, taking his last name as Pauline Curley Peach and remaining married until his death in 1988. They had two children, Kenneth Peach Jr. (29 June 1930 – 22 March 2006), and Martin Peach.
Acting career
Pauline Curley's acting career spanned the period of 1903 through 1929, after which she retired from acting although she retained a connection to the movie business through her cinematographer husband.Early years
Pauline Curley's mother, Rose Curley, brought her into show business at the age of four, at first on stage in vaudevilleVaudeville
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...
shows. In 1910 Rose brought Pauline to 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 find her work in the newly-established silent movie industry and on the stage, getting her bit parts in a variety of movies, as well as weekly stage performances in Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War", according to Will Kaufman....
and Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy
Little Lord Fauntleroy is the first children's novel written by English playwright and author Frances Hodgson Burnett. It was originally published as a serial in the St. Nicholas Magazine between November 1885 and October 1886, then as a book by Scribner's in 1886...
for the Jack Packard Stock Company. In 1915 she appeared on stage in "Polygamy" at the Park Theatre in New York City. Her mother gave different ages for Pauline depending on the requirements of the role, leaving her confused about her actual age, which she only learned in 1998.
Entry into movies
Curley's first motion picture was Tangled Relations (1912). She played one of the children in a movie which starred Florence LawrenceFlorence Lawrence
Florence Lawrence was a Canadian inventor and silent film actress. She is often referred to as "The First Movie Star." When she was popular, she was known as "The Biograph Girl," "The Imp Girl," and "The Girl of a Thousand Faces." Lawrence appeared in more than 270 films for various motion...
and Owen Moore
Owen Moore
Owen Moore was an Irish-born actor in American films, appearing in more than 279 movies spanning from 1908 to 1937.-Life and career:...
. For an audition for The Straight Road in 1914, Pauline was dressed as a boy to land a part as an orphan; a variety of such roles followed, "cornering the market in orphans and waifs".
In 1915 she played the ingenue
Ingenue (stock character)
See also Disingenuous, which is not quite the antonym that it may seem!The ingénue is a stock character in literature, film, and a role type in the theatre; generally a girl or a young woman who is endearingly innocent and wholesome. Ingenue may also refer to a new young actress or one typecast in...
Claudia Frawley in Life Without Soul
Life Without Soul
Life Without Soul is a horror film, directed by Joseph W. Smiley and written by Jesse J. Goldburg. This film is an adaptation of Mary Shelley's Gothic novel Frankenstein. The film is about a doctor who creates a soulless man...
, an adaptation of Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley
Mary Shelley was a British novelist, short story writer, dramatist, essayist, biographer, and travel writer, best known for her Gothic novel Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus . She also edited and promoted the works of her husband, the Romantic poet and philosopher Percy Bysshe Shelley...
's Frankenstein
Frankenstein
Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
.
Move to Hollywood
Her mother took Pauline Curley to Hollywood in 1917 in search of more lucrative work. She soon landed the role of Princess Irina of RussiaPrincess Irina of Russia
Princess Irina Alexandrovna of Russia was the only daughter of Grand Duke Alexander Mikhailovich of Russia and Grand Duchess Xenia Alexandrovna of Russia...
in Herbert Brenon's The Fall of the Romanovs
The Fall of the Romanovs
The Fall of the Romanovs is a silent film directed by Herbert Brenon. It was released only seven months after the abdication of Tsar Nicholas II in February 1917. This film is also notable for starring, Rasputin's rival monk Iliodor, as himself. Costars Nance O'Neil and Alfred Hickman were married...
, her first Hollywood work and, according to Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
, her best known.
In 1918 she was a leading lady in five films, including working opposite Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
as the leading lady
Leading lady
Leading lady is an informal term for the actress who plays a secondary lead or supporting role, usually a love interest, to the leading actor in a film or play. It is not usually applied to the leading actress in the performance if her character is the protagonist.A leading lady can also be an...
in King Vidor
King Vidor
King Wallis Vidor was an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter whose career spanned nearly seven decades...
's first full-length feature, The Turn in the Road
The Turn in the Road
The Turn in the Road is a 1919 silent drama film directed by King Vidor.-Cast:* George Nichols - Hamilton Perry* Lloyd Hughes - Paul Perry* Winter Hall - Reverend Matthew Barker* Helen Jerome Eddy - Jane Barker* Pauline Curley - Evelyn Barker...
.
Curley supported Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
and Tully Marshall
Tully Marshall
William Phillips was an American character actor known as Tully Marshall, with nearly a quarter century of theatrical experience behind before he made his first film appearance in 1914.-Career:...
in Bound in Morocco
Bound in Morocco
Bound in Morocco is a silent film comedy/drama starring Douglas Fairbanks. Fairbanks produced the picture with Allan Dwan directing. Production was by Artcraft Pictures, an associated company of Famous Players-Lasky, and distributed by Paramount Pictures...
(1918). This is a farcical tale of a young American's adventures in Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
. In 1920 she was featured in The Invisible Hand, a Vitagraph serial with Brinsley Shaw and Antonio Moreno
Antonio Moreno
Antonio "Tony" Moreno was a notable Spanish-born American actor and film director of the silent film era and through the 1950s.- Biography :...
. It was directed by William J. Bauman. This was her first Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
, a genre that would henceforth dominate her work.
In 1926 Curley played with Helen Chadwick
Helen Chadwick
Helen Chadwick was a British conceptual artist.-Life and work:Chadwick studied at Croydon College of Art, The Faculty of Arts and Architecture Brighton Polytechnic and then at the Chelsea School of Art....
, Jack Mulhall
Jack Mulhall
Jack Mulhall, born John Joseph Francis Mulhall, was a film actor since the silent film era and appeared in over 430 films....
, and Emmett King, in The Naked Truth. It was a film about parents who failed to tell their children about the mysteries of life at the appropriate time. It deals with the consequences.
External links
- Pauline Curley at Find a GraveFind A GraveFind a Grave is a commercial website providing free access and input to an online database of cemetery records. It was founded in 1998 as a DBA and incorporated in 2000.-History:...