Ynez Seabury
Encyclopedia
Ynez Seabury was an American
actress of the stage, silent
and early sound film
era.
, she was a descendant of one of the first Spanish
families of California
. Her maternal great-grandfather was Mario Peralta, a founder of Oakland, California
. Ynez was in motion pictures by the age of four, having a role as Little Kathyin The Miser's Heart (1911). She remained on the screen until the late 1940s, appearing in twenty-six movies. Her final role was an uncredited one in Samson and Delilah (1949).
Ynez' mother, Charlotte, appeared in stage productions in Los Angeles, California
and in Hollywood films. Her father, Forest Seabury, was a character actor who once played in stock productions in the eastern United States. The comic actor Berton Churchill acted with Forest and later with Ynez when she made Allas the Deacon (1927), a comedy production of the Hollywood Playhouse. He once told Ynez about holding her as a baby of a year and a half. They watched her father act while standing in the wings. Miss Seabury began her stage career when she was but two years of age.
She trained under such masters as D.W. Griffith. Ynez participated in His Blossom Bride, a romantic drama of the stage. It was produced by Richard Walton Tully
and premiered at the Mason opera house in Los Angeles in March 1928. The scenery and lighting for the play showed an opening prologue in the Painted Desert
of Arizona and the Hopi
Indian reservation. Members of the Hopi tribe were adopted by Ynez, who portrayed the Indian heroine. She was revered by the Hopi because of her understanding of their lives and ambitions. Before serving as background actors in the production, twenty-nine tribesmen and their chief toured Los Angeles in Cadillacs and La Salles.
The theme of American Indians was also central to Red Clay (1924), a film which starred William Desmond and Albert J. Smith. The plot was constructed around an Indian's education and his subsequent social ostracism. In her role as the Indian maid Miss Seabury earned acclaim for the very fine emotional quality of her work.
, which featured Jack Benny
and Mary Livingstone
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress of the stage, silent
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...
and early sound film
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
era.
Film and Stage Actress
Born in OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, she was a descendant of one of the first Spanish
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
families of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. Her maternal great-grandfather was Mario Peralta, a founder of Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
. Ynez was in motion pictures by the age of four, having a role as Little Kathyin The Miser's Heart (1911). She remained on the screen until the late 1940s, appearing in twenty-six movies. Her final role was an uncredited one in Samson and Delilah (1949).
Ynez' mother, Charlotte, appeared in stage productions 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...
and in Hollywood films. Her father, Forest Seabury, was a character actor who once played in stock productions in the eastern United States. The comic actor Berton Churchill acted with Forest and later with Ynez when she made Allas the Deacon (1927), a comedy production of the Hollywood Playhouse. He once told Ynez about holding her as a baby of a year and a half. They watched her father act while standing in the wings. Miss Seabury began her stage career when she was but two years of age.
She trained under such masters as D.W. Griffith. Ynez participated in His Blossom Bride, a romantic drama of the stage. It was produced by Richard Walton Tully
Richard Walton Tully
Richard Walton Tully was an American playwright. His best known works were the 1912 play The Bird of Paradise which caused a long running court case over alleged plagiarism...
and premiered at the Mason opera house in Los Angeles in March 1928. The scenery and lighting for the play showed an opening prologue in the Painted Desert
Painted Desert
Painted Desert may refer to:In places:* Painted Desert, Arizona, an area of badlands in the southwestern United States* Painted Desert , a mountainous area in south-central Australia...
of Arizona and the Hopi
Hopi
The Hopi are a federally recognized tribe of indigenous Native American people, who primarily live on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The Hopi area according to the 2000 census has a population of 6,946 people. Their Hopi language is one of the 30 of the Uto-Aztecan language...
Indian reservation. Members of the Hopi tribe were adopted by Ynez, who portrayed the Indian heroine. She was revered by the Hopi because of her understanding of their lives and ambitions. Before serving as background actors in the production, twenty-nine tribesmen and their chief toured Los Angeles in Cadillacs and La Salles.
The theme of American Indians was also central to Red Clay (1924), a film which starred William Desmond and Albert J. Smith. The plot was constructed around an Indian's education and his subsequent social ostracism. In her role as the Indian maid Miss Seabury earned acclaim for the very fine emotional quality of her work.
Marriage
On November 3, 1928 Ynez wed broker Walter William Costello. The marriage culminated a romance of a year.Radio
In 1937 she was a member of the cast of the CBS Radio Theater dramatization of Brewster's MillionsBrewster's Millions
Brewster's Millions is a novel written by George Barr McCutcheon in 1902, originally under the pseudonym of Richard Greaves. It was adapted into a play in 1906, which opened at the New Amsterdam Theatre, and the novel or play has been made into a film nine times .-Plot introduction:The novel's...
, which featured Jack Benny
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
and Mary Livingstone
Mary Livingstone
Mary Livingstone , was an American radio comedienne and the wife and radio partner of comedy great Jack Benny . Enlisted almost entirely by accident to perform on her husband's popular program, she proved a talented comedienne...
.