Helen Gilmore
Helen Gilmore | |
---|---|
Born | Antoinette Field 04 January 1862 |
Died | 16 November 1936 |
Nationality | American |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1894–1932 |
Spouse | Joseph B. Zahner (m. 1894; died 1900) |
Helen Gilmore (born Antoinette A. Field, c. 1872 – April 1936) was an American actress of the stage and silent motion pictures from Louisville, Kentucky. She appeared in over 140 films between 1913 and 1932.
Early life and career
In approximately 1872, Gilmore was born to Richard Field and Mary Cilia Daniels.[2] In 1894, she toured with comic actor Stuart Robson's company, even substituting, on at least one occasion, for Mrs. Robson—the temporarily unavailable May Waldron—in the role of Adriana in Shakespeare's A Comedy of Errors.[7] It was during that tour that Gilmore met and married fellow cast member (and fellow Kentuckian), Joseph B. Zahner, hurriedly tying the knot at New York's City Hall on Friday, July 13.[1] Scarcely five years later, Zahner, then 33, suffered a fatal heart attack.[8]
Between 1910 and 1913, Gilmore appeared on Broadway in 4 musical revues: Deems Taylor's The Echo, Manuel Klein's Around the World and Under Many Flags (both at the New York Hippodrome), and Oscar Straus's My Little Friend.[9][10] Shortly thereafter, she made her screen debut in A Female Fagin.
As Mrs. Hobbs in A Petticoat Pilot (1918), Gilmore was commended for her careful character study. The Paramount Pictures film was directed by Rollin S. Sturgeon and was based on the novel by Evelyn Lincoln.[11] She played the head nurse in Too Much Business (1922). This was a comedy which originated with a Saturday Evening Post story by Earl Derr Biggers. In it Gilmore was cast with Elsa Lorimer and Mack Fenton.[12] Her final motion picture credit is for the role of a motorist in the Laurel and Hardy short Two Tars (1928).
Theatre performances
Year | Play | Author | Character | Venue or Company | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1893 – 1894 | The Comedy of Errors | Shakespeare | Phryne, the reigning beauty of Ephesus; Adriana, wife to Antipholus of Ephesus (standby for May Waldron)[7] | Touring with Stuart Robson | September 18, 1893[13][14][15] - July 7, 1894[16] |
1910 | The Echo | Deems Taylor | Chorus | Globe Theatre | August 17, 1920 – October 1, 1920; 53 performances.[17] |
1911 – 1912 | Around the World | Manuel Klein | New York Hippodrome | September 2, 1911 – May 18, 1912; 445 performances.[18] | |
1912 – 1913 | Under Many Flags | Manuel Klein | New York Hippodrome | August 31, 1912 – May 17, 1913; 445 performances.[19] | |
1913 | My Little Friend | Oscar Straus | Baroness DuBois | New Amsterdam Theatre | May 19 – June 24, 1913; 24 performances.[20] |
Filmography
- A Female Fagin (1913) – The Female Fagin
- Notoriety (1914) (as Helen Field Gilmore)
- A Mexican Warrior (1914) – The Warrior's Mother-in-Law
- The Eagle's Mate (1914) – Hagar Morne (as Helen Gillmore)
- The Earl of Pawtucket (1915) – Aunt Jane Putnam
- This Way Out (1916)
- Their Wedding Day (1916) – Mrs. Findem
- The Rivals (1916 film) (1916) – The Lumber King's Wife
- The Pretenders (1916)
- Never Again (1916) – Mrs. Dale
- For Better or Worse (1916) – Mrs. Gothrox
- Will a Woman Tell? (1916) –
- Wait a Minute (1916) – Jane Higgs
- Life Savers (1916) – Old Maid
- Comrades (1916) – The Landlady
- The Reward (1916) – Mabel's Mother
- A Bag of Trouble (1916) – Mrs. Pokes
- Jerry's Double Header (1916) – Mother
- Jerry's Winning Way (1917) – The Landlady
- Jerry's Big Doings (1917) – The Mother
- Jerry's Brilliant Scheme (1917) – Her Mother
- Jerry's Romance (1917) – Lady Isabelle
- The Flying Target (1917) – Jane
- Jerry's Triple Alliance (1917) – The Housekeeper
- Tom Sawyer (1917) – Widow Douglas
- A Petticoat Pilot (1918) – Mrs. Hobbs
- Huck and Tom (1918) – Widow Douglas
- On the Jump (1918) – Girl's Mother
- Follow the Crowd (1918) –
- Pipe the Whiskers (1918)
- It's a Wild Life (1918)
- Hey There! (1918)
- Kicked Out (1918)
- Two-Gun Gussie (1918) – (uncredited)
- The City Slicker (1918)
- Sic 'Em, Towser (1918)
- Are Crooks Dishonest? (1918) – Old lady in park
- An Ozark Romance (1918)
- Kicking the Germ Out of Germany (1918) –
- That's Him (1918)
- Bride and Gloom (1918) –
- Two Scrambled (1918)
- Bees in His Bonnet (1918)
- Why Pick on Me? (1918) –
- Nothing But Trouble (1918) –
- Take a Chance (1918) – Landlady (uncredited)
- Ring Up the Curtain (1919) – Manager's Wife (uncredited)
- Just Neighbors (1919) – Old Woman with Packages (uncredited)
- Bumping Into Broadway (1919) – 'Bearcat' the Landlady
- Captain Kidd's Kids (1919) – The Girl's Mother
- From Hand to Mouth (1919) – Hag (uncredited)
- His Royal Slyness (1920) – Queen of Thermosa (uncredited)
- A Bashful Bigamist (1920) – Uncle Oswald's Wife
- Fickle Women (1920) – Mrs. Cullison
- Down Home (1920) – Townswoman
- The Blazing Trail (1921) – Village Talking Machine
- Judge Her Not (1921) – Jerusha Spriggins
- Dangerous Paths (1921) – Deborah Hammond
- Never Weaken (1921)
- Too Much Business (1922) – The Head Nurse
- Impulse (1922) – Mrs. Cameron
- One Terrible Day (1922) – Carlene Culpepper (uncredited)
- Our Gang (1922) – Emil's Wife (uncredited)
- Good Men and True (1922) – Mrs. Fite
- Newly Rich (1922)
- Tight Shoes (1923)
- Safety Last! (1923) – Department Store Customer (uncredited)
- Boys to Board (1923) – Mother Malone
- Kill or Cure (1923) – Aggressive non-customer
- Post No Bills (1923)
- No Noise (1923) – Nurse
- Jus' Passin' Through (1923)
- Stage Fright (1923) – Mickey's Mother
- The Whole Truth (1923) – The Wife
- Sunday Calm (1923) – Mrs. McTeeter
- Mother's Joy (1923) – Dippy
- It's a Joy! (1923) – His Mother-in-Law
- The Cowboy Sheik (1924) – Gussie the Cook
- Just a Minute (1924) – Caroline - the Mayor's Wife
- Postage Due (1924)
- The Fraidy Cat (1924) – Lem Tucker's Mother
- Zeb vs. Paprika (1924)
- Seein' Things (1924) – Baby's Mother
- Commencement Day (1924) – Joe's Mother
- Near Dublin (1924) – Villager
- April Fool (1924) – Jackie's Mother
- Stolen Goods (1924) – Shopper (uncredited)
- Our Congressman (1924) – The Dowager Lady Hemingway Abbott
- It's a Bear (1924) – Farmer's Wife
- Short Kilts (1924) – Mrs. McHungry
- Sittin' Pretty (1924) – Undetermined secondary role (uncredited)
- Should Landlords Live? (1924)
- Every Man for Himself (1924) – Pedestrian
- Bungaloo Boobs (1924) – The Neighbor's Wife
- Fast Company (1924) – Woman from Traveler's Aid Society
- All Wet (1924) – Boarding House Landlady (uncredited)
- Meet the Missus (1924)
- The Wages of Tin (1925) – Meg's Mother
- The Rat's Knuckles (1925) – Diner (uncredited)
- The Big Town (1925) – Train Passenger (uncredited)
- The Haunted Honeymoon (1925)
- The Love Bug (1925) – Beauty Parlor Customer
- Whose Baby Are You? (1925) – Train Passenger (uncredited)
- Big Red Riding Hood (1925) – Book Buyer / Red Riding Hood in Fantasy
- Wild Papa (1925)
- Chasing the Chaser (1925) – The Neighbor
- Sherlock Sleuth (1925) – Haughty Guest's Wife
- Tame Men and Wild Women (1925) – Arthur's Mother
- Mary, Queen of Tots (1925) – Dollmaker's wife
- Unfriendly Enemies (1925) – Laughing Woman
- Moonlight and Noses (1925)
- Should Sailors Marry? (1925) – Train Passenger
- Laughing Ladies (1925)
- Starvation Blues (1925)
- His Wooden Wedding (1925) – Dressmaker (uncredited)
- Tol'able Romeo (1925)
- What's the World Coming To? (1926) – A Neighbor
- Your Husband's Past (1926)
- Madame Mystery (1926)
- Baby Clothes (1926) – Joe's Mother
- Say It with Babies (1926)
- Don Key (Son of Burro) (1926)
- Long Fliv the King (1926) – Helga's Lady-in-Waiting (uncredited)
- Never Too Old (1926)
- Merry Widower (1926)
- Should Husbands Pay? (1926)
- Sensation Seekers (1927)
- Mad Scrambles (1927)
- The Eyes Have It (1928)
- Idle Eyes (1928)
- Their Purple Moment (1928)
- Seein' Things (1928)
- Two Tars (1928) – Motorist
- Shivering Shakespeare (1930) – Woman in Audience (uncredited)
- The Real McCoy (1930) – Townswoman (uncredited)
- Any Old Port! (1932) – Spectator (uncredited)
References
- ^ a b "Actors Rush to the Altar". The Inter Ocean. July 14, 1894. p. 14.
- ^ a b "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1940," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24CZ-6JM : 10 February 2018), Joseph Zahner and Antoinette Field, 13 Jul 1894; citing Marriage, Manhattan, New York, New York, United States, New York City Municipal Archives, New York; FHL microfilm 1,493,121.
- ^ "Actress, Formerly of Louisville, Found Dead". The Courier-Journal. April 12, 1936. p. 12.
- ^ Associated Press (April 13, 1936). "Body of Actress Found". The Cincinnati Enquirer.
- ^ "Woman Is Found Dead; Body of Former Actress Discovered in Apartment by Friend". The New York Times. April 12, 1936. p. 31.
- ^ "Obituaries: Helen Gilmore". Variety. April 15, 1936. p. 61.
- ^ a b "The Two Dromeos". The Topeka Daily Press. January 9, 1894. p. 5.
- ^ "Promising Career Cut Short by Death". Minneapolis Star Tribune. January 21, 1900. p. 17.
- ^ "Helen Gilmore". IBDB.
- ^ Hines, Dixie; Hanaford, Harry Prescott (1914). Who's Who in Music and Drama. New York : H.P. Hanaford. p. 443.
- ^ "A Petticoat Pilot". Daily Kennebec Journal. March 14, 1918, p. 3.
- ^ "Movies". Constitution Tribune. June 12, 1923. p. 5
- ^ "At the Brooklyn Theatres". The New York World. September 9, 1893. p. 3. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "For Playgoers: Notable Productions on the Local Stage Last Night". The Brooklyn Citizen. September 19, 1893. p. 3. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "News of the Theatres; Notes of the Stage". The New York Times. December 31, 1993. p. 13. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "The Theaters". Minneapolis Tribune. June 24, 1894. p. 21. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "'The Echo': About This Production". IBDB.
- ^ "'Around the World': About This Production". IBDB.
- ^ "'Under Many Flags': About This Production". IBDB.
- ^ "'My Little Friend': About This Production". IBDB.
Further reading
- "Married a Louisville Actress". The Louisville Courier-General. July 15, 1894. p. 6
- Von Harleman, G.P. (February 3, 1917). "News of Los Angeles and Vicinity". The Moving Picture World. Vol. 31. p. 693
- "Stories of the Films; Vim: 'Life Savers,' 'Comrades'". The Moving Picture World. August 19, 1916. p.1296
- "Current Feature Photoplays Passed in Review: 'Tom Sawyer'". Dramatic Mirror of Motion Pictures and the Stage. December 15, 1917. p. 18
- "Notes: The Helen Gilmore-Bert Baker Litigation". Variety. November 8, 1918. p. 16
- "News of the Films". The Billboard. March 3, 1922. p. 43
- Russell, Marion (May 20, 1922). "Too Much Business". The Billboard. p. 98
- "It Doesn't Always Pay to Get Thin". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. October 5, 1930. p. 13