Claire Du Brey | |
|---|---|
 Du Brey, c. 1920 | |
| Born | Clara Violet Dubreyvich August 31, 1892 |
| Died | August 1, 1993 (aged 100) |
| Other names | Claire Du Bray Claire Dubrey |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1916–1959 |
| Spouse(s) | Mark G. Gates (m. 1911; div. 192?) |
Claire Du Brey (born Clara Violet Dubreyvich, August 31, 1892 – August 1, 1993) was an American actress. She appeared in more than 200 films from 1916 to 1959. Her name is sometimes rendered as Claire Du Bray or as Claire Dubrey. [1]
Du Brey was born in Bonner's Ferry, Idaho, [1] to an Irish-American mother, Lilly (née Henry), later Mrs. Richard Fugitt. Her parents married on November 9, 1891 in Pocatello, Bannock County, Idaho. She was raised Catholic and attended a convent school. [2]
Du Brey "had trained as a nurse". [3] She related that in 1897 she traveled west from Idaho in a covered wagon with her mother and her grandfather. [3]
Du Brey's screen career began with Universal Studios and she played at one time or another with almost all the larger companies. More notable films in which she appeared were Anything Once (1917), Social Briars (1918), The Devil's Trail (1919), What Every Woman Wants (1919) and Dangerous Hours (1919). Other films include The Wishing Ring Man, The Spite Bride, The World Aflame, and The Walk Offs. Her career declined with the sound era and she later played mostly small roles.[ citation needed ]
In the 1930s, Du Brey was an agent for other actors. Her clients included Mary Carlisle, Richard Cromwell, and Kitty Kelly. Late in 1934, Anna Q. Nilsson joined Du Brey's operation, making contacts with producers and directors, while Du Brey handled the office part of the business. [4]
Du Brey was proficient in athletics, excelling in swimming, riding, golfing, tennis and motoring. She was five feet seven inches high, weighed 130 pounds and had auburn hair and brown eyes, and took a lively interest in horticulture. [5]
According to two biographies of Marie Dressler published in the late 1990s, Dressler and Du Brey had a long-term romantic relationship. [3] [2] However one other (perhaps less reliable) source from 1920 indicates that Du Brey, who had trained as a nurse, was the elder actress's "assistant and caregiver" while Dressler was ill with terminal cancer. [5]
Du Brey married Los Angeles medical doctor Norman Gates on November 25, 1911; the couple divorced sometime in the 1920s. [3] On August 1, 1993, Du Brey died in Los Angeles, aged 100. [1]
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