Claire Whitney

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Claire Whitney
Claire Whitney Who's Who on the Screen.jpg
Publicity photo of Whitney from Who's Who on the Screen (1920)
Born(1890-05-06)May 6, 1890
New York City, U.S.
DiedAugust 27, 1969(1969-08-27) (aged 79)
OccupationActress
Years active1912–1949
Spouse(s)Jan von Hoegarden (m.1917ann. 1920)
Robert Emmett Keane (m.1921)

Claire Whitney (May 6, 1890 August 27, 1969) was an American stage and film actress who appeared in 111 films between 1912 and 1949. Only 21 of these films survive, as most have been lost.

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Whitney gained early acting experience with a stock theater company in Massachusetts, following which she toured the United States in a vaudeville production of Little Mother. [1]

Whitney made her first film in 1913 for Solax and continued making films until 1921, mainly for Fox Film Corporation. Whitney came back to films in 1926 with a role in The Great Gatsby which would be her final silent film. She continued working in film between 1931 and 1949 when she retired.

Whitney's Broadway credits include Broadway Interlude (1934), Page Pygmalion (1932), An Innocent Idea (1920), and The Net (1919). [2]

On March 20, 1920, Whitney's marriage to Jean Léon Ferdinand van Hoegaerden, an actor also known as John Sunderland, was annulled after he admitted having a wife and children in Belgium. [3] The couple had wed on November 12, 1917, in New York. [4]

Whitney died in Los Angeles on August 27, 1969, at the age of 79. She is buried in an unmarked grave in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, next to her husband, Robert Emmett Keane.[ citation needed ]

Selected filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1913The Star of IndiaCaptain Kenneth's wife
1914 Fighting Death ClaraLost film
1914The Million Dollar RobberyDaphne Pell
1915 Should A Mother Tell? Baroness GauntierLost film
The Song of Hate Lost film
The Galley Slave Cecil BlaineLost film
1916 East Lynne Barbara Hare
The Ruling Passion Claire SherlockLost film
Under Two Flags VenitiaLost film
The Straight Way Nell MadisonLost film
Jealousy ?sorceress; uncreditedLost film
1917 Heart and Soul BessLost film
Camille Celeste DuvalLost film
Thou Shalt Not Steal Madeleine
1918 Ruling Passions Louise PalmerLost film
1919 The Man Who Stayed at Home Molly Preston
Moral SuicideLucy Daniels
1920 Why Women Sin Baroness de Ville
Love, Honor and Obey Marion Holbury
1921 The Passionate Pilgrim EstherIncomplete film
1921 The Leech Dorothy
1921 Fine Feathers Jane Reynolds
1926 The Great Gatsby CatherineLost film, only the trailer survives
1931 A Free Soul Aunt HelenUncredited
1934 Enlighten Thy Daughter Alice StevensAlternative title: Blind Fools
1938 Secrets of a Nurse NurseUncredited
1939 Laugh It Off Miss Martin
1940 Chip of the Flying U Miss Robinson
The House of Seven Gables WaitressUncredited
1941 Mob Town Mrs. SimpsonUncredited
1942 The Silver Bullet Emily Morgan
1943 So's Your Uncle Marta
1944 The Mummy's Ghost Mrs. Ella Norman
1945 Anchors Aweigh U.S.O. MotherUncredited
1946 The Haunted Mine Mrs. Durant
1947 Christmas Eve Dr. Bunyan's WifeAlternative title: Sinner's Holiday
1949 An Old-Fashioned Girl Miss Mills

References

  1. "Claire Whitney Ranks High As Screen Star". Courier-Post. New Jersey, Camden. July 14, 1916. p. 8. Retrieved November 2, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  2. "Claire Whitney". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on November 3, 2018. Retrieved November 3, 2018.
  3. "Actress Gets Divorce". Daily Arkansas Gazette. Arkansas, Little Rock. March 21, 1920. p. 21. Retrieved November 2, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg
  4. "Actress Seeks Freedom Again". Tampa Bay Times. Florida, St. Petersburg. August 5, 1919. p. 1. Retrieved November 2, 2018 via Newspapers.com. Open Access logo PLoS transparent.svg