Gloria Fonda

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Gloria Fonda (1896 - January 20, 1978) was a U.S. actress of the silent film era. She was from St. Paul, Minnesota.

Contents

Early years

Fonda's father was a glove manufacturer in Seattle. [1] While she was a student at the University of Washington, she won a beauty contest, and in 1917 she was one of two winners in the International Beauty Contest held in the United States. [2]

Brief Movie Career

Fonda won a most beautiful girl in Washington pageant sponsored by Universal Pictures. Her home was in Seattle, Washington. She came to Hollywood with sixty other beauties from American states.

Fonda made only seven films during a career which lasted from 1915–1916. Often she appeared in movies directed by William C. Dowlan. Among these are The Mayor's Decision (1915), The Devil and Idle Hands (1915), and Drugged Waters (1916).

She played the role of Gladys Saunders in the latter, her final film. Released by Red Feather Productions, the drama concerned a health resort and a spring of water which was pure. The water was drugged daily in order to deceive wealthy people who came to the spa to restore their health. The Mayor's Decision was a short drama of politics, slum life, and double intrigue. It was a Universal and Carl Laemmle production.

Dowlan directed Fonda in a Laemmle single reel picture entitled The Great Fear (1915). Dowlan co-starred along with Lula Warrenton.

In 1919-1921 Fonda performed on stage in the Orient. [3]

Death

Fonda died in Álamos, Sonora, Mexico in 1978.

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References

  1. "They wanted wives, not chorus girls, in Orient" . The South Bend Tribune. January 25, 1921. p. 2. Retrieved October 19, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Famous mainland beauties enjoy Hawaii" . Honolulu Star-Bulletin. March 2, 1917. p. 9. Retrieved October 18, 2024 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Film and Drama" . Seattle Union Record. December 6, 1921. p. 2. Retrieved October 19, 2024 via Newspapers.com.