Frances Lee
From Wikipedia
Frances Lee was born as Myrna Tibbetts (some sources indicate Merna Tibbetts) in Eagle Grove, Iowa. She initially began pursuing a career as a teacher but began taking dance lessons, which led to her being spotted by Gus Edwards, who owned a theater in New York City. Edwards persuaded Lee to perform at his theater, and she joined the cast of The Ziegfeld Follies in 1923, when she was hired by Al Christie to perform in his Christie Comedies.
Moving to Hollywood in the mid-1920s to pursue acting, she received her first film role in 1924, starring in Hello and Goodbye, a comedy short film. That brought her to the attention of the studios and launched her into a very successful and busy silent film career. In 1925 she had roles in three films, and in 1926 her number of films jumped to seven. She was a frequent guest at the home of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks and became friends with other notable Hollywood legends, to include Rudolph Valentino until his death in 1926. In 1927 she had roles in five films and was selected as one of thirteen girls to be WAMPAS Baby Stars, which that year included silent film star Sally Phipps and actress Barbara Kent.
The year 1928 was a big year for her. She starred in nine films, the most memorable of which was Sweeties with Bobby Vernon. Her biggest year by far was 1929, when she starred in ten films, including the lead role in Stage Struck Susie opposite Eddie Barry and Divorce Made Easy starring alongside Marie Prevost and Douglas MacLean. That year, she married Alexander Bennett, brother to Australian silent film actress Enid Bennett. Their wedding was attended by such famous Hollywood legends as Enid Bennett's husband, film producer Fred Niblo; actresses Gloria Swanson and Greta Garbo; and actors Rod La Rocque and John Gilbert.
She retired from film acting after 1935, living with her husband in Beverly Hills, California. She began working in interior design and studied for and received a degree in teaching. She and her husband lived in Brentwood, where she began one of the early Head Start programs at Knox Presbyterian Nursery School. She also taught dance, society behavior, and etiquette at the Elisa Ryan Studio, where she instructed the daughters of President Richard M. Nixon. In 1972 she and Alex moved to Cardiff-by-the-Sea.
She worked as a children's librarian at the Rancho Sante Fe Library until only
a few years before her death.
She died on November 5, 2000, in Cardiff-by-the-Sea,
California, aged 94.
Known For | Acting |
---|---|
Most Rating | 1.65 |
Birthday | 1906-05-05 |
Place of Birth | Eagle Grove, Iowa, USA |
Also Known As | Merna Phyllis Tibbetts, |
1933
Phantom Thunderbolt
4.3/6
A cowboy called The Thunderbolt Kid comes to the aid of a town that is being threatened by outlaws who don't want a railroad to go through the town.
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Phantom Thunderbolt
1933
Her Splendid Folly
0/0
Solomon Ginsberg is the President of International Pictures Corporation and hires Joan McAllister, an unemployed stenographer, to double for his star,...
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Her Splendid Folly
1934
These Thirty Years
0/0
The rise of Henry Ford of the Ford Motor Company.....
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These Thirty Years
1926
Page Me
0/0
Comedy Short
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Page Me
1929
Show of Shows
5.5/2
Now hear this. The studio that gave the cinema its voice offered 1929 audiences a chance to see and hear multiple silent-screen favorites for the firs...
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Show of Shows
1929
Naughty Baby
0/0
A gorgeous showgirl is hired as a lingerie model at a fashion show......
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Naughty Baby
1932
The Tabasco Kid
0/0
A timid accountant for a California cattle ranch and a lookalike dashing bandit become rivals for the beautiful daughter of a wealthy rancher.
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The Tabasco Kid
1929
Stage Struck Susie
0/0
Eddie Barry bewilders himself backstage at a show.
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Stage Struck Susie
1927
Duck Out
0/0
At a magic show put on by Blondini the magician, a member of the audience is invited up to participate. He gets into all sorts of shenanigans, trippin...
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Duck Out
1929
Divorce Made Easy
0/0
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Divorce Made Easy
1930
Down with Husbands
6/1
When their wives go on strike, two husbands form an organization they call the "Husbands Protective League".
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Down with Husbands
1927
Good as Gold
0/0
Buck Brady is the son of a prospector whose valuable claim was stolen when Buck was a child. Brady grows up with revenge on his mind and retaliates by...
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Good as Gold
1929
The Carnation Kid
0/0
It's a case of mistaken identity in this comedy that centers around a country bumpkin mistaken for a Chicago hitman.
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The Carnation Kid
1928
Nifty Numbers
0/0
Fourth release in the "Confessions of a Chorus Girl" comedy series.
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Nifty Numbers
1926
Dummy Love
0/0
Evelyn's uncle gives a party to announce her engagement to the suitor he has approved, but she decides to elope with Oscar. Oscar pal goes along to he...
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Dummy Love
1934
Flirtation Walk
5.273/11
A private stationed in Hawaii gets involved with the general's engaged daughter. In order to avoid a scandal, the pair break up, but meet again years...
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Flirtation Walk
1928
Chicken à la King
0/0
A married tightwad learns to loosen up by living the life of a playboy.
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Chicken à la King
1928
The Little Snob
0/0
May Banks (May McAvoy) is a working-class girl who gets ideas above her station in life when her father, Colonel Banks (Aleck B. Francis), a Coney Isl...
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