Silent Era People

[Ulitzer95 12,844]

16 minutes ago, Gisooo said:

I was looking for some other survivor names and three came up, not updated yet so I was wondering myself if they still live?

 

1) Gloria Wellman (IMDb) DOB 03/03/1924

Played the role of Peasant Child in Wings (1927)

 

If you look at her info on IMDb, she had very famous family members and was one of the surviving cast members.

 

 

Gloria Wellman was adopted by the Wellman family. Her birth father was screenwriter/director Robert Emmett Tansey.

She was born on March 4, 1924 in Hollywood, so the IMDb date is a day out.

Here is her death record. She died on February 9, 2006, aged 81.

[Ulitzer95 12,844]

31 minutes ago, Gisooo said:

3) Phyllis Hurst (IMDb), minor roles between 34s and 38s and appeared in a silent film in 1927.

DOB 1924/05/12

 

 

Can't locate her for certain but here's how far I got:

She was born in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada as Phyllis Lorraine Hirst on May 12, 1924.

The family relocated to Hollywood, California by the early 1930s. Her parents were both Canadian-born... Howard Harley Hirst (b. 22/02/1894) and Marian Lavina Hirst (b. 29/12/1893); and they were married in 1919.

By 1957 she was living as Phyllis Lorraine Albrecht in Kansas City, Missouri. That's the year she applied to become a U.S. citizen. From this I was able to find their marriage certificate. She wed Richard B. Albrecht in Jackson, Missouri in October 1955.

There is a Phyllis Albrecht who died in Missouri on Feb 25, 1971. I can't be certain that it's her because the record doesn't list a spouse, exact location, a birth date, an age or a middle name(!!)

On another note:
Her brother Alan Howard Hirst (IMDb) is listed as deceased in records by 1939, so he must have died as a child!

[Ulitzer95 12,844]

1 hour ago, Gisooo said:

2) Marcia Kagno (IMDb) DOB 1924, played Marcia in The Hole In The Wall (1929)

 

 

Marcia Kagno was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1924 as per her IMDb profile.

Kagno is a rare name in the States. It's Russian (Jewish?). There's only one record that matches.

Marcia Nata Kagno
b. 16 May 1924, New York City, New York
m. Captain Joseph William Copel
d. 22 Dec 2019 (aged 95), New Haven, Connecticut 

[tracy 2,461]

8 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:

Her brother Alan Howard Hirst (IMDb) is listed as deceased in records by 1939, so he must have died as a child!

 

Yeah, I was about to bring him up. He was born on June 8, 1930 in Los Angeles and died there January 15, 1937. Kind of surprised his IMDb was never updated because his Find a Grave page has a fair number of flowers.

[Gisooo 3,463]

@tracy Does MyLife have a death record for his sister, Phyllis Hurst (Albrecht) ? 

[Ulitzer95 12,844]

1 minute ago, Gisooo said:

@tracy Does MyLife have a death record for his sister, Phyllis Hurst (Albrecht) ? 

I could be wrong, but I think MyLife only goes back a couple of decades.

[tracy 2,461]

1 hour ago, Gisooo said:

2) Marcia Kagno (IMDb) DOB 1924, played Marcia in The Hole In The Wall (1929)

  

 

 

Actually looks she wasn't in anything silent. Her obituary mentions this movie was "one of the first talkies", and its Wikipedia article seems to agree. So, close but no dice. Still neat she was alive so recently though.

[tracy 2,461]

40 minutes ago, Gisooo said:

@tracy Does MyLife have a death record for his sister, Phyllis Hurst (Albrecht) ? 

 

I don't see anything. Her sister Gloria's obituary from 2010 didn't mention her as a survivor, so I figure it's safe to say she was probably dead before then. The 1971 Albrecht could be her.

 

Mildly amusing: Gloria has two IMDb pages. Wonder if, given her adult roles are under a different name, no one made the connection that they're the same person.

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0403601/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0935930/

[Gisooo 3,463]

A new name still living from Silent Era!

 

Avonne Jackson (IMDb) DOB 07/23/1924 as Avonne Jackson Arch

 

Negro child actress appeared as Black Baby in Smith's Catalina Rowboat Race (1928), also played May Lily in The Little Colonel (1935)

 

There is a "Avonne Arch" in Radaris still alive aged 98 born July 1924, 100% her, only if she passed away recently?

[tracy 2,461]

9 minutes ago, Gisooo said:

There is a "Avonne Arch" in Radaris still alive aged 98 born July 1924, 100% her, only if she passed away recently?

 

Yes, she died on June 7, 2018 at the age of 93 per her MyLife page. I'll submit to IMDb.

[Ulitzer95 12,844]

Added her to this list here.

If we find anymore who died from 2010–2022, please stick them on there.

[MortalCaso 1,640]

It really is quite impressive the levels of research and effort some of you go through. 

 

Sometimes I wish there was a way to show my appreciation as you are turning a hobby into a in depth researching part-time job. 

 

Cheers. I value it!

[Ulitzer95 12,844]

On 17/08/2022 at 23:48, arghton said:

I recall Kornman was reported to be in failing health last year, unable to remember that she was once an actress. Watson is a "recluse" from all I've heard, no idea how he's doing. 

 

How many debatable/possibly living ones are there again? None else than Beezer? I dug into transition era, mainly Japanese transition era silent films ca. 1930-1936 around last year, checking again there's a few names out there: Hideo Sugawara (Appeared in a few Yasujirō Ozu, movies, born January 1924 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0837424/) and Masao Hayama (also a Ozu actor, born August 1925 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0370574/) and there's also Finnish politician Ele Alenius I've mentioned a few times in political frailty before here who appeared? (not sure if there is concrete proof about this, but I assume it was him) in 1931 silent film Rovastin häämatkat. The two Ozu actors could be long dead. And I know, I'm again scraping the bottom of the barrel. 

Just an FYI – the silent era started in 1894 and ended in 1929. Any silent films made after that are counted as post-silent era.

[Predictor 1,018]

On 02/09/2022 at 18:17, Ulitzer95 said:

Added her to this list here.

If we find anymore who died from 2010–2022, please stick them on there.

There was a human rights activist here in Sweden who started out as an actress and dancer. She claimed to have been in one of the major silent films in Germany, but her name evades me atm. Think she died in the early 2010s, was pretty close to 100. I'll see if I can remember.

 

Edit: The last person to be in a Swedish silent film was probably Annalisa Ericson (1913-2011). She was in a 1923 movie as per her official site and other credible sources.

 

https://www.annalisaericson.se/

https://www.svenskfilmdatabas.se/sv/item/?type=person&itemid=59285

 

Edit 2: Nope, that honour belongs to Britt Hagman (1927-2015), who was in a 1929 silent movie.

 

https://www.svenskfilmdatabas.se/sv/item/?type=film&itemid=3659

[Predictor 1,018]

4 hours ago, Predictor said:

There was a human rights activist here in Sweden who started out as an actress and dancer. She claimed to have been in one of the major silent films in Germany, but her name evades me atm. Think she died in the early 2010s, was pretty close to 100. I'll see if I can remember.

Sonja Sonnenfeld (1912-2010). The movie was Metropolis, just a bit part...

[Gisooo 3,463]

Pat Courtney (IMDb) Born 1922, she is/was British, appeared in four silent films between 1926 and 1928. Looks so tough to track!

[Gisooo 3,463]

 

On 02/09/2022 at 09:17, Ulitzer95 said:

If we find anymore who died from 2010–2022, please stick them on there.

 

Dorothy Brock (IMDb), appeared in 12 silent films as a child, born May 1920 as Dorothy Marion Brock and yet no death date!

Alive or dead? Well her marriage surname was Greenup and bingo she died on August 11, 2013 in Crestline, California.

 

  

 

 

[Ulitzer95 12,844]

Send it to IMDb, and someone can maybe add her name to the Oldests and Lasts Wiki too.

[Gisooo 3,463]

I just discovered something interesting!

A Brazilian actress Nelma Costa (Wiki) turned 101 this February. She started her career at the age of 3 in 1925 in the theater and is the only surviving actress of the silent era in Brazil and last protagonist of Cineida

   

[Gisooo 3,463]

On 27/03/2023 at 19:59, Gisooo said:

I just discovered something interesting!

A Brazilian actress Nelma Costa (Wiki) turned 101 this February. She started her career at the age of 3 in 1925 in the theater and is the only surviving actress of the silent era in Brazil and last protagonist of Cineida

   

 

Brazilian actress Nelma Costa (Wiki) reported dead at 101 on Dec 30, 2023

[Gisooo 3,463]

On 18/08/2022 at 00:48, arghton said:

I dug into transition era, mainly Japanese transition era silent films ca. 1930-1936 around last year, checking again there's a few names out there: Hideo Sugawara (Appeared in a few Yasujirō Ozu, movies, born January 1924 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0837424/) (turns out he died in 2005) and Masao Hayama (also a Ozu actor, born August 1925 https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0370574/) (Not seen since 1961! there's a massive chance he died a long, long time ago and Japan hasn't been good at keeping track of these people. Likely going to end up like Katsumi Tezuka, meaning we'll know for certain he's dead when his name isn't in Japan's supercentenarian statistics)

 

Just found another Japanese silent film actress who is still living

 

Michiko Hoshi (Wiki), born 1927 aged 97. She started her career as a child actress.

 

My question is @arghton do you know more Japanese or other foreign silent actors who are still living?

 

 

[Ulitzer95 12,844]

38 minutes ago, Gisooo said:

 

Just found another Japanese silent film actress who is still living

 

Michiko Hoshi (Wiki), born 1927 aged 97. She started her career as a child actress.

 

My question is @arghton do you know more Japanese or other foreign silent actors who are still living?

 

 

Silent era ended in 1930. How could she have been a silent film actress if her first role was in 1935?

[Gisooo 3,463]

5 minutes ago, Ulitzer95 said:

Silent era ended in 1930. How could she have been a silent film actress if her first role was in 1935?

 

Silent era in Japan ended in 1936 even arghton mentioned above.

[whoismakoto 330]

4 hours ago, Ulitzer95 said:

Silent era ended in 1930. How could she have been a silent film actress if her first role was in 1935?

Some countries still continued producing silent films after 1930 like China and India.

[Ulitzer95 12,844]

6 hours ago, Gisooo said:

 

Silent era in Japan ended in 1936 even arghton mentioned above.

So what?

I don't think you understand so I'll try and explain a little better. The silent era ran from 1894 to 1929. That's not up for dispute. It's pretty much universally accepted amongst film historians. If other countries chose to continue making silent films thereafter then that's fine but it's not relevant to the silent film era. The Artist was a 2011 silent film. That does not make James Cromwell a silent era actor.