Alma Tell (March 27, 1898 – December 29, 1937)[1] was an American stage and motion picture actress whose career in cinema began in 1915 and lasted into the sound films of the early 1930s.
Alma Tell | |
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![]() Tell c. 1920 | |
Born | New York City, U.S. | March 27, 1898
Died | December 29, 1937 Hollywood, California, U.S. | (aged 39)
Resting place | Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1915–1934 |
Spouse | |
Relatives | Olive Tell (sister) |
Early years
editTell was born in New York City,[1] the younger sister of stage and film actress Olive Tell. She attended schools in London and Paris[2] and, with her sister, Olive, graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1915.[3]
Career
editTell began her career as an actress in Syracuse, working for 12 weeks in stock theater. She acted in Boston and headed a stock company in Newark.[3]
She made her screen debut in the Edward José-directed drama Simon, the Jester, released in September 1915. Tell's career never paralleled that of her older sister, and she often was cast in films as the second leading lady.[4]
Throughout the 1920s, Tell appeared opposite such leading silent film actresses as Mae Murray, Corinne Griffith and Madge Kennedy and then achieved leading lady status in 1923's The Silent Command, opposite actors Edmund Lowe, Martha Mansfield and Béla Lugosi, in his first American film role.[citation needed]
Tell made her last film appearance in the 1934 romantic-drama Imitation of Life, which starred Claudette Colbert.[citation needed]
Personal life and death
editTell was married to actor Stanley Blystone[1] from 1932[5] until her death. She died in 1937 and was buried at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.[6]
Selected filmography
edit- The Smugglers (1916)
- Nearly Married (1917)
- Right to Love (1920)
- On with the Dance (1920)
- Paying the Piper (1921)
- The Iron Trail (1921)
- Broadway Rose (1922)
- The Silent Command (1923)
- San Francisco Nights (1928)
- Love Comes Along (1930)
Theater appearances
edit- The Squab Farm (1918)[7]
References
edit- ^ a b c Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 208. ISBN 9780786409839. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ "Alma Don't Tell Anything but Her Stage Cognomen". The Washington Herald. D.C, Washington. January 4, 1920. p. 15. Retrieved July 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Credit to American Academy of Dramatic Arts". The Musical Leader. 36 (3): 52. July 18, 1918. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ Alma Tell profile, AllMovie.com; accessed March 27, 2016.
- ^ "Alma Tell Wed by Film Actor". Star Tribune. Minnesota, Minneapolis. Associated Press. December 19, 1932. p. 9. Retrieved July 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Funeral Services Slated for Actor". Valley News. July 19, 1956. p. 53. Retrieved May 4, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "'Squab Farm' teems with movie thrills". The Evening Journal. Delaware, Wilmington. March 6, 1918. p. 7. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
edit- Alma Tell at the Internet Broadway Database
- Alma Tell at IMDb
- Alma Tell at Find a Grave