Bergetta "Dorothy" Peterson (December 25, 1897[citation needed] - October 3, 1979) was an American actress. She began her acting career on Broadway before appearing in more than eighty Hollywood films.

Dorothy Peterson
Peterson in 1928
Born
Bergetta Peterson

(1897-12-25)December 25, 1897
DiedOctober 3, 1979(1979-10-03) (aged 81)
New York City, U.S.
Burial placeMount Olivet Cemetery, Zion, Illinois
OccupationActress
Years active1924–1964
Spouse
(m. 1943; died 1962)
Parents
  • Oscar Frank Peterson (father)
  • Emily Johnson Peterson (mother)

Early years

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Peterson was born in Hector, Minnesota,[1] the daughter of Oscar Frank Peterson and Emily Johnson Peterson. She had a brother, Buford, and was raised in Zion, Illinois.[2] She was of Swedish ancestry. She studied at a dramatic school, performing in adaptations of Greek plays, and then attended the Chicago Musical College.[1]

Career

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Dorothy Peterson in Pursuit (1935)

Billed by her birth name, Peterson acted with a company in Icebound at the Montauk Theater in Brooklyn, New York, in September 1923.[3] For two years, Peterson toured with Borgony Hammer's Ibsen Repertory Company. She left that troupe to go to New York, where she began performing in Broadway productions.[1] Broadway plays in which she acted included Subway Express (1929), Dracula (1927), God Loves Us (1926), Pomeroy's Past (1926), Find Daddy (1926), The Fall Guy (1925), All God's Chillun Got Wings (1924), and Cobra (1924).[4]

She made her screen debut in Mothers Cry (1930), a domestic drama that required the 29-year-old actress to age nearly three decades in the course of the film.[5]

Death

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Peterson died on October 3, 1979. She was buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery in Zion, Illinois.[2]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "A Few Facts About Miss Dorothy Peterson". Times Union. New York, Brooklyn. January 11, 1931. p. 44. Retrieved October 26, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ a b Wilson, Scott (August 22, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 586. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  3. ^ "Montauk". The Chat. New York, Brooklyn. September 1, 1923. p. 49. Retrieved July 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Dorothy Peterson". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on October 26, 2020. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  5. ^ "Dorothy Peterson". Fandango. Retrieved November 19, 2018.
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