Grace Cunard (born Harriet Mildred Jeffries; April 8, 1893 â€" January
19, 1967) was an American actress, screenwriter and film director.[a]
During the silent era, she starred in over 100 films, wrote or
co-wrote at least 44 of those productions, and directed no fewer than
eight of them. In addition, she edited many of her films, including
some of the shorts, serials, and features she developed in
collaboration with Francis Ford. Her younger sister, Mina Cunard, was
also a film actress.Born in 1893, Harriet Jeffries was the elder of
two daughters of Ohio natives Washington and Lola (née Longshore)
Jeffries.[b] The federal census of 1900 documents that seven-year-old
Harriet, her younger sister Armina (Mina), and their parents were
still residing that year in Columbus, where Washington supported the
family by working as a grocery clerk. Harriet completed her formal
education in Columbus, leaving school after the eighth grade,
presumably to devote full time to an acting career.[c] When and where
she was introduced to performing in theatre remains uncertain; but by
1906, at the age of 13, the future film star was already acting in
local stage productions such as Dora Thorne, East Lynne, and then in
New York in Princess of Patches. Much later, in 1916, the
circumstances of Grace Cunard's (Harriet Jeffries') entry into acting
are briefly discussed in "Before the Stars Shone", an article in the
New York-based trade monthly Picture Play Magazine. That article by
staff writer Al Ray informs his readers, "Grace Cunard...when very
young, begged for a stage life until her mother took her to a manager
who gave her the title part in 'Dora Thorne.'" Her other early stage
performances included traveling with stock companies to theatres in
Cleveland and St. Louis and appearing in vaudeville in various
cities.It is likely that Harriet was already using her stage name
Grace Cunard before she started acting in films in 1908. According to
Cunard, after one of her "stock engagements" a friend one evening at
dinner dared her to try acting in "'canned drama'", a slang term used
in the theatre community to describe motion pictures. She accepted the
dare and "in the spirit of fun" went to the Biograph Company on East
14th Street in Manhattan and "worked for a day's pay to see what it
was like." She enjoyed the experience, so she pursued more film roles,
which at first consisted of small uncredited parts. Over the next
three years she was cast in better roles at Biograph and at other
studios located in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Some of
those other companies included Kalem Studios, Edison, the American
subsidiary of Pathé, Republic, and Lubin.
19, 1967) was an American actress, screenwriter and film director.[a]
During the silent era, she starred in over 100 films, wrote or
co-wrote at least 44 of those productions, and directed no fewer than
eight of them. In addition, she edited many of her films, including
some of the shorts, serials, and features she developed in
collaboration with Francis Ford. Her younger sister, Mina Cunard, was
also a film actress.Born in 1893, Harriet Jeffries was the elder of
two daughters of Ohio natives Washington and Lola (née Longshore)
Jeffries.[b] The federal census of 1900 documents that seven-year-old
Harriet, her younger sister Armina (Mina), and their parents were
still residing that year in Columbus, where Washington supported the
family by working as a grocery clerk. Harriet completed her formal
education in Columbus, leaving school after the eighth grade,
presumably to devote full time to an acting career.[c] When and where
she was introduced to performing in theatre remains uncertain; but by
1906, at the age of 13, the future film star was already acting in
local stage productions such as Dora Thorne, East Lynne, and then in
New York in Princess of Patches. Much later, in 1916, the
circumstances of Grace Cunard's (Harriet Jeffries') entry into acting
are briefly discussed in "Before the Stars Shone", an article in the
New York-based trade monthly Picture Play Magazine. That article by
staff writer Al Ray informs his readers, "Grace Cunard...when very
young, begged for a stage life until her mother took her to a manager
who gave her the title part in 'Dora Thorne.'" Her other early stage
performances included traveling with stock companies to theatres in
Cleveland and St. Louis and appearing in vaudeville in various
cities.It is likely that Harriet was already using her stage name
Grace Cunard before she started acting in films in 1908. According to
Cunard, after one of her "stock engagements" a friend one evening at
dinner dared her to try acting in "'canned drama'", a slang term used
in the theatre community to describe motion pictures. She accepted the
dare and "in the spirit of fun" went to the Biograph Company on East
14th Street in Manhattan and "worked for a day's pay to see what it
was like." She enjoyed the experience, so she pursued more film roles,
which at first consisted of small uncredited parts. Over the next
three years she was cast in better roles at Biograph and at other
studios located in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Some of
those other companies included Kalem Studios, Edison, the American
subsidiary of Pathé, Republic, and Lubin.
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