Jeanie MacPherson (May 18, 1886 â€" August 26, 1946) was an American
actress, writer, and director from 1908 until the late 1940s. She was
a pioneer for women in the film industry. She worked with some of the
best filmmakers of the time, including D. W. Griffith and Cecil B.
DeMille. While she started in the theater and then had a brief stint
as an actress, she ultimately dedicated her life's work to
screenwriting for DeMille. She was praised for her resourcefulness and
for her attentiveness to the needs of DeMille.MacPherson was born
Abbie Jean MacPherson in Boston to a wealthy family of Spanish,
Scottish, and French descent. Her parents were John S. MacPherson and
Evangeline C. Tomlinson. As a teenager, she was sent to Mademoiselle
DeJacque's school in Paris, but she was forced to leave when her
family fell on hard times. She then returned to the United States and
began to look for a job.Back in the United States, MacPherson finished
her degree at the Kenwood Institute in Chicago. It was there that she
started her career as a dancer and stage performer. She began her
theatrical career in the chorus of the Chicago Opera House. Over the
next few years, she took singing lessons and took whatever
theater-related jobs she could find. However, she quickly became
infatuated with film."All I knew was that I wanted to act," she would
later say. "Then someone told me about motion pictures, how drama was
filmed. I was fascinated. I like mechanics anyway. I hunted all over
New York for a studioâ€"and couldn't find one. At last a super told me
a man named Griffith was doing pictures for the Biograph Company. Mr.
Griffith wasn't in. His assistant was. I told him my stage experience.
He ignored it, scorned it. 'We want to know what you can do before a
camera.'"
actress, writer, and director from 1908 until the late 1940s. She was
a pioneer for women in the film industry. She worked with some of the
best filmmakers of the time, including D. W. Griffith and Cecil B.
DeMille. While she started in the theater and then had a brief stint
as an actress, she ultimately dedicated her life's work to
screenwriting for DeMille. She was praised for her resourcefulness and
for her attentiveness to the needs of DeMille.MacPherson was born
Abbie Jean MacPherson in Boston to a wealthy family of Spanish,
Scottish, and French descent. Her parents were John S. MacPherson and
Evangeline C. Tomlinson. As a teenager, she was sent to Mademoiselle
DeJacque's school in Paris, but she was forced to leave when her
family fell on hard times. She then returned to the United States and
began to look for a job.Back in the United States, MacPherson finished
her degree at the Kenwood Institute in Chicago. It was there that she
started her career as a dancer and stage performer. She began her
theatrical career in the chorus of the Chicago Opera House. Over the
next few years, she took singing lessons and took whatever
theater-related jobs she could find. However, she quickly became
infatuated with film."All I knew was that I wanted to act," she would
later say. "Then someone told me about motion pictures, how drama was
filmed. I was fascinated. I like mechanics anyway. I hunted all over
New York for a studioâ€"and couldn't find one. At last a super told me
a man named Griffith was doing pictures for the Biograph Company. Mr.
Griffith wasn't in. His assistant was. I told him my stage experience.
He ignored it, scorned it. 'We want to know what you can do before a
camera.'"
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