Lina Basquette (born Lena Copeland Baskette, April 19, 1907 â€"
September 30, 1994), was an American actress. She is noted for her
75-year career in entertainment, which began during the silent film
era. Talented as a dancer, she was paid as a girl for performing and
gained her first film contract at age nine. In her acting career,
Basquette may have been best known for her role as Judith in The
Godless Girl (1929) The film was based on the life of Queen Silver,
known as a 20th-century child prodigy, and feminist and socialist
activist.Basquette also was noted for her several marriages, including
her first, to the much older noted producer, Sam Warner, founder of
Warner Bros. film studio. When her film career declined, she returned
for a period to dancing and stage performances. After she retired from
the entertainment world, in 1947 Basquette moved to Bucks County,
Pennsylvania, where she became a noted breeder of Great Danes; her
dogs won numerous professional show prizes. She wrote several books on
dog breeding as well. Later living in West Virginia, she also served
as a judge for the American Kennel Club, and wrote a column.She was
born Lena Copeland Baskette to Frank E. Baskette, a drugstore owner,
and his wife Gladys Lee (née Rosenberg) Baskette in San Mateo,
California. She began dancing as a child. A Victor Talking Machine
Company representative saw her dancing to a record in her father's
store. He hired her at the age of eight (through her parents) to
advertise Victrolas at the 1915 Panamaâ€"Pacific International
Exposition, held in San Francisco. Basquette later began studying
ballet.Baskette secured her first film contract at the age of nine in
1916 with Universal Studios in Los Angeles for the silent film series
Lena Baskette Featurettes. Shortly after she was signed with
Universal, her father Frank Baskette committed suicide. Baskette later
blamed her father's death on her mother's ambition for fame and
fortune.
September 30, 1994), was an American actress. She is noted for her
75-year career in entertainment, which began during the silent film
era. Talented as a dancer, she was paid as a girl for performing and
gained her first film contract at age nine. In her acting career,
Basquette may have been best known for her role as Judith in The
Godless Girl (1929) The film was based on the life of Queen Silver,
known as a 20th-century child prodigy, and feminist and socialist
activist.Basquette also was noted for her several marriages, including
her first, to the much older noted producer, Sam Warner, founder of
Warner Bros. film studio. When her film career declined, she returned
for a period to dancing and stage performances. After she retired from
the entertainment world, in 1947 Basquette moved to Bucks County,
Pennsylvania, where she became a noted breeder of Great Danes; her
dogs won numerous professional show prizes. She wrote several books on
dog breeding as well. Later living in West Virginia, she also served
as a judge for the American Kennel Club, and wrote a column.She was
born Lena Copeland Baskette to Frank E. Baskette, a drugstore owner,
and his wife Gladys Lee (née Rosenberg) Baskette in San Mateo,
California. She began dancing as a child. A Victor Talking Machine
Company representative saw her dancing to a record in her father's
store. He hired her at the age of eight (through her parents) to
advertise Victrolas at the 1915 Panamaâ€"Pacific International
Exposition, held in San Francisco. Basquette later began studying
ballet.Baskette secured her first film contract at the age of nine in
1916 with Universal Studios in Los Angeles for the silent film series
Lena Baskette Featurettes. Shortly after she was signed with
Universal, her father Frank Baskette committed suicide. Baskette later
blamed her father's death on her mother's ambition for fame and
fortune.
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