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Blanche Sweet

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Cause of death
  
Stroke

Children
  
Robert Brustein

Role
  
Film actress


Name
  
Blanche Sweet

Occupation
  
Actress

Grandchildren
  
Peter Beinart

Blanche Sweet Blanche Sweet39 Planting The Cinema Museum London

Born
  
June 18, 1896 (
1896-06-18
)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

Years active
  
1909 – 1930, 1958 – 1960

Died
  
September 6, 1986, New York City, New York, United States

Spouse
  
Raymond Hackett (m. 1935–1958), Marshall Neilan (m. 1922–1929)

Movies
  
Judith of Bethulia, The Avenging Conscience, The Painted Lady, Show Girl in Hollywood, The Massacre

Similar People
  
D W Griffith, Marshall Neilan, Billy Bitzer, Wilfred Lucas, Raymond Hackett

Blanche sweet biography


Sarah Blanche Sweet (June 18, 1896 – September 6, 1986) was an American silent film actress who began her career in the earliest days of the Hollywood motion picture film industry.

Contents

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Tribute to blanche sweet bee caves ragtime


Early life

Blanche Sweet httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Born Sarah Blanche Sweet (though the first name Sarah was rarely used) in Chicago, Illinois in 1896, daughter of Pearl, a dancer, and Gilbert Sweet, a wine merchant. Her mother died when Blanche was an infant, and she was brought up by her maternal grandmother Cora Alexander - and known as Blanche Alexander.

Blanche Sweet Silence is Platinum Miss Blanche Sweet

Cora Alexander found her many parts as a young child. At age four she toured in a play called The Battle of the Strong with Marie Burroughs and Maurice Barrymore.

Blanche Sweet Blanche Sweet Silent Movie Star goldensilentscom

A decade later Sweet acted with Barrymore's son Lionel in a D. W. Griffith directed film. In 1909, she started work at Biograph Studios under contract to director D. W. Griffith. By 1910 she had become a rival to Mary Pickford, who had also started for Griffith the year before.

Rise to stardom

Blanche Sweet Silence is Platinum Miss Blanche Sweet

Sweet was known for her energetic, independent roles, at variance with the 'ideal' Griffith type of vulnerable, often fragile, femininity. After many starring roles, her first real landmark film was the 1911 Griffith thriller The Lonedale Operator. In 1913 she starred in Griffith's first feature-length film, Judith of Bethulia. In 1914 Sweet was initially cast by Griffith in the part of Elsie Stoneman in his epic The Birth of a Nation but the role was eventually given to rival actress Lillian Gish, who was Sweet's senior by three years. That same year Sweet parted ways with Griffith and joined Paramount (then Famous Players-Lasky) for the much higher pay that studio was able to afford.

Because the Biograph company refused to reveal the names of its actors, the British distributor M. P. Sales billed Sweet as Daphne Wayne.

Throughout the 1910s, Sweet continued her career appearing in a number of highly prominent roles in films and remained a publicly popular leading lady. She often starred in vehicles by Cecil B. DeMille and Marshall Neilan, and she was recognised by leading film critics of the time to be one of the foremost actresses of the entire silent era. It was during her time working with Neilan that the two began a publicized affair, which brought on his divorce from former actress Gertrude Bambrick. Sweet and Neilan married in 1922. The union ended in 1929 with Sweet charging that Neilan was a persistent adulterer.

During the early 1920s Sweet's career continued to prosper, and she starred in the first film version of Anna Christie in 1923. The film is also notable as being the first Eugene O'Neill play to be made into a motion picture. In successive years, she starred in Tess of the d'Urbervilles and The Sporting Venus, both directed by Neilan. Sweet soon began a new career phase as one of the newly formed MGM studio's biggest stars.

Sound film and later career

As the Roaring Twenties wound down, Sweet's career faltered with the advent of talkies. Sweet made just three talking pictures, including her critically lauded performance in 1930's Show Girl in Hollywood, before retiring from the screen that same year and marrying stage actor Raymond Hackett in 1935. The marriage lasted until Hackett's death in 1958.

Sweet spent the remainder of her performing career in radio and in secondary Broadway stage roles. Eventually, her career in both of these fields petered out, and she began working in a Los Angeles department store. In the late 1960s, her acting legacy was resurrected when film scholars invited her to Europe to receive recognition for her work.

In 1980 Sweet was one of the many featured surviving silent film stars interviewed at length in Kevin Brownlow's one-of-a-kind documentary about the silent film era Hollywood.

Sweet is the subject of a 1982 documentary by Anthony Slide, titled "Portrait of Blanche Sweet," in which she talks of her life and her career. On September 24, 1984, a tribute to Blanche Sweet was held at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Miss Sweet introduced her 1925 film, The Sporting Venus.

Death

Sweet died in New York City of a stroke, on September 6, 1986, just weeks after her 90th birthday. Her ashes were later scattered at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens.

Filmography

Actress
1960
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (TV Series) as
Mrs. Dowell
- Where There's a Will (1960) - Mrs. Dowell
1959
The Five Pennies as
Headmistress of School (uncredited)
1958
The Thin Man (TV Series) as
Mrs. Durkem - Neighbor / Mrs. Durkem
- I Loathe You, Darling (1958) - Mrs. Durkem - Neighbor
- Pack My Gat, Beulah (1958) - Mrs. Durkem
1930
The Silver Horde as
Queenie
1930
Show Girl in Hollywood as
Donny Harris
1930
The Woman Racket as
Julia
1929
Always Faithful (Short) as
Mrs. George W. Mason
1929
The Woman in White as
Laura Fairlie / Anne Catherick
1927
Singed as
Dolly Wall
1926
Diplomacy as
Dora Weymouth
1926
The Far Cry as
Claire Marsh
1926
The Lady from Hell as
Lady Margaret Darnely
1925
Bluebeard's Seven Wives as
Juliet
1925
The New Commandment as
Renee Darcourt
1925
Why Women Love as
Molla Hansen
1925
His Supreme Moment as
Carla King
1925
The Sporting Venus as
Lady Gwendolyn
1924
Tess of the D'Urbervilles as
Teresa "Tess" Durbeyfield
1924
Those Who Dance as
Rose Carney
1923
The Human Mill
1923
Anna Christie as
Anna Christie
1923
In the Palace of the King as
Dolores Mendoza
1923
The Meanest Man in the World as
Jane Hudson
1923
Souls for Sale as
Blanche Sweet (uncredited)
1922
Quincy Adams Sawyer as
Alice Pettengill
1921
That Girl Montana as
Montana Rivers
1920
Her Unwilling Husband as
Mavis
1920
Help Wanted - Male as
Leona Stafford
1920
The Girl in the Web as
Esther Maitland
1920
Simple Souls as
Molly Shine
1920
The Deadlier Sex as
Mary Willard
1919
Fighting Cressy as
Cressy
1919
A Woman of Pleasure as
Alice Dane
1919
The Hushed Hour as
Virginia Appleton Blodgett
1919
The Unpardonable Sin as
Alice Parcot / Dinny Parcot
1917
The Silent Partner as
Jane Colby
1917
The Tides of Barnegat as
Jane Cobden
1917
Those Without Sin as
Melanie Landry
1917
The Evil Eye as
Dr. Katherine Torrance
1916
Unprotected as
Barbara King
1916
The Storm as
Natalie Raydon
1916
Public Opinion as
Hazel Gray
1916
The Dupe as
Ethel Hale
1916
The Thousand-Dollar Husband as
Olga Nelson
1916
The Sowers as
Karin Dolokhof
1916
The Blacklist as
Vera Maroff
1916
The Ragamuffin as
Jenny
1915
The Secret Sin as
Edith Martin / Grace Martin
1915
The Case of Becky as
Dorothy / Becky
1915
The Secret Orchard as
Diane
1915
The Clue as
Christine Lesley
1915
Stolen Goods as
Margery Huntley
1915
The Captive as
Sonya Martinovich
1915
The Warrens of Virginia as
Agatha Warren
1914
The Old Maid (Short) as
Dorothy
1914
The Little Country Mouse (Short) as
Dorothy
1914
The Odalisque (Short) as
May - A Stock Girl
1914
The Tear That Burned (Short) as
Meg - the Wild Girl
1914
For Her Father's Sins (Short) as
Mary Ashton
1914
Her Awakening (Short) as
Mary
1914
For Those Unborn (Short) as
Mae
1914
Men and Women (Short) as
Agnes Rodman - Stephen's Daughter
1914
The Second Mrs. Roebuck (Short) as
Mabel Mack
1914
The Painted Lady (Short) as
Jane - the Elder Sister
1914
The Avenging Conscience: or 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' as
Anabel - The Nephew's Sweetheart
1914
The Escape as
May Joyce
1914
The Soul of Honor (Short) as
Nancy Potter - the Son's Wife
1914
Home, Sweet Home as
The Wife
1914
Ashes of the Past (Short) as
Connie - the Gambler's Wife
1914
Strongheart (Short) as
Dorothy Nelson - Frank's Sister
1914
Judith of Bethulia as
Judith
1914
Classmates (Short) as
Sylvia Randolph
1914
The Sentimental Sister (Short)
1913
The Wedding Gown (Short)
1913
Her Wedding Bell (Short) as
The Young Woman
1913
Beyond All Law (Short)
1913
The House of Discord (Short) as
The Wife
1913
A Cure for Suffragettes (Short)
1913
Two Men of the Desert (Short) as
The Authoress
1913
The Vengeance of Galora (Short)(unconfirmed)
1913
The Coming of Angelo (Short) as
Teresa
1913
The Mistake (Short) as
The Wife
1913
Death's Marathon (Short) as
The Wife
1913
If We Only Knew (Short) as
The Mother
1913
The Stolen Bride (Short) as
The Grower's Daughter
1913
The Hero of Little Italy (Short) as
Maria
1913
Broken Ways (Short) as
The Road Agent's Wife
1913
Love in an Apartment Hotel (Short) as
The Young Woman
1913
A Chance Deception (Short) as
The Wife
1913
Oil and Water (Short) as
Mlle. Genova
1913
Pirate Gold (Short) as
The Daughter
1913
Three Friends (Short) as
The Wife
1912
The God Within (Short) as
The Woman of the Camp
1912
The Massacre (Short) as
Stephen's Ward
1912
A Sailor's Heart (Short) as
The Sailor's Second Sweetheart
1912
The Painted Lady (Short) as
The Older Sister
1912
The Chief's Blanket (Short) as
The Young Woman
1912
Blind Love (Short) as
The Young Woman
1912
A Pueblo Romance (Short)
1912
A Change of Spirit (Short) as
The Young Woman
1912
With the Enemy's Help (Short) as
The Prospector's Wife
1912
Man's Lust for Gold (Short) as
The Prospector's Daughter
1912
The Spirit Awakened (Short) as
The Young Woman
1912
A Temporary Truce (Short) as
Alice Hardy - the Prospector;s Wife
1912
An Outcast Among Outcasts (Short) as
The Young Woman
1912
The Lesser Evil (Short) as
The Young Woman
1912
One Is Business, the Other Crime (Short) as
The Rich Wife
1912
The Punishment (Short) as
The Fruit Grower's Daughter
1912
The Goddess of Sagebrush Gulch (Short) as
The Goddess
1912
A String of Pearls (Short) as
The Brother's Sweetheart
1912
Under Burning Skies (Short) as
Emily
1912
A Sister's Love (Short) as
The Second Sister
1912
The Transformation of Mike (Short) as
The Tenement Girl
1912
For His Son (Short) as
The Son's Fiancée
1912
The Old Bookkeeper (Short) as
The Old Bookkeeper's Employer's Wife
1912
The Eternal Mother (Short) as
Martha - the Wife
1911
The Voice of the Child (Short) as
The Wife
1911
A Woman Scorned (Short)
1911
The Miser's Heart (Short) as
Neighbor
1911
Through Darkened Vales (Short) as
Grace
1911
The Battle (Short) as
The Boy's Sweetheart
1911
Love in the Hills (Short) as
The Mountain Girl
1911
The Long Road (Short) as
Edith
1911
The Making of a Man (Short) as
The Young Woman
1911
The Stuff Heroes Are Made Of (Short) as
Alice
1911
The Villain Foiled (Short) as
Miss Page
1911
The Blind Princess and the Poet (Short) as
The Princess
1911
Out from the Shadow (Short) as
Mrs. Vane
1911
The Last Drop of Water (Short) as
Mary
1911
A Country Cupid (Short) as
Edith - the School Teacher
1911
The Indian Brothers (Short) as
Indian
1911
Fighting Blood (Short)
1911
The Primal Call (Short)
1911
Enoch Arden: Part I (Short) as
On the Beach
1911
The Smile of a Child (Short) as
The Peasant Woman
1911
The White Rose of the Wilds (Short) as
White Rose
1911
The New Dress (Short) as
At Wedding / At Market
1911
The Country Lovers (Short) as
The Country Lover
1911
How She Triumphed (Short) as
Mary
1911
The Broken Cross (Short)
1911
Priscilla and the Umbrella (Short) as
The Sister
1911
The Spanish Gypsy (Short)
1911
Priscilla's April Fool Joke (Short) as
On Lawn
1911
The Lonedale Operator (Short) as
The Telegrapher
1911
Was He a Coward? (Short) as
Kate - the Rancher's Daughter
1911
A Decree of Destiny (Short)
1911
The Lily of the Tenements (Short)
1911
His Daughter (Short)
1911
Heart Beats of Long Ago (Short)
1911
The Two Paths (Short)
1910
Love in Quarantine (Short)
1910
A Flash of Light (Short)
1910
The Kid (Short)(unconfirmed)
1910
A Romance of the Western Hills (Short)
1910
All on Account of the Milk (Short) as
The Maid
1910
The Rocky Road (Short) as
The Daughter - at Eighteen
1909
Choosing a Husband (Short) as
One of Gladys' Friends
1909
The Day After (Short) as
The New Year
1909
To Save Her Soul (Short) as
Backstage at Debut / At Party
1909
In Little Italy (Short) as
At the Ball
1909
A Corner in Wheat (Short) as
Woman in White Hat / Visitor to the Grain Elevator (uncredited)
1909
A Man with Three Wives (Short)
Producer
1919
The Unpardonable Sin (producer)
Soundtrack
1930
Show Girl in Hollywood (performer: "There's a Tear for Every Smile in Hollywood" (1930) - uncredited)
1930
The Woman Racket (performer: "He's Good Enough for Me" - uncredited)
Self
1982
Before the Nickelodeon: The Early Cinema of Edwin S. Porter (Documentary) as
Narrator (voice)
1980
Hollywood (TV Mini Series documentary) as
Self
- The Man with the Megaphone (1980) - Self
- Out West (1980) - Self
- Hollywood Goes to War (1980) - Self
- Pioneers (1980) - Self
1975
Camera Three (TV Series) as
Self
- D.W. Griffith: The Biograph Years (1975) - Self
1975
D.W. Griffith (TV Movie documentary) as
Self
1971
The Merv Griffin Show (TV Series) as
Self
- Roehauer Film Festival (1971) - Self
1966
Girl Talk (TV Series) as
Self
- Episode dated 9 December 1966 (1966) - Self
- Episode dated 1 March 1966 (1966) - Self
1963
This Is Your Life (TV Series documentary) as
Self
- Bessie Love (1963) - Self
1959
The Twentieth Century (TV Series documentary) as
Self
- The Movies Learn to Talk (1959) - Self
1930
Fashion News (Documentary short) as
Self (1930)
1930
The Voice of Hollywood No. 11 (Short) as
Self (uncredited)
1925
Screen Snapshots No. 2 (Documentary short) as
Self
1922
Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 6 (Documentary short) as
Self
1920
Screen Snapshots, Series 1, No. 6 (Documentary short) as
Self
Archive Footage
2020
Disclosure (Documentary) as
Judith
2008
Catalogue of Ships (Documentary)
1993
American Masters (TV Series documentary) as
Self
- D.W. Griffith: Father of Film (1993) - Self
1985
Proposta in quattro parti (TV Movie documentary)
1979
Brave New Cowboy (Documentary) as
Blanche Street (uncredited)
1976
The Amazing Years of Cinema (TV Mini Series documentary)
- The Epics (1976)
1947
Flicker Flashbacks No. 2, Series 5 (Documentary short) as
Self (uncredited)
1945
Flicker Flashbacks No. 3, Series 2 (Short)(uncredited)
1944
Twenty Years After (Short)
1939
Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 12 (Documentary short) as
Self
1933
March of the Movies as
Self - film clip (uncredited)
1932
The Movie Album #2 (Short)
1931
The House That Shadows Built (Documentary)

References

Blanche Sweet Wikipedia


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