Name Neva Gerber Nationality American Role Film actress | Occupation Actress Years active 1912-1930 | |
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Full Name Genevieve Dolores Gerber Other names Jean DoloresGenevieve Millett Movies The Trail of the Octopus, Officer 444 Spouse Edward Nolan (m. 1923), Arthur Millett (m. 1913–1914), William Munchoff (m. ?–1960) Parents S. Nelson Gerber, Jean Pullman Similar People Francis Ford, John Ford, Henry MacRae | ||
Cause of death Cerebral thrombosis | ||
Neva Gerber in a Badass Scene from THE TRAIL OF THE OCTOPUS
Neva Gerber (April 3, 1894 – January 2, 1974) was an American silent film actress who appeared in 128 films between 1912 and 1930.
Contents
- Neva Gerber in a Badass Scene from THE TRAIL OF THE OCTOPUS
- Early life and career
- Personal life
- Death
- References
Early life and career
She was born Genevieve Dolores Gerber in Argenta, Illinois to S. Nelson Gerber and Jean Pullman. Her parents separated when she was young and her mother moved her to Los Angeles, California. She was raised by nuns from the College of the Immaculate Heart. After the death of her father, Gerber's impoverished mother gave guardianship of her daughter to an attorney.
After her graduation from high school, Gerber became an actress and appeared in several one-reelers. Beginning in 1917, she starred in multiple serial films, and she is considered one of the top ten "serial queens" of the silent film period. She teamed with director and actor Ben F. Wilson in many of these productions, and starred in the first crude sound era serial, The Voice from the Sky, also directed by Wilson. However, her career stalled in 1930 after Wilson died from heart disease. Gerber retired from acting shortly thereafter.
Personal life
Gerber's first marriage was to actor Arthur Nelson Millett on July 22, 1913. They separated the following year. In 1915, she became engaged to director William Desmond Taylor. The two never married because Gerber was still married to Millett (their divorce became final in 1920). Taylor was murdered in February 1922. In 1923, Gerber married contractor Edward Dana Nolan. They later divorced and two more times. She remained married to her fourth husband, contractor William Munchoff, until his death in 1960.
Death
On January 2, 1974, Gerber died of a cerebral thrombosis in Palm Springs, California. She was buried in a pauper's grave in Desert Memorial Park in Cathedral City, California.