Florence Nash (née Ryan) (October 2, 1888 — April 2, 1950) was an American actress and author. She was sister to theater and movie actress, Mary Nash.
Florence Nash | |
|---|---|
 Nash in 1916 | |
| Born | Florence Ryan October 2, 1888 Troy, New York, U.S. |
| Died | April 2, 1950 (aged 61) Hollywood, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica, California |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1907–1939 |
| Relatives | Mary Nash (sister) |
Early life
editFlorence was born to James H. and Ellen Frances (née McNamara) Ryan. She and her sister adopted the surname of their stepfather, Philip F. Nash, a vaudeville booking executive, who married their mother after the death of their father, a lawyer. Nash was Catholic and a lifelong Democrat.[1]
Career
editShe began her acting career in 1907 and had her first hit in 1912 as Aggie Lynch in Within the Law. She was a noted theater actor and comedian in vaudeville until the 1930s (appearing in sketches including In 1999), when she moved to Hollywood to try her luck with films. Her most notable role was as "Nancy Blake" in the 1939 MGM blockbuster The Women.[2][3]
She also was the author of a book of verse, June Dusk, published in 1918.[4]
Death
editAfter her retirement from acting in 1939, she spent the next decade living comfortably in Hollywood, California where she died on April 2, 1950. She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Santa Monica, California.
Filmography
edit- Springtime (1914)
- It's a Great Life (1935)
- The Women (1939)
References
edit- ^ Morning News, January 10, 1948, Who Was Who in America (Vol. 2)
- ^ Florence Nash profile at IBDb (Accessed November 21, 2007)
- ^ New York Times, April 3, 1950, page 23, column 2, "Florence Nash, 60, Stage Comedienne; Retired Actress Who Scored First Hit in 'Within the Law' in 1912 Dies in Hollywood."
- ^ Nash, Florence. June Dusk, and Other Poems. Publisher New York: G.H. Doran Company, 1918; accessible online here (accessed November 21, 2007)
External links
edit
- Florence Nash at the Internet Broadway Database
- Florence Nash at IMDb
- Florence Nash portrait gallery NY Public Library Billy Rose collection