Leora Spellman (born Leora Theresa Spellmeyer; July 13, 1888 or 1890 – September 4, 1945) was an American vaudeville performer and stage and film actress and the wife of Charles B. Middleton.[1]
Leora Spellman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Spellman in 1911 | |
| Born | Leora Theresa Spellmeyer July 13, 1888/1890 Bonne Terre, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | September 4, 1945 (aged 57) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hollywood Forever Cemetery |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1905–1945 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Born Leora Theresa Spellmeyer in Bonne Terre, Missouri, she began singing on stage as a child, and as a young lady began working in vaudeville where she met and married fellow performer Charles Middleton in 1908.[2] They then teamed up to create a vaudeville act billed as "Middleton and Spellmeyer."
Using the stage name Laura Spellman, she worked primarily in live theatre, as did her husband, but in 1920 they made their silent film debut together in "Wits vs. Wits." However, she continued working on stage, and appeared in only two more films. Her husband eventually built a very successful career as a character actor in film, notably as "Emperor Ming" in the Flash Gordon serials.
Although sixteen years his junior, Leora Spellman predeceased her husband by four years, dying in 1945 in Los Angeles, California from a heart attack.[3] She is interred in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood next to her husband. Although most published sources list the year of her birth as 1890, her gravestone indicates she was born in 1888. The 1900 US Federal Census indicates age 12, with a birth month and year of July 1887, on an information sheet dated June 11, 1900. Ancestry.com
References
edit- ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 151. ISBN 978-0-7864-0983-9.
- ^ Mayer, Geoff (2017). Encyclopedia of American Film Serials. McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers. p. 206. ISBN 978-0-7864-7762-3.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1986). The illustrated encyclopedia of movie character actors. Harmony Books. p. 213. ISBN 978-0-517-56171-3.
External links
edit
  | This article about a United States singer is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about a United States film actor born in the 1890s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article about an American theatre actor born in the 1890s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |