Louise Campbell (actress)

Louise Campbell Weisbecker (May 30, 1911 – November 5, 1997) was an American actress.[citation needed] Despite her success in Hollywood, she made it clear she preferred the stage.

Louise Campbell
Campbell in 1938
Born
Louise Campbell Weisbecker

(1911-05-30)May 30, 1911
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedNovember 5, 1997(1997-11-05) (aged 86)
Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
Resting placeSaint Mary's Cemetery, Norwalk, Connecticut, U.S.
EducationDePaul University
OccupationActress
Years active1930s–1980s
Spouse
(m. 1937; died 1971)
Children3
Parent(s)Joseph Weisbecker
Martha Langer

Campbell was a leading lady in the late 1930s films, notably Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937) and The Star Maker (1939).

Early years

edit

Campbell was born Louise Weisbecker in Chicago, Illinois. She had a sister named Ottilia.[1]

Campbell attended St. Michael's School.[2] Northwestern University][3] and DePaul University, studying dramatic arts at the latter.[4] She gained additional dramatic training at the Chicago School of Expression.[5] She said that when she was 6 years old, she decided to be an actress after she watched a production of Uncle Tom's Cabin.[6]

At one point, she worked as a dental assistant, an experience which she said was "invaluable to me in my acting" as she observed changes in patients' facial expressions in the dentist's office, with their changing expressions displaying "their real character."[4]

Stage

edit

Campbell gained early theatrical experience by performing in stock theater.[4] Her Broadway debut was in Three Men on a Horse (1935).[5] Her other Broadway credits include Julie the Great,[4] Guest in the House (1941), A House in the Country (1936) and White Man (1936).[7] A column in the June 13, 1942, issue of Billboard complimented "Louise Campbell, that fine actress, for a lovely, beautifully projected, altogether excellent performance in Guest in the House."[8]

Film

edit

Campbell went to Hollywood in 1937 and made 13 films in the 1930s and 1940s. Her film debut was in Bulldog Drummond Comes Back (1937).[4] Her film credits included Bulldog Drummond sequels Night Club Scandal (1937),[5] Men with Wings (1938), The Buccaneer (1938) with Fredric March, and The Star Maker (1939).[9]

Personal life

edit

Campbell was married to actor Horace McMahon, whom she met when they were both in the Broadway play Three Men on a Horse.[4] They wed in 1938 and remained married until his death in 1971.[5]

Death

edit

Campbell died November 5, 1997, in Norwalk Hospital in Norwalk, Connecticut.[10] She is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Norwalk, Connecticut.[10]

Filmography

edit
Year Title Role Notes
1937 Wild Money Judy McGowan
Bulldog Drummond Comes Back Phyllis Clavering
Night Club Scandal Vera Marsh
Bulldog Drummond's Revenge Phyllis Clavering
1938 The Buccaneer Marie de Remy
Scandal Street Nora Langdon
Bulldog Drummond's Peril Phyllis Clavering
Men with Wings Peggy Ranson
1939 Bulldog Drummond's Secret Police Woman in Drummond's Dream Uncredited, (archival footage)
The Star Maker Mary
1940 Emergency Squad Betty Bryant
Anne of Windy Poplars Catherine Pringle
Bowery Boy Anne Cleary
1947 Bush Pilot
Devil Ship Madge Harris (final film role)

References

edit
  1. ^ Lyon, Herb (June 13, 1961). "Tower Ticker". Chicago Tribune. p. Part 1-Page 14. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  2. ^ Harrison, Paul (April 10, 1938). "She's No Glamor Girl". The Zanesville Signal. Ohio, Zanesville. p. 18.
  3. ^ "Screen Names-Real Names". Modern Screen. 20 (3): 96. February 1940. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Oliver, Myrna (November 7, 1997). "Louise Campbell; Actress in 'Star Maker'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  5. ^ a b c d Sutton, Larry (November 6, 1997). "Actress McMahon Dead at 86". New York Daily News. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  6. ^ "They're Talking About -- Louise Campbell". Photoplay. LIII (3): 68. March 1939. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  7. ^ "("Louise Campbell" search results)". Playbill Vault. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  8. ^ Burr, Eugene (June 13, 1942). "From Out Front". Billboard. p. 10. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  9. ^ "Louise Campbell, Actress, 86". The New York Times. November 11, 1997. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  10. ^ a b Wilson, Scott (16 September 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9781476625997 – via Google Books.
edit