Ann Little
Encyclopedia
Ann Little was an American
film actress whose career was most prolific during the silent film
era of the early 1910s through the early 1920s.
, she began appearing in a traveling stock theater group after graduating high school. After briefly relocating to San Francisco, California in the early 1910s, she made the transition to films; first appearing in one-reel Western shorts with actor and director Broncho Billy Anderson
. Her first film appearance was in the 1911 release The Indian Maiden's Lesson as a Native American
named 'Red Feather'. Little would often appear as Native American characters in many of her earliest films
By 1912, Little was appearing regularly in Thomas H. Ince
directed Western-themed serials, often as an "Indian princess" and usually starring opposite Francis Ford
, Grace Cunard
, Olive Tell
, Jack Conway
, Ethel Grandin
, early American child actress Mildred Harris
and notable early cowboy star Art Acord for Essanay Studios
. Between 1911 and 1914, Little would appear in approximately sixty shorts, the overwhelming majority of them Westerns and many of them serials that ran in installments. Other notable co-stars of the era included Harold Lockwood
, Jane Wolfe
, William Worthington
, Tom Chatterton
, and actor/director Frank Borzage
.
Although possibly best recalled for her appearances in Westerns, Ann Little showed versatility as an actress by appearing in a number of well received roles in other dramatic genres and even comedies. Most notably among her dramatic roles was the early American cinematic Civil War
serials directed by William J. Bauman and Thomas Ince. Another notable film of the period was the 1914 Ruth Ann Baldwin penned and Allan Dwan
adapted epic Damon and Pythias, which included a cast of thousands of extras. While signed under contract to Universal Studios
, she would make nearly six serials, most of them Western-themed one and two-reel dramas.
By 1917, Little was signed to Paramount Pictures
and often being paired with the highly successful actor Wallace Reid
in a number of popular dramas and comedies, and while allegedly tired of being typecast as an actress of Western serials starred opposite cowboy actor Jack Hoxie
in the popular 1919 serial Lightning Bryce. By the early 1920s however, Little would only take dramatic roles outside of the Western genre. Notable films of the period include the race-car adventure films The Roaring Road (1919) and Excuse My Dust (1920) with Wallace Reid, The Cradle of Courage with William S. Hart
and the crime-drama The Greatest Menace (1923) opposite Wilfred Lucas
.
, and rarely spoke of her years as a popular actress of film serials.
Ann Little died at age 93, in Los Angeles, California
, and was interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
, in Glendale
, Los Angeles County, California
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film actress whose career was most prolific during the silent film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era of the early 1910s through the early 1920s.
Life and career
Born Mary Brooks on a ranch near the town of Mount Shasta, CaliforniaMount Shasta, California
Mount Shasta is a city in Siskiyou County, California, located at around 3,600 ft on the flanks of Mount Shasta, a prominent northern California landmark. The city is less than southwest of the summit of its namesake volcano...
, she began appearing in a traveling stock theater group after graduating high school. After briefly relocating to San Francisco, California in the early 1910s, she made the transition to films; first appearing in one-reel Western shorts with actor and director Broncho Billy Anderson
Broncho Billy Anderson
Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson was an American actor, writer, film director, and film producer, who is best known as the first star of the Western film genre.-Early life:...
. Her first film appearance was in the 1911 release The Indian Maiden's Lesson as a Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
named 'Red Feather'. Little would often appear as Native American characters in many of her earliest films
By 1912, Little was appearing regularly in Thomas H. Ince
Thomas H. Ince
Thomas Harper Ince was an American silent film actor, director, screenwriter and producer of more than 100 films and pioneering studio mogul. Known as the "Father of the Western", he invented many mechanisms of professional movie production, introducing early Hollywood to the "assembly line"...
directed Western-themed serials, often as an "Indian princess" and usually starring opposite Francis Ford
Francis Ford (actor)
Francis Ford was a prolific film actor, writer, and director. He was the older brother of film director John Ford. He also appeared in many of John Ford's movies, including Young Mr. Lincoln and The Quiet Man.He starred in the 1912 two-reeler The Deserter by Thomas H. Ince and acted in over 400...
, Grace Cunard
Grace Cunard
Grace Cunard was an American actress, screenwriter and film director, who was also sister of actress Mina Cunard.-Career:...
, Olive Tell
Olive Tell
Olive Tell was a stage and screen actress from New York City.She graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1915....
, Jack Conway
Jack Conway (film-maker)
Jack Ryan Conway was a film director and film producer, as well as an actor of many films in the first half of the 20th century....
, Ethel Grandin
Ethel Grandin
Ethel Grandin was an American silent film actress.She was married to Ray C. Smallwood from 1912 until his death on February 23, 1964; they had a son named Arthur Smallwood .She began her acting career on stage appearing with Joseph Jefferson in Rip Van Winkle...
, early American child actress Mildred Harris
Mildred Harris
Mildred Harris was an American film actress. Harris began her career in the film industry as a popular child actress at age eleven. At the age of fifteen, she was cast as a harem girl in D. W. Griffith's Intolerance . She appeared as a leading lady through the 1920s but her career slowed with...
and notable early cowboy star Art Acord for Essanay Studios
Essanay Studios
The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was an American motion picture studio. It is best known today for its series of Charlie Chaplin comedies of 1915.-Founding:...
. Between 1911 and 1914, Little would appear in approximately sixty shorts, the overwhelming majority of them Westerns and many of them serials that ran in installments. Other notable co-stars of the era included Harold Lockwood
Harold Lockwood
Harold A. Lockwood was an American silent film actor and one of the most popular matinee idols of the early film period during the 1910s.-Career:...
, Jane Wolfe
Jane Wolfe
Jane Wolfe was an American silent film character actress and Thelemite.-Early life:A Pennsylvania Dutch, Wolfe was born in St. Petersburg, Pennsylvania on March 21, 1875...
, William Worthington
William Worthington
William Worthington may refer to:* William Worthington American silent film actor and director* William Worthington , Anglican priest and theological writer...
, Tom Chatterton
Tom Chatterton
Tom Chatterton was an American actor.Born in Geneva, New York, Chatterton began his film career in 1913 at the New York Motion Picture Company under director Thomas H. Ince. Although never a major star, Chatterton had several leading roles in early silent films...
, and actor/director Frank Borzage
Frank Borzage
Frank Borzage was an American film director and actor.-Biography:Frank Borzage's father, Luigi Borzaga, was born in Ronzone, in 1859. As a stonemason, he sometimes worked in Switzerland; he met his future wife, Maria Ruegg , where she worked in a silk factory...
.
Although possibly best recalled for her appearances in Westerns, Ann Little showed versatility as an actress by appearing in a number of well received roles in other dramatic genres and even comedies. Most notably among her dramatic roles was the early American cinematic Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
serials directed by William J. Bauman and Thomas Ince. Another notable film of the period was the 1914 Ruth Ann Baldwin penned and Allan Dwan
Allan Dwan
Allan Dwan was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer and screenwriter.-Early life:...
adapted epic Damon and Pythias, which included a cast of thousands of extras. While signed under contract to Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, she would make nearly six serials, most of them Western-themed one and two-reel dramas.
By 1917, Little was signed to Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
and often being paired with the highly successful actor Wallace Reid
Wallace Reid
Wallace Reid was an actor in silent film referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover".-Early life:Born William Wallace Reid in St...
in a number of popular dramas and comedies, and while allegedly tired of being typecast as an actress of Western serials starred opposite cowboy actor Jack Hoxie
Jack Hoxie
Jack Hoxie was an American rodeo performer and motion picture actor whose career was most prominent in the silent film era of the 1910s through the 1930s...
in the popular 1919 serial Lightning Bryce. By the early 1920s however, Little would only take dramatic roles outside of the Western genre. Notable films of the period include the race-car adventure films The Roaring Road (1919) and Excuse My Dust (1920) with Wallace Reid, The Cradle of Courage with William S. Hart
William S. Hart
William Surrey Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered for having "imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity."-Biography:...
and the crime-drama The Greatest Menace (1923) opposite Wilfred Lucas
Wilfred Lucas
Wilfred Lucas was a Canadian stage and film actor, film director, and screenwriter.-Career:A native of Ontario, Canada, Lucas headed to New York City to work in the theater, making his Broadway acting debut in 1904 at the Savoy Theater in the production of The Superstition of Sue...
.
Later years
While still at the peak of her public popularity, Ann Little retired from the motion picture industry in the early 1930s. In her later years she managed the popular Los Angeles hotel, the Chateau Marmont, on the Sunset StripSunset Strip
The Sunset Strip is the name given to the mile-and-a-half stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with Hollywood at Harper Avenue, to its western border with Beverly Hills at Sierra Drive...
, and rarely spoke of her years as a popular actress of film serials.
Ann Little died at age 93, in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and was interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park
Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a privately owned cemetery in Glendale, California. It is the original location of Forest Lawn, a chain of cemeteries in Southern California. The land was formerly part of Providencia Ranch.-History:...
, in Glendale
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
.
External links/sources
- Ann Little at Silent Era People
- Ann Little at the New York Times Movies
- Ann Little at AFI: American Film Institute