Dorothy Davenport
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Davenport was an American
actress, screenwriter
, film director
, and producer
who appeared in silent film
for Biograph Studios
under the direction of D.W. Griffith.
, was considered one of the great actresses of the time. Her father, Harry Davenport, was a Broadway
star. With her background on the stage, she was in her early teens when she started playing bit parts in the fledgling film industry.
By the time she was 17, she was a star at Universal
. Davenport was a horsewoman
of distinction, and did many of her own stunts in films. While with Universal, she would meet a young actor (and assistant director-gopher-scenariowriter) named Wallace Reid
. The two soon became involved in a relationship. They married on October 13, 1913.
Davenport and Reid continued to work together as he directed and starred with her in two films per week for the next year. When Wallace left Universal, Dorothy also left films, only to return in 1916 to appear in a small number of movies.
to Reid to which he became addicted. Reid's health slowly grew worse over the next few years, and he died of the addiction in 1923. After Reid's death, Davenport and Thomas Ince
co-produced the film Human Wreckage
(1923) with James Kirkwood, Sr.
, Bessie Love
and Lucille Ricksen, a film that dealt with the dangers of narcotics addiction. Davenport then took a break from film, and would not return to the screen again until directing and acting in The Red Kimono (1925). She would later direct Linda (1929), Sucker Money
(1933), Road to Ruin
(1934), and The Woman Condemned
(1934) and worked as a producer, writer, and dialogue director. Among her last credits are co-author of the screenplay for Footsteps in the Fog
(1955), and as dialogue director for The First Traveling Saleslady
(1956) with Ginger Rogers
.
She and husband Wallace Reid had two children. She was married to him until his death on 18 January 1923. She never remarried.
Dorothy Davenport died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
in 1977 in Woodland Hills, California. She is interred with her husband in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
who appeared in 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...
for Biograph Studios
Biograph Studios
Biograph Studios was a studio facility and film laboratory complex built in 1912 by the Biograph Company, formerly American Mutoscope and Biograph Company, at 807 E. 175th Street, in the Bronx, New York....
under the direction of D.W. Griffith.
Early career
Davenport's family was well known in the theater. Her aunt, Fanny DavenportFanny Davenport
Fanny Lily Gipsy Davenport was an English-American stage actress. The daughter of Edward Loomis Davenport and Fanny Vining, she was born in London, England, but was brought to America when a child and educated in the Boston public schools...
, was considered one of the great actresses of the time. Her father, Harry Davenport, was a Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
star. With her background on the stage, she was in her early teens when she started playing bit parts in the fledgling film industry.
By the time she was 17, she was a star at Universal
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. Davenport was a horsewoman
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
of distinction, and did many of her own stunts in films. While with Universal, she would meet a young actor (and assistant director-gopher-scenariowriter) named 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...
. The two soon became involved in a relationship. They married on October 13, 1913.
Davenport and Reid continued to work together as he directed and starred with her in two films per week for the next year. When Wallace left Universal, Dorothy also left films, only to return in 1916 to appear in a small number of movies.
Later career and husband's death
While filming on location in Oregon for The Valley of the Giants (1919), Wallace Reid was injured in a train wreck. As a remedy for the pain from this injury, studio doctors administered large doses of morphineMorphine
Morphine is a potent opiate analgesic medication and is considered to be the prototypical opioid. It was first isolated in 1804 by Friedrich Sertürner, first distributed by same in 1817, and first commercially sold by Merck in 1827, which at the time was a single small chemists' shop. It was more...
to Reid to which he became addicted. Reid's health slowly grew worse over the next few years, and he died of the addiction in 1923. After Reid's death, Davenport and Thomas 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"...
co-produced the film Human Wreckage
Human Wreckage
Human Wreckage was an independent silent film production by Dorothy Davenport, widow of actor Wallace Reid, who died on 18 January 1923 from complications of morphine addiction.-Production background:...
(1923) with James Kirkwood, Sr.
James Kirkwood, Sr.
James Kirkwood, Sr. was an American actor and director....
, Bessie Love
Bessie Love
Bessie Love was an American motion picture actress who achieved prominence mainly in the silent films and early talkies. With a small frame and delicate features, she played innocent young girls, flappers, and wholesome leading ladies. Her role in The Broadway Melody earned her a nomination for...
and Lucille Ricksen, a film that dealt with the dangers of narcotics addiction. Davenport then took a break from film, and would not return to the screen again until directing and acting in The Red Kimono (1925). She would later direct Linda (1929), Sucker Money
Sucker Money
Sucker Money is a 1933 American film directed by Dorothy Davenport and Melville Shyer.The film is also known as Victims of the Beyond in the United Kingdom.- Cast :*Mischa Auer as Swami Yomurda*Phyllis Barrington as Clare Walton...
(1933), Road to Ruin
Road to Ruin (1934 film)
Road to Ruin is a 1934 exploitation film directed by Dorothy Davenport, under the name "Mrs. Wallace Reid", and Melville Shyer, and written by Davenport with the uncredited contribution of the film's producer, Willis Kent...
(1934), and The Woman Condemned
The Woman Condemned
- Cast :*Claudia Dell as Barbara Hammond*Lola Lane as Jane Merrick*Richard Hemingway as Jerry Beall*Jason Robards Sr. as Jim Wallace*Paul Ellis as Dapper Dan*Douglas Cosgrove as Police Chief*Mischa Auer as Dr. Wagner*Sheila Bromley as The Actress...
(1934) and worked as a producer, writer, and dialogue director. Among her last credits are co-author of the screenplay for Footsteps in the Fog
Footsteps in the Fog
Footsteps in the Fog is a 1955 British crime film starring Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger, with a screenplay co-written by Lenore Coffee and Dorothy Davenport, and released by Columbia Pictures. It is based on the short story "The Interruption" by W.W...
(1955), and as dialogue director for The First Traveling Saleslady
The First Traveling Saleslady
The First Traveling Saleslady was a 1956 American film starring Ginger Rogers and Carol Channing. The cast includes James Arness, and a young Clint Eastwood . Commercially unsuccessful, it was among the films that helped to close RKO Pictures.-External links:...
(1956) with Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers
Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....
.
She and husband Wallace Reid had two children. She was married to him until his death on 18 January 1923. She never remarried.
Dorothy Davenport died at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
The Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital is a retirement community, with individual cottages, and a fully licensed, acute-care hospital, located at 23388 Mulholland Drive in Woodland Hills, California...
in 1977 in Woodland Hills, California. She is interred with her husband in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
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:...
.