Emma Dunn
Encyclopedia
Emma Dunn was an English-born American film actress. She appeared in 108 films between 1914 and 1948.
Dunn went on stage in her early teens, graduating to the London stage for several years and later became a noted Broadway actress. She appeared in the first American production of Ibsen's Peer Gynt (1906) with Richard Mansfield
as Peer. She played Peer's mother, Ase, even though she was, in real life, 20 years younger than Mansfield. She appeared in three productions for theatre impresario David Belasco
: The Warrens of Virginia (1907), The Easiest Way (1909) and The Governor's Lady
(1912). In The Easiest Way, Dunn portrayed Annie, who was black. She performed the role in blackface.
. This was Tourneur's first American film. Dunn's second film was 1920's Old Lady 31
, reprising the role she played in the 1916 play of the same name. One more silent film followed in 1924, Pied Piper Malone, before she made her talkie debut in Side Street
co-starring the Moore brothers, Matt, Owen
and Tom as her sons.
Dunn was born in Cheshire
, England
, and died in Los Angeles, California
.
Dunn went on stage in her early teens, graduating to the London stage for several years and later became a noted Broadway actress. She appeared in the first American production of Ibsen's Peer Gynt (1906) with Richard Mansfield
Richard Mansfield
Richard Mansfield was an English actor-manager best known for his performances in Shakespeare plays, Gilbert and Sullivan operas and for his portrayal of the dual title roles in Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
as Peer. She played Peer's mother, Ase, even though she was, in real life, 20 years younger than Mansfield. She appeared in three productions for theatre impresario David Belasco
David Belasco
David Belasco was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, where his Sephardic Jewish parents had moved from London, England, during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs,...
: The Warrens of Virginia (1907), The Easiest Way (1909) and The Governor's Lady
The Governor's Lady
The Governor's Lady was a theatrical play written by Alice Bradley, directed by David Belasco and produced by Belasco and his son-in-law David Elliott. It opened at the Republic Theatre in New York in September, 1912, and starred Emma Dunn, Emmett Corrigan, Gladys Hanson and Milton Sills. The...
(1912). In The Easiest Way, Dunn portrayed Annie, who was black. She performed the role in blackface.
Films
Dunn made her first film in 1914, a silent film of her 1910 stage success Mother, directed by Maurice TourneurMaurice Tourneur
Maurice Tourneur was an important international film director and screenwriter.-Life:Born Maurice Thomas in the Belleville district of Paris, France, his father was a jeweler. As a young man, Maurice Thomas first trained as a graphic designer and a magazine illustrator but was soon drawn to the...
. This was Tourneur's first American film. Dunn's second film was 1920's Old Lady 31
Old Lady 31
Old Lady 31 is a 1920 silent film produced and distributed by Metro Pictures and directed by John Ince. It is based on a novel by Louise Forsslund turned into a play by Rachel Crothers. The film starred actress Emma Dunn reprising her 1916 stage success for the screen...
, reprising the role she played in the 1916 play of the same name. One more silent film followed in 1924, Pied Piper Malone, before she made her talkie debut in Side Street
Side Street (1929 film)
Side Street is a 1929 black-and-white talking movie featuring the only screen teaming of all three Moore Brothers , each of them major silent film stars. George Raft also makes an unbilled appearance as a professional dancer—which Raft was at the time—dancing to the song "Take a Look at Her Now",...
co-starring the Moore brothers, Matt, Owen
Owen Moore
Owen Moore was an Irish-born actor in American films, appearing in more than 279 movies spanning from 1908 to 1937.-Life and career:...
and Tom as her sons.
Dunn was born in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and died 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...
.
Selected filmography
- Mother (1914)
- Old Lady 31Old Lady 31Old Lady 31 is a 1920 silent film produced and distributed by Metro Pictures and directed by John Ince. It is based on a novel by Louise Forsslund turned into a play by Rachel Crothers. The film starred actress Emma Dunn reprising her 1916 stage success for the screen...
(1920) - ManslaughterManslaughter (1930 film)Manslaughter is a 1930 film directed by George Abbott, and starring Claudette Colbert and Fredric March. An original print of the film is saved in the UCLA Film and Television Archive.-Cast:*Claudette Colbert as Lydia Thorne...
(1930) - The Bad SisterThe Bad SisterThe Bad Sister is a 1931 American drama film directed by Hobart Henley. The screenplay by Edwin H. Knopf, Tom Reed, and Raymond L. Schrock is based on the 1913 novel The Flirt by Booth Tarkington, which previously was filmed in 1916 and 1922...
(1931) - The Guilty GenerationThe Guilty GenerationThe Guilty Generation is a 1931 drama film directed by Rowland V. Lee, starring Leo Carrillo and featuring Boris Karloff.-Cast:* Leo Carrillo - Mike Palmiero* Constance Cummings - Maria Palmiero* Robert Young - Marco Ricca - aka John Smith...
(1931) with Boris KarloffBoris KarloffWilliam Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein... - Hell's HouseHell's HouseHell's House is a 1932 American drama film directed by Howard Higgin. The screenplay by Paul Gangelin and B. Harrison Orkow, set during the waning days of the Prohibition era, is based on a story by Higgin.-Plot:...
(1932) with Bette DavisBette DavisRuth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis was an American actress of film, television and theater. Noted for her willingness to play unsympathetic characters, she was highly regarded for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional... - Madame XMadame X (1937 film)Madame X is a drama film, a sanitized remake of several Pre-Code films of the same name. It was directed by Sam Wood with additional direction by Gustav Machatý .-Plot:...
(1937) - Thanks for the MemoryThanks for the Memory"Thanks for the Memory" is a popular song, with music composed by Ralph Rainger and lyrics by Leo Robin. It was introduced in the 1938 film The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Shep Fields and His Orchestra with vocals by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross...
(1938) with Bob HopeBob HopeBob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel... - Son of FrankensteinSon of FrankensteinSon of Frankenstein is the third film in Universal Studios' Frankenstein series and the last to feature Boris Karloff as the Monster as well as the first to feature Béla Lugosi as Ygor. It is a sequel to Bride of Frankenstein....
(1939) with Boris KarloffBoris KarloffWilliam Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
and Bela LugosiBéla LugosiBéla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his... - The Bridge of San Luis ReyThe Bridge of San Luis Rey (1944 film)The Bridge of San Luis Rey is a 1944 drama film made by Benedict Bogeaus Productions and released by United Artists. It was produced and directed by Rowland V. Lee with Benedict Bogeaus as co-producer. The screenplay by Howard Estabrook and Herman Weissman was adapted from the novel The Bridge of...
(1944) - Life with FatherLife with Father (film)Life with Father is a 1947 American comedy film. It tells the true story of Clarence Day, a stockbroker who wants to be master of his house, but finds his wife and his children ignoring him, until they start making demands for him to change his own life. In keeping with the autobiography, all the...
(1947) - The Woman in WhiteThe Woman in White (1948 film)The Woman in White is a 1948 film adaptation of Wilkie Collins' novel of the same name. It stars Alexis Smith, Eleanor Parker, Sydney Greenstreet, and Gig Young...
(1948)
External links
- Emma Dunn portraits(Univ. of Washington, Sayre)
- Emma Dunn photo gallery(NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection)