Julia Bruns
Encyclopedia
Julia Eliza Bruns was a stage and
silent film
actress from St. Louis, Missouri
. Once called the most beautiful girl in the world, she eventually succumbed to alcoholism and drug addiction and died at 32.
Bruns was a passenger in a Baldwin Red Devil
flown by Tony Jannus
, a contestant in a New York Times derby, on October 12, 1913. The plane ascended nearly 4,000 feet and flew for twenty minutes above the air at Oakwood Heights, Staten Island.
Bruns came to prominence as a model
. Her image was illustrated by artist James Montgomery Flagg
in 1917. She appeared on numerous magazine covers and Sunday feature pages.
, followed by a part in Help Wanted by Oliver Morosco
. For a number of years she appeared on stage in the United States
and Europe
.
She was among the players in the Willard Mack
theatrical drama Her Market Value. It was produced at the Olympic Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, in November 1916. The play had a cast of fifty. Bruns appeared in the comedy, The Squab Farm (1918). The play was staged at the Bijou Theatre
on Broadway, and Tallulah Bankhead
was among the performers.
Bruns was involved in an accident at the Loews 7th Avenue Theatre in New York City
, in 1918. The theatre closed for several days due to the incident. It reopened on October 7, with a presentation of The Blue Pearl.
She returned to New York in January 1920 after appearing as a vamp in London, England, in Business Before Pleasure and Potash and Perlmutter (1915). In the latter she played the role of a typist.
Bruns starred in Beware of Dogs (1920) at the Broadhurst Theatre
. The comedy showcased the talents of William Hodge. He wrote the play in addition to being among its featured performers.
(1917), and Quand on aime (1919). The first movie was directed by Lionel Barrymore
and released by Biograph Studios
located in the
Bronx, New York. Playing the role of Nell in At First Sight,
Bruns worked with actress Mae Murray
and actor Sam Hardy. Her
final film was made in France and paired her with actor Paul Guide' and
director Henry Houry.
, Babe, and Von Hindenburg, a German shepherd, came with her. Inside her cell, she kept her dogs and an autographed picture of Enrico Caruso. She was given a cigarette and began to talk freely with detectives. Bruns admitted stealing the jewels to obtain money to purchase narcotics.
Street, in New York City
, in 1927. She was discovered dying early on the evening of December 26 by automobile agency manager Charles H. Brile. Dr. Donato Bracco of 341 East 116th Street was notified but arrived after Bruns had succumbed.
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...
actress from St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. Once called the most beautiful girl in the world, she eventually succumbed to alcoholism and drug addiction and died at 32.
Bruns was a passenger in a Baldwin Red Devil
Baldwin Red Devil
The Baldwin Red Devil was a series of early pusher configuration aircraft employing steel tube construction. The aircraft were designed by Thomas Scott Baldwin, an early pioneer of airships.-Development:...
flown by Tony Jannus
Tony Jannus
Antony Habersack Jannus, more familiarly known as Tony Jannus , was an early American pilot whose aerial exploits were widely publicized in aviation's pre-World War I period. He flew the first airplane from which a parachute jump was made, in 1912. Jannus was also the first airline pilot, having...
, a contestant in a New York Times derby, on October 12, 1913. The plane ascended nearly 4,000 feet and flew for twenty minutes above the air at Oakwood Heights, Staten Island.
Bruns came to prominence as a model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. Her image was illustrated by artist James Montgomery Flagg
James Montgomery Flagg
James Montgomery Flagg was an American artist and illustrator. He worked in media ranging from fine art painting to cartooning, but is best remembered for his political posters....
in 1917. She appeared on numerous magazine covers and Sunday feature pages.
Theatrical player
Her first acting role was in The American Maid written by John Philip SousaJohn Philip Sousa
John Philip Sousa was an American composer and conductor of the late Romantic era, known particularly for American military and patriotic marches. Because of his mastery of march composition, he is known as "The March King" or the "American March King" due to his British counterpart Kenneth J....
, followed by a part in Help Wanted by Oliver Morosco
Oliver Morosco
Oliver Morosco was an American theatrical producer, director, writerand theater owner.-Biography:Born Oliver Mitchell in Logan, Utah, Morosco was raised in San Francisco, California...
. For a number of years she appeared on stage in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
She was among the players in the Willard Mack
Willard Mack
Willard Mack was a Canadian-born actor, director, and playwright.Born Charles McLaughlin, in Morrisburg, Ontario, at an early age his family moved to Brooklyn, New York. After two years, they relocated to Cedar Rapids, Iowa where McLaughlin finished high school...
theatrical drama Her Market Value. It was produced at the Olympic Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, in November 1916. The play had a cast of fifty. Bruns appeared in the comedy, The Squab Farm (1918). The play was staged at the Bijou Theatre
Bijou Theatre
Two Broadway theatres have been named the Bijou Theatre.The first was converted into a theatre in 1878 and rebuilt in 1883. It was often called the Bijou Opera House and was located at 1239 Broadway. It was also sometimes called The Brighton Theatre. It became a popular venue for operettas in...
on Broadway, and Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
was among the performers.
Bruns was involved in an accident at the Loews 7th Avenue Theatre in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in 1918. The theatre closed for several days due to the incident. It reopened on October 7, with a presentation of The Blue Pearl.
She returned to New York in January 1920 after appearing as a vamp in London, England, in Business Before Pleasure and Potash and Perlmutter (1915). In the latter she played the role of a typist.
Bruns starred in Beware of Dogs (1920) at the Broadhurst Theatre
Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a legitimate Broadway theatre located at 235 West 44th Street in midtown Manhattan.It was designed by architect Herbert J. Krapp, a well-known theatre designer who had been working directly with the Shubert brothers; the Broadhurst opened 27 September 1917...
. The comedy showcased the talents of William Hodge. He wrote the play in addition to being among its featured performers.
Movie career
She made three motion pictures in Hollywood. They are No Place For Father (1913), At First Sight(1917), and Quand on aime (1919). The first movie was directed by Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore
Lionel Barrymore was an American actor of stage, screen and radio. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in A Free Soul...
and released by 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....
located in the
Bronx, New York. Playing the role of Nell in At First Sight,
Bruns worked with actress Mae Murray
Mae Murray
Mae Murray was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "The Gardenia of the Screen"....
and actor Sam Hardy. Her
final film was made in France and paired her with actor Paul Guide' and
director Henry Houry.
Narcotics
In 1926 Bruns wrote a series of articles about her life as a drug addict and her effort to find a cure. She was jailed in Chicago, Illinois for theft of jewels worth $1,000 in September 1925. Bruns refused to accompany officers to jail unless her chow chowChow Chow
Chow chow is a breed of dog that was developed in China, where it is referred to as Songshi Quan , which literally means "puffy-lion dog".- Appearance :...
, Babe, and Von Hindenburg, a German shepherd, came with her. Inside her cell, she kept her dogs and an autographed picture of Enrico Caruso. She was given a cigarette and began to talk freely with detectives. Bruns admitted stealing the jewels to obtain money to purchase narcotics.
Death
Bruns died of alcohol poisoning in a furnished room at 109 East 105thStreet, in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, in 1927. She was discovered dying early on the evening of December 26 by automobile agency manager Charles H. Brile. Dr. Donato Bracco of 341 East 116th Street was notified but arrived after Bruns had succumbed.