Lenore Ulric
Encyclopedia
Lenore Ulric was a star of the Broadway
stage and Hollywood films of the silent-film
and early sound
era. Her father, Franz Xavier Ulrich, was a United States Army hospital steward. He gave his daughter the name Lenore because of his fondness for the Edgar Allan Poe
poem, "The Raven
." Miss Ulric dropped the H from her last name. She felt she was destined to become a stage actress from an early age. At the height of her stage career she was one of the brightest stars of the American theater.
. She played with stock companies in Grand Rapids, Michigan
and Chicago, Illinois. She worked briefly as a film actress for Essanay Studios
and joined another stock company in Schenectady, New York
. Lenore's first film efforts were
roles in The First Man (1911), A Polished Burglar (1911), Kilmeny (1915), and The Better Woman (1915). In 1915 she went to work for Pallas Pictures starring in several pictures that survive today at the Library of Congress
.
, Miss Ulric toured in a road company of The Bird of Paradise. She wrote to Belasco and in the fall of 1915 she made her New York debut at the Princess Theater in The Mark of the Beast. Soon she took part in The Heart of Wetona. Under Belasco's management Lenore played a variety of female roles. She was an Indian maid in Tiger Rose, a French-Canadian heroine in The Son-Daughter, and a Chinese girl in Kiki. One of Ulric's biggest hits for Belasco was in 1926's Lulu Belle where she played a prostitute, a genre that spawned several Broadway hits in the 1920s. The actress remained with Belasco until the autumn prior to his 1931 death.
. Some of the scenes were filmed in Alaska
. She was successful in a supporting role in Camille
, which starred Greta Garbo
. Ulric returned to Broadway in 1940, acting in The Fifth Column by Ernest Hemingway
and again in 1947, in a revival of Antony and Cleopatra
.
from 1928-1939.
Lenore Ulric died of heart failure in Rockland State Hospital, Orangeburg, New York
on December 30, 1970. She had been a patient there for several years. She was 78 years old. Miss Ulric was survived by an older sister, Mrs. Florence Ulric Smith of Croton-on-Hudson.
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...
stage and Hollywood films of 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...
and early sound
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
era. Her father, Franz Xavier Ulrich, was a United States Army hospital steward. He gave his daughter the name Lenore because of his fondness for the Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
poem, "The Raven
The Raven
"The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in January 1845. It is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a talking raven's mysterious visit to a distraught lover, tracing the man's slow descent into madness...
." Miss Ulric dropped the H from her last name. She felt she was destined to become a stage actress from an early age. At the height of her stage career she was one of the brightest stars of the American theater.
Early Theater and Silent Films
As a schoolgirl the youth obtained a job with a stock company in Milwaukee, WisconsinMilwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
. She played with stock companies in Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
and Chicago, Illinois. She worked briefly as a film actress 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:...
and joined another stock company in Schenectady, New York
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
. Lenore's first film efforts were
roles in The First Man (1911), A Polished Burglar (1911), Kilmeny (1915), and The Better Woman (1915). In 1915 she went to work for Pallas Pictures starring in several pictures that survive today at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.
Broadway
Just before she was discovered by theatrical producer David BelascoDavid 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,...
, Miss Ulric toured in a road company of The Bird of Paradise. She wrote to Belasco and in the fall of 1915 she made her New York debut at the Princess Theater in The Mark of the Beast. Soon she took part in The Heart of Wetona. Under Belasco's management Lenore played a variety of female roles. She was an Indian maid in Tiger Rose, a French-Canadian heroine in The Son-Daughter, and a Chinese girl in Kiki. One of Ulric's biggest hits for Belasco was in 1926's Lulu Belle where she played a prostitute, a genre that spawned several Broadway hits in the 1920s. The actress remained with Belasco until the autumn prior to his 1931 death.
Hollywood and Return to Theater
Lenore came to Hollywood in 1929 and appeared in Frozen Justice and South Sea Rose. She signed with Fox Film Corporation to make several films with an approximate salary of $650,000. Frozen Justice was directed by Allan DwanAllan Dwan
Allan Dwan was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer and screenwriter.-Early life:...
. Some of the scenes were filmed in Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. She was successful in a supporting role in Camille
Camille (1936 film)
Camille is an American romantic drama film directed by George Cukor and produced by Irving Thalberg and Bernard H. Hyman, from a screenplay by James Hilton, Zoe Akins and Frances Marion. The picture is based on the 1852 novel and play La Dame aux Camélias by Alexandre Dumas, fils...
, which starred Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo
Greta Garbo , born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson, was a Swedish film actress. Garbo was an international star and icon during Hollywood's silent and classic periods. Many of Garbo's films were sensational hits, and all but three were profitable...
. Ulric returned to Broadway in 1940, acting in The Fifth Column by Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Hemingway
Ernest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
and again in 1947, in a revival of Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra
Antony and Cleopatra is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607. It was first printed in the First Folio of 1623. The plot is based on Thomas North's translation of Plutarch's Lives and follows the relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony...
.
Personal life
Ulric was married to actor Sidney BlackmerSidney Blackmer
Sidney Alderman Blackmer was an American actor.Blackmer was born and raised in Salisbury, North Carolina. He started off in an insurance and financial business but gave up on it. While working as a builder's laborer on a new building, he saw a Pearl White serial being filmed and immediately...
from 1928-1939.
Lenore Ulric died of heart failure in Rockland State Hospital, Orangeburg, New York
Orangeburg, New York
Orangeburg hamlet , in the Town of Orangetown Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Tappan; south of Blauvelt; east of Pearl River and west of Piermont...
on December 30, 1970. She had been a patient there for several years. She was 78 years old. Miss Ulric was survived by an older sister, Mrs. Florence Ulric Smith of Croton-on-Hudson.
External links
- Lenore Ulric NY Public Library, Billy Rose collection