Louise Dresser
Encyclopedia
Louise Dresser was an American actress.
Born Louise Josephine Kerlin in Evansville, Indiana
. Her father was a train conductor who died when she was fifteen years old. She had acted on the stage previously, being a Vaudeville
singer at age fifteen and her first film was The Glory of Clementina (1922), and her first starring role was in The City that Never Sleeps (1924).
She took her professional last name as a tribute to her good friend, songwriter Paul Dresser
. Dresser, the elder brother of novelist Theodore Dreiser
, was a popular songwriter of the turn of the 20th century. During the first presentations of the Academy Awards
in 1929 she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
for A Ship Comes In
.
She portrayed Empress Elizabeth in Paramount Pictures
's The Scarlet Empress
(1934
). Dresser's last film was Maid of Salem
(1937
). On television, she appeared in an episode spotlighting Buster Keaton
on Ralph Edwards
's program, This is Your Life
. She had known Keaton since he was a small boy with his parents in vaudeville
.
She was married twice. First, to Jack Gardner, who died in 1951, and to singer/songwriter, Jack Norworth
, whom she divorced. Dresser died in Woodland Hills, California, after surgery for an intestinal ailment, and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
. Dresser died without issue.
Born Louise Josephine Kerlin in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville, Indiana
Evansville is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Indiana and the largest city in Southern Indiana. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 117,429. It is the county seat of Vanderburgh County and the regional hub for both Southwestern Indiana and the...
. Her father was a train conductor who died when she was fifteen years old. She had acted on the stage previously, being a Vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
singer at age fifteen and her first film was The Glory of Clementina (1922), and her first starring role was in The City that Never Sleeps (1924).
She took her professional last name as a tribute to her good friend, songwriter Paul Dresser
Paul Dresser
Johann Paul Dresser, Jr. was a popular American songwriter of the late 19th century and early 20th century. As a child and adolescent he was frequently in trouble and spent several months in jail before joining a band of traveling minstrels...
. Dresser, the elder brother of novelist Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Dreiser
Theodore Herman Albert Dreiser was an American novelist and journalist of the naturalist school. His novels often featured main characters who succeeded at their objectives despite a lack of a firm moral code, and literary situations that more closely resemble studies of nature than tales of...
, was a popular songwriter of the turn of the 20th century. During the first presentations of the Academy Awards
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
in 1929 she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
for A Ship Comes In
A Ship Comes In
A Ship Comes In is a 1928 silent film which tells the story of immigrants coming to the United States. It stars Rudolph Schildkraut, Louise Dresser, Milton Holmes, Linda Landi, and Fritz Feld....
.
She portrayed Empress Elizabeth in 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...
's The Scarlet Empress
The Scarlet Empress
The Scarlet Empress is a 1934 historical drama film made by Paramount Pictures about the life of Catherine the Great. It was directed and produced by Josef von Sternberg from a screenplay by Eleanor McGeary, loosely based on the diary of Catherine arranged by Manuel Komroff...
(1934
1934 in film
-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
). Dresser's last film was Maid of Salem
Maid of Salem
Maid of Salem is a 1937 film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Frank Lloyd, and starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray.-Plot:It tells the story of a young girl in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692, who has an affair with adventurer...
(1937
1937 in film
The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US....
). On television, she appeared in an episode spotlighting Buster Keaton
Buster Keaton
Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton was an American comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face".Keaton was recognized as the...
on Ralph Edwards
Ralph Edwards
Ralph Livingstone Edwards was an American radio and television host and television producer.-Early career:Born in Merino, Colorado , Edwards worked for KROW-AM in Oakland, California while he was still in high school...
's program, This is Your Life
This Is Your Life
This Is Your Life is an American television documentary series broadcast on NBC, originally hosted by its producer, Ralph Edwards from 1952 to 1961. In the show, the host surprises a guest, and proceeds to take them through their life in front of an audience including friends and family.Edwards...
. She had known Keaton since he was a small boy with his parents in vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
.
She was married twice. First, to Jack Gardner, who died in 1951, and to singer/songwriter, Jack Norworth
Jack Norworth
Jack Norworth was a U.S. songwriter, singer and vaudeville performer.Norworth is credited as co-writer of a number of Tin Pan Alley hits. He wrote the lyrics of the song "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" in 1908, his most long lasting hit. But it wasn't until 1940 that he actually witnessed a Major...
, whom she divorced. Dresser died in Woodland Hills, California, after surgery for an intestinal ailment, and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California
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...
. Dresser died without issue.
Partial Filmography
- The Next CornerThe Next Corner (1924 film)The Next Corner is a 1924 silent melodrama produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures Corporation. It was directed by Sam Wood. It stars Dorothy Mackaill, Lon Chaney, Conway Tearle and Louise Dresser. The film has come down through the decades as a Chaney picture but...
(1924) - The Eagle (1925)
- The Goose WomanThe Goose WomanThe Goose Woman is a 1925 silent film drama directed by Clarence Brown and starring Louise Dresser with Jack Pickford as her son. The film was released by Universal Pictures...
(1925) - The Third DegreeThe Third DegreeThe Third Degree is a 1926 romance film directed by Michael Curtiz based the hit 1909 play of the same name written by Charles Klein and starring Helen Ware.A copy of this film is held by The Library of Congress. -Cast:...
(1926) - Mr. WuMr. WuMr. Wu is a 1927 silent movie about a Chinese patriarch who tries to exact revenge on the Englishman who seduced his daughter.-Cast:*Lon Chaney - Mr. Wu/Grandfather Wu*Louise Dresser - Mrs. Gregory*Renee Adoree - Wu Nang Ping...
(1927) - The Garden of EdenThe Garden of Eden (1928 film)The Garden of Eden is a 1928 silent movie starring Corinne Griffith. It was adapated from Avery Hopwood's short-lived stage production.-Cast:*Corinne Griffith - Toni LeBrun*Louise Dresser - Rosa*Lowell Sherman - Henri D'Avril...
(1928) - Madonna of Avenue AMadonna of Avenue AMadonna of Avenue A is a 1929 drama film directed by Michael Curtiz. It was produced and distributed by Warner Brothers. It starred Dolores Costello in one of her last silent films. This is reportedly a lost film...
(1929) - MammyMammy (1930 film)Mammy is a musical drama film with Technicolor sequences, released by Warner Brothers. The film starred Al Jolson and was a follow-up to his previous film, Say It With Songs ....
(1930) - State Fair (1933)
- The Scarlet EmpressThe Scarlet EmpressThe Scarlet Empress is a 1934 historical drama film made by Paramount Pictures about the life of Catherine the Great. It was directed and produced by Josef von Sternberg from a screenplay by Eleanor McGeary, loosely based on the diary of Catherine arranged by Manuel Komroff...
(1934)
External links
- Louise Dresser photo gallery NYP Library