Martha Mansfield
Encyclopedia
Martha Mansfield was an American actress in silent films and vaudeville
stage plays.
City to Maurice and Harriett Gibson Ehrlich. Although many biographies state that Mansfield was born in Mansfield, Ohio, her birth record and death certificate both have New York City as her place of birth. In 1912, she was left in her mother's care after her father deserted the family. At the age of 18, she showed an aptitude for acting and began a stage career. Her advancement as a performer came quickly. For a time she was a dancer performing with the Ziegfeld Follies
.
Before she relocated to the west coast, Mansfield played leads in films produced by Famous Players-Lasky
. Her first Hollywood movie was Civilian Clothes (1920) directed by Hugh Ford. She gained prominence as Millicent Carew (originally offered to Tallulah Bankhead
) in the film adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
, which starred John Barrymore
. She appeared with Eugene O'Brien in The Perfect Lover (1919). The final completed features in her short film career were Potash and Permutter and The Leavenworth Case, both from 1923.
on the film The Warrens of Virginia
, Mansfield was severely burn
ed when a match
, tossed by a cast member, ignited her Civil War
costume of hoopskirts and flimsy ruffles. Mansfield was playing the role of Agatha Warren and had just finished her scenes and retired to a car when her clothing burst into flames. Her neck and face were saved when leading man Wilfred Lytell threw his heavy overcoat
over her. The chauffeur
of Mansfield's car was burned badly on his hands while trying to remove the burning clothing from the actress. The fire was put out, but she sustained substantial burns to her body.
She was rushed to a Physicians and Surgeons Hospital in San Antonio, where she died in less than twenty-four hours. Mansfield was 24 years old. Accompanied by actor Phillip Shorey, Mansfield's body was flown to her home in New York City
. Her mother resided there at 142 West Fifty-seventh Street. She was interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
, New York, United States
.
s to her mother, Harriet G. Ehrlich. Ehrlich said her daughter saved $40,000 in the last three years of her life which was invested in the bonds. Her estate included a platinum solitaire ring, cash, and $600 due from the Fox Film Company on her contract.
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...
stage plays.
Early life and career
Born Martha Ehrlich in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
City to Maurice and Harriett Gibson Ehrlich. Although many biographies state that Mansfield was born in Mansfield, Ohio, her birth record and death certificate both have New York City as her place of birth. In 1912, she was left in her mother's care after her father deserted the family. At the age of 18, she showed an aptitude for acting and began a stage career. Her advancement as a performer came quickly. For a time she was a dancer performing with the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
.
Before she relocated to the west coast, Mansfield played leads in films produced by Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company created on July 19, 1916 from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company -- originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays -- and Jesse L...
. Her first Hollywood movie was Civilian Clothes (1920) directed by Hugh Ford. She gained prominence as Millicent Carew (originally offered to Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Bankhead
Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was an award-winning American actress of the stage and screen, talk-show host, and bonne vivante...
) in the film adaptation of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920 film)
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1920 horror silent film, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released through Paramount/Artcraft. The film is based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and starring actor John Barrymore.The film was directed by John S....
, which starred John Barrymore
John Barrymore
John Sidney Blyth , better known as John Barrymore, was an acclaimed American actor. He first gained fame as a handsome stage actor in light comedy, then high drama and culminating in groundbreaking portrayals in Shakespearean plays Hamlet and Richard III...
. She appeared with Eugene O'Brien in The Perfect Lover (1919). The final completed features in her short film career were Potash and Permutter and The Leavenworth Case, both from 1923.
Death
On November 30, 1923, while working on location in San Antonio, TexasSan Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
on the film The Warrens of Virginia
The Warrens of Virginia (1924 film)
The Warrens of Virginia is a 1924 drama film directed by Elmer Clifton. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation.-Plot:As the American Civil War begins, Ned Burton leaves his Southern love, Agatha Warren, and joins the Union army...
, Mansfield was severely burn
Burn
A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
ed when a match
Match
A match is a tool for starting a fire under controlled conditions. A typical modern match is made of a small wooden stick or stiff paper. One end is coated with a material that can be ignited by frictional heat generated by striking the match against a suitable surface...
, tossed by a cast member, ignited her Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
costume of hoopskirts and flimsy ruffles. Mansfield was playing the role of Agatha Warren and had just finished her scenes and retired to a car when her clothing burst into flames. Her neck and face were saved when leading man Wilfred Lytell threw his heavy overcoat
Overcoat
An overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment. Overcoats usually extend below the knee, but are sometimes mistakenly referred to as topcoats, which are short coats that end at or above the knees. Topcoats and overcoats together are known as outercoats...
over her. The chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
of Mansfield's car was burned badly on his hands while trying to remove the burning clothing from the actress. The fire was put out, but she sustained substantial burns to her body.
She was rushed to a Physicians and Surgeons Hospital in San Antonio, where she died in less than twenty-four hours. Mansfield was 24 years old. Accompanied by actor Phillip Shorey, Mansfield's body was flown to her home 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...
. Her mother resided there at 142 West Fifty-seventh Street. She was interred at the Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx
Woodlawn Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries in New York City and is a designated National Historic Landmark.A rural cemetery located in the Bronx, it opened in 1863, in what was then southern Westchester County, in an area that was annexed to New York City in 1874.The cemetery covers more...
, New York, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Estate
Mansfield left an estate valued at only $2,473. However, she gave $22,000 in Liberty bondLiberty bond
A Liberty Bond was a war bond that was sold in the United States to support the allied cause in World War I. Subscribing to the bonds became a symbol of patriotic duty in the United States and introduced the idea of financial securities to many citizens for the first time. The Act of Congress which...
s to her mother, Harriet G. Ehrlich. Ehrlich said her daughter saved $40,000 in the last three years of her life which was invested in the bonds. Her estate included a platinum solitaire ring, cash, and $600 due from the Fox Film Company on her contract.
Filmography
- Max Comes Across (1917)
- Max Wants a Divorce (1917)
- Max in a Taxi (1917)
- Broadway Bill (1918)
- The Spoiled Girl (1918)
- The Hand Invisible (1919)
- The Perfect Lover (1919)
- Should a Husband Forgive? (1919)
- Women Men Love (1920)
- Mothers of Men (1920)
- Dr. Jekyll and Mr. HydeDr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1920 film)Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a 1920 horror silent film, produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released through Paramount/Artcraft. The film is based upon Robert Louis Stevenson's novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde and starring actor John Barrymore.The film was directed by John S....
(Uncredited, 1920) - Civilian Clothes (1920)
- The Wonderful Chance (1920)
- His Brother's Keeper (1921)
- Gilded Lies (1921)
- The Last Door (1921)
- A Man of Stone (1921)
- Queen of the Moulin Rouge (1922)
- Till We Meet Again (1922)
- The Woman in Chains (1923)
- Youthful Cheaters (1923)
- Little Red School House (1923)
- Fog Bound (1923)
- The Silent CommandThe Silent CommandThe Silent Command is a 1923 drama film directed by J. Gordon Edwards, and featuring Béla Lugosi as a foreign saboteur.The Silent Command is a story of the United States Navy, revolving around experiences of a naval captain, warships, merchantmen, sea storms, a spectacular wreck, and an enemy...
(1923) - Is Money Everything? (1923)
- Potash and Perlmutter (1923)
- The Leavenworth Case (1923)
- The Warrens of Virginia (1924)