Mary Miles Minter
Encyclopedia
Mary Miles Minter was an American film actress of the silent film
era.
, Minter was the daughter of Broadway actress Charlotte Shelby
. At the age of five, she accompanied older sister Margaret
on an audition only because no baby sitter was available, was noticed by the director and given her first part. After this she was frequently employed, widely noted for both her talent and visual appeal. In 1912, to avoid child labour laws in Chicago while her 10 year-old daughter was appearing in a play, Shelby obtained the birth certificate of a cousin and changed Juliet's name to Mary Miles Minter. She made her first feature film in 1915 at the age of 13, after which her career steadily grew.
Minter specialised in playing demure young women. With her photogenic "registration", even features, "periwinkle blue eyes" and curly hair, she emulated and later rivaled Mary Pickford
.
Her first film for director William Desmond Taylor
was Anne of Green Gables
in 1919
. The picture was well-received and Taylor actively promoted Minter as a star. A romantic relationship developed between them, which she later described as "a beautiful white flame." However, according to Minter (who had grown up fatherless), Taylor had reservations from the outset and later curtailed the romance, citing the thirty-year difference in their ages.
.
The ensuing scandal, coming in the wake of the Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle murder trial, was the subject of widespread media speculation and embellishment. Newspapers reported that coded love letters written by Minter had been found in his bungalow after his death (these were later shown to have been written three years earlier, in 1919). Minter was at the height of her success, having starred in more than 50 films and sensationalistic newspaper revelations of the twenty-year-old film star's association with a forty-nine-year-old murdered director caused rolling scandals.
There were several suspects (including her mother Charlotte Shelby) in the long investigation of Taylor's murder. In 1937, Minter publicly announced to the Los Angeles Examiner newspaper, "Now I demand that I either be prosecuted for the murder committed fifteen years ago, or exonerated completely. If the District Attorney has any evidence, he should prosecute. If not, then I should be exonerated... Shadows have been cast upon my reputation".
. Minter made four more films for Paramount, with her last film, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine
, being released in 1923. When the studio did not renew her contract, she received many other offers but declined them all, saying she had never been happy as an actress. In 1925, she sued her mother for an accounting of the money Shelby had received for her during her screen career. The case was settled out of court, with the settlement being signed by Minter and Shelby at the American Consulate in Paris, France, on January 24, 1927.
Minter commented she was content to live without her Hollywood career. She reconciled fully with her mother and proclaimed her love for Taylor throughout her long life. Minter had invested in Los Angeles real estate and seems to have lived in relative comfort and prosperity, although she was later the victim of several robberies during the 1970s and early 1980s. Police described her as a frail old woman and people were often shocked to learn she had once been a famous movie star. She died in 1984 from a stroke
in Santa Monica
.
For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Mary Miles Minter has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 1724 Vine Street.
were believed to have been lost. A print of her 1919 film, The Ghost of Rosy Taylor surfaced in New Zealand
in the 1990s. This film depicted her as an orphaned French
girl buffeted from job to job and escaping from a workhouse prison. Other known surviving films include Youth's Endearing Charm
(1916), A Dream or Two Ago
(1916), Innocence of Lizette
(1916), The Eyes of Julia Deep
(1918), Nurse Marjorie (1920), A Cumberland Romance (1920) and The Little Clown (1921).
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...
era.
Early life and rise to stardom
Born Juliet Reilly in Shreveport, LouisianaShreveport, Louisiana
Shreveport is the third largest city in Louisiana. It is the principal city of the fourth largest metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana and is the 109th-largest city in the United States....
, Minter was the daughter of Broadway actress Charlotte Shelby
Charlotte Shelby
Charlotte Shelby was a popular Broadway actress in her youth and was long noted as a suspect in the murder of Hollywood director William Desmond Taylor.-Stage mother to scandal:...
. At the age of five, she accompanied older sister Margaret
Margaret Shelby
Margaret Shelby was an American stage and motion picture actress, daughter of actress Charlotte Shelby, older sister of silent film star Mary Miles Minter and one of many public figures noted in the scandals which followed the murder of William Desmond Taylor in 1922.-Film career:Born as Margaret...
on an audition only because no baby sitter was available, was noticed by the director and given her first part. After this she was frequently employed, widely noted for both her talent and visual appeal. In 1912, to avoid child labour laws in Chicago while her 10 year-old daughter was appearing in a play, Shelby obtained the birth certificate of a cousin and changed Juliet's name to Mary Miles Minter. She made her first feature film in 1915 at the age of 13, after which her career steadily grew.
Minter specialised in playing demure young women. With her photogenic "registration", even features, "periwinkle blue eyes" and curly hair, she emulated and later rivaled Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
.
Her first film for director William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor was an Irish-born American actor, successful film director of silent movies and a popular figure in the growing Hollywood film colony of the 1910s and early 1920s...
was Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables (1919 film)
Anne of Green Gables is a silent film directed by William Desmond Taylor based upon the novel, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This version is notable for having been adapted by famed female screenwriter Frances Marion...
in 1919
1919 in film
The year 1919 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*February 5 - Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks and D.W. Griffith launch United Artists...
. The picture was well-received and Taylor actively promoted Minter as a star. A romantic relationship developed between them, which she later described as "a beautiful white flame." However, according to Minter (who had grown up fatherless), Taylor had reservations from the outset and later curtailed the romance, citing the thirty-year difference in their ages.
Scandal
In 1922, Taylor was murdered in his home. In a 1970 interview during which she described Taylor as her "mate," Minter recalled how she broke down and sobbed when she was allowed to view (and touch) the director's body in a morgueMorgue
A morgue or mortuary is used for the storage of human corpses awaiting identification, or removal for autopsy or disposal by burial, cremation or otherwise...
.
The ensuing scandal, coming in the wake of the Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle murder trial, was the subject of widespread media speculation and embellishment. Newspapers reported that coded love letters written by Minter had been found in his bungalow after his death (these were later shown to have been written three years earlier, in 1919). Minter was at the height of her success, having starred in more than 50 films and sensationalistic newspaper revelations of the twenty-year-old film star's association with a forty-nine-year-old murdered director caused rolling scandals.
There were several suspects (including her mother Charlotte Shelby) in the long investigation of Taylor's murder. In 1937, Minter publicly announced to the Los Angeles Examiner newspaper, "Now I demand that I either be prosecuted for the murder committed fifteen years ago, or exonerated completely. If the District Attorney has any evidence, he should prosecute. If not, then I should be exonerated... Shadows have been cast upon my reputation".
Later life
In late 1922, several months following Taylor's death, Minter became romantically involved for a time with then-Los Angeles news correspondent and film critic Louis Sherwin, who had at one time been married to actress Maude FealyMaude Fealy
Maude Fealy was an American stage and film actress who appeared in nearly every film made by Cecil B. DeMille in the post silent film era.-Early life:...
. Minter made four more films for Paramount, with her last film, The Trail of the Lonesome Pine
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1923 film)
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is a 1923 silent drama film directed by Charles Maigne. It is based on the novel of the same name.-Cast:* Mary Miles Minter - June Tolliver* Antonio Moreno - John Hale* Ernest Torrence - 'Devil' Jud Tolliver...
, being released in 1923. When the studio did not renew her contract, she received many other offers but declined them all, saying she had never been happy as an actress. In 1925, she sued her mother for an accounting of the money Shelby had received for her during her screen career. The case was settled out of court, with the settlement being signed by Minter and Shelby at the American Consulate in Paris, France, on January 24, 1927.
Minter commented she was content to live without her Hollywood career. She reconciled fully with her mother and proclaimed her love for Taylor throughout her long life. Minter had invested in Los Angeles real estate and seems to have lived in relative comfort and prosperity, although she was later the victim of several robberies during the 1970s and early 1980s. Police described her as a frail old woman and people were often shocked to learn she had once been a famous movie star. She died in 1984 from a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
in Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
.
For her contributions to the motion picture industry, Mary Miles Minter has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 1724 Vine Street.
Film legacy
By 1999, all prints of her film Anne of Green GablesAnne of Green Gables (1919 film)
Anne of Green Gables is a silent film directed by William Desmond Taylor based upon the novel, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This version is notable for having been adapted by famed female screenwriter Frances Marion...
were believed to have been lost. A print of her 1919 film, The Ghost of Rosy Taylor surfaced in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in the 1990s. This film depicted her as an orphaned French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
girl buffeted from job to job and escaping from a workhouse prison. Other known surviving films include Youth's Endearing Charm
Youth's Endearing Charm
Youth's Endearing Charm is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by William C. Dowlan. The film stars Mary Miles Minter, Wallace McDonald and Harry von Meter. The script for the film was adapted by J...
(1916), A Dream or Two Ago
A Dream or Two Ago
A Dream or Two Ago is a 1916 silent film directed by James Kirkwood. The film was one of the few films of Mary Miles Minter which survived. The film was restored in 2004 and was shown along with Innocence of Lizette at a Dutch film festival....
(1916), Innocence of Lizette
Innocence of Lizette
Innocence of Lizette is a 1916 silent film directed by James Kirkwood. The film was one of the few films of Mary Miles Minter which survived. The film was restored in the Netherlands in 2004 and is shown in several European film festivals.-Plot:...
(1916), The Eyes of Julia Deep
The Eyes of Julia Deep
The Eyes of Julia Deep is a 1918 silent film starring Mary Miles Minter, directed by Lloyd Ingraham. The film is based on the short story by the same name, written by Kate L. McLaurin. It is one of the few films starring Minter which are known to have survived.-Plot:Julia Deep is a young woman...
(1918), Nurse Marjorie (1920), A Cumberland Romance (1920) and The Little Clown (1921).
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1912 | The Nurse | - | as Juliet Shelby |
| 1915 | The Fairy and the Waif The Fairy and the Waif The Fairy and the Waif is a 1915 silent film directed by Marie Hubert Frohman and George Irving. The film was the debut of actress Mary Miles Minter, who was twelve years old by the time of the release.-Plot:... |
Viola Drayton, the Fairy | |
| Always in the Way Always in the Way Always in the Way is a 1915 silent film directed by J. Searle Dawley. The film, which was based on the song with the same name, was partially filmed on the Bahamas.-Plot:... |
Dorothy North | ||
| Emmy of Stork's Nest Emmy of Stork's Nest Emmy of Stork's Nest is a 1915 silent film directed by William Nigh. The film is based upon the novel Stork's Nest by J. Breckenridge Ellis and was shot on location.-Plot:... |
Emmy Garrett | ||
| Barbara Frietchie Barbara Frietchie (film) Barbara Frietchie is a 1924 silent film about an old woman who helps out soldiers during the American Civil War. It is based on the play that had starred Julia Marlowe at the turn of the century which in turn was taken from the real life story of Barbara Fritchie. There were two silent film... |
Barbara, Mrs. Frietchie's granddaughter | ||
| 1916 | Rose of the Alley Rose of the Alley -Cast:* Mary Miles Minter - Nell Drogan* Danny Hogan - 'Kid' Hogan* Frederick Heck - Dan Hogan* Geraldine Berg - Mamie* Alan Edwards - Frank Roberts* Thomas Carrigan - Tom Drogan... |
Nell Drogan | |
| Dimples Dimples (1916 film) -Plot:Dimples is a young girl, whose father dies. She goes to the South to live with her aunt, but doesn't know her father has hidden his legacy in her doll. She falls in love with Robert, who is threatened with financial ruin.-Cast:* Mary Miles Minter - Dimples... |
Dimples | ||
| Lovely Mary Lovely Mary -Plot:Mary and her cousin Clairborne are the last descendants of the Lane family who announce they are selling their land. Two land scouts come over to buy their property. One of them, Roland Manning, falls in love with Mary. The other, Wade Dempster, tries to get his hand on their home by getting... |
Mary Lane | ||
| Youth's Endearing Charm Youth's Endearing Charm Youth's Endearing Charm is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by William C. Dowlan. The film stars Mary Miles Minter, Wallace McDonald and Harry von Meter. The script for the film was adapted by J... |
Mary Wade | ||
| Dulcie's Adventure Dulcie's Adventure Dulcie's Adventure is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by James Kirkwood starring Mary Miles Minter and Bessie Banks. The script for the film was adapted by William Pigott from a novel written by R... |
Dulcie | ||
| Faith Faith (film) Faith is a 1916 silent film directed by James Kirkwood.-Plot:Faith is an orphan who befriends Mark Strong, an alcoholic lawyer. While Mark is trying to get sober again, Faith is falsely accused for theft and is arrested... |
Faith | ||
| A Dream or Two Ago A Dream or Two Ago A Dream or Two Ago is a 1916 silent film directed by James Kirkwood. The film was one of the few films of Mary Miles Minter which survived. The film was restored in 2004 and was shown along with Innocence of Lizette at a Dutch film festival.... |
Millicent Hawthorne | ||
| Innocence of Lizette Innocence of Lizette Innocence of Lizette is a 1916 silent film directed by James Kirkwood. The film was one of the few films of Mary Miles Minter which survived. The film was restored in the Netherlands in 2004 and is shown in several European film festivals.-Plot:... |
Lizette | ||
| 1917 | The Gentle Intruder The Gentle Intruder The Gentle Intruder is a 1917 silent film directed by James Kirkwood. A copy of the film still exists at the Dutch Filmmuseum.-Plot:Sylvia is the niece of a man who leaves her a fortune. However, his lawyer Mr. Baxter uses the money to support him and his wife. Sylvia gives him a visit, but isn't... |
Sylvia | |
| Environment Environment (film) Environment is a 1917 silent film directed by James Kirkwood.-Plot:Liz Simpkins is the daughter of town drunk John. While keeping the household, she falls in love with minister Henry Pennfield. Meanwhile, Mildred Holcombe, the daughter of the wealthy David, falls in love with artist Arnold Brice.... |
Liz Simpkins | ||
| Annie-for-Spite Annie-for-Spite Annie-for-Spite is a 1917 silent film directed by James Kirkwood. The film is based upon the story Annie for Spite by Frederick J. Jackson.-Plot:... |
Annie Johnson | ||
| Periwinkle Periwinkle (film) Periwinkle is a 1917 silent film directed by James Kirkwood. The film, now believed to be lost, had a generally negative reception. The New York Times called it "a minor melodrama".-Plot:... |
Periwinkle | ||
| Melissa of the Hills Melissa of the Hills Melissa of the Hills is a 1917 silent film directed by James Kirkwood.-Plot:Melissa Stark is the daughter of evangelist Jethro. Her father is involved with several intense family feuds. Meanwhile, Melissa tries to support het father financially by making money-making schemes... |
Melissa Stark | ||
| Somewhere in America Somewhere in America (film) Somewhere in America is a 1917 silent film starring Thomas J. Carrigan and Francine Larrimore. It was written by June Mathis and directed by William C. Dowlan.-Cast:*Thomas J... |
Rose Dorgan | ||
| Charity Castle Charity Castle Charity Castle is a 1917 silent film directed by Lloyd Ingraham. The film is believed to be lost.-Plot:Charity takes her little brother and hides in an abandoned mansion. Burglar Lucius Garrett accompanies them and they all decide to restore the place. Suddenly, the son of the owner, Merlin Durand... |
Charity | ||
| Her Country's Call Her Country's Call Her Country's Call is a 1917 silent film directed by Lloyd Ingraham.-Plot:Jess Slocum is a mountain girl who was stolen as a baby by moonshiner Jim. She was raised to hate America, but is now taken in by Captain Earle Neville when Jim is sent to jail. Earle takes care of Jess, who is wounded, but... |
Jess Slocum | ||
| Peggy Leads the Way Peggy Leads the Way Peggy Leads the Way is a 1917 silent film directed by Lloyd Ingraham. A copy of the film was first found at the Dutch Filmmuseum. They sold it to the American Film Institute in 1991.-Plot:Peggy Manners has just finished finishing school and returns home... |
Peggy Manners | Extant | |
| The Mate of the Sally Ann The Mate of the Sally Ann The Mate of the Sally Ann is a 1917 silent film directed by Henry King.-Plot:Captain Ward is an old man living in a ship with his granddaughter Sally. Sally's mother died when Sally was born and never revealed the identity of her father. That's why Ward is overprotective of Sally. One day, Sally... |
Sally | ||
| 1918 | Beauty and the Rogue Beauty and the Rogue Beauty and the Rogue is a 1918 silent film directed by Henry King. It was the first film to feature Mary Miles Minter in a dual role.-Plot:When her boyfriend proposes to her, Roberta is confinced he stole the jewelry he proposed to her with... |
Roberta Lee | |
| Powers That Prey Powers That Prey Powers That Prey is a 1918 silent film directed by Henry King. The film is based on the story Extra! Extra! by Will M. Ritchey.Though critics were negative about the film, director King reported he enjoyed working with actress Mary Miles Minter.... |
Sylvia Grant | ||
| A Bit of Jade | Phyllis King | ||
| Social Briars | Iris Lee | ||
| The Ghost of Rosy Taylor | Rhoda Eldridge Sayles | ||
| The Eyes of Julia Deep The Eyes of Julia Deep The Eyes of Julia Deep is a 1918 silent film starring Mary Miles Minter, directed by Lloyd Ingraham. The film is based on the short story by the same name, written by Kate L. McLaurin. It is one of the few films starring Minter which are known to have survived.-Plot:Julia Deep is a young woman... |
Julia Deep | Extant | |
| Rosemary Climbs the Heights | Rosemary Van Voort | ||
| Wives and Other Wives Wives and Other Wives Wives and Other Wives is a 1918 American silent comedy drama directed by Lloyd Ingraham based on a story by Jules Furthman. Starring Mary Miles Minter and Colin Chase in the lead roles.-Cast:*Mary Miles Minter .... Robin Challoner... |
Robin Challoner | ||
| 1919 | The Amazing Impostor | Joan Hope | |
| The Intrusion of Isabel | Isabel Trevor | ||
| A Bachelor's Wife | Mary O'Rourke | ||
| Yvonne from Paris | Yvonne Halbert | ||
| Anne of Green Gables Anne of Green Gables (1919 film) Anne of Green Gables is a silent film directed by William Desmond Taylor based upon the novel, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. This version is notable for having been adapted by famed female screenwriter Frances Marion... |
Anne Shirley Anne Shirley Anne Shirley is a fictional character introduced in the 1908 novel Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Montgomery wrote in her journal that the idea for Anne's story came from relatives who, planning to adopt an orphaned boy, received a girl instead... |
Lost | |
| 1920 | Judy of Rogue's Harbor Judy of Rogue's Harbor Judy of Rogue's Harbor is a 1920 silent film drama directed by William Desmond Taylor and starring Mary Miles Minter. The film is taken from the novel Judy of Rogue's Harbor by Grace Miller White. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed through Realart and Paramount Pictures... |
Judy | Lost |
| Nurse Marjorie | Lady Marjorie Killonan | ||
| Jenny Be Good | Jenny Riano | ||
| A Cumberland Romance | Easter Hicks | ||
| Sweet Lavender | Lavender | ||
| Eyes of the Heart | Laura | ||
| 1921 | All Souls' Eve | Alice Heath/Nora O'Hallahan | |
| The Little Clown | Pat | ||
| Don't Call Me Little Girl | Jerry | ||
| Moonlight and Honeysuckle | Judith Baldwin | ||
| Her Winning Way | Ann Annington | ||
| 1922 | Tillie | Tillie Getz | |
| The Heart Specialist | Rosalie Beckwith | ||
| South of Suva | Phyllis Latimer | ||
| The Cowboy and the Lady | Jessica Westoon | ||
| 1923 | Drums of Fate | Carol Dolliver | |
| The Trail of the Lonesome Pine The Trail of the Lonesome Pine (1923 film) The Trail of the Lonesome Pine is a 1923 silent drama film directed by Charles Maigne. It is based on the novel of the same name.-Cast:* Mary Miles Minter - June Tolliver* Antonio Moreno - John Hale* Ernest Torrence - 'Devil' Jud Tolliver... |
June Tolliver |
External links
- Mary-Miles-Minter.com
- Transcript of Minter's interview with the LAPD 5 days after Taylor's body was found.
- 1970 audio interview
- Mary Miles Minter as a 10 year old child in the Broadway play The Littlest Rebel (1912)(Univ. of Washington, Sayre collection)