Wanda Hawley
Encyclopedia
Wanda Hawley (July 30, 1895 – March 18, 1963) was a veteran of the silent screen films era. She entered the theatrical profession with an amateur group in Seattle, and later toured the U.S. and Canada as a singer. She co-starred with Rudolph Valentino
in the 1922's The Young Rajah
, and rose to stardom in a number of Cecil B. DeMille
and director Sam Wood
's films.
, but together with her family moved to Seattle, Washington
, when she was a child. She received her education in Seattle.
Hawley made her screen debut with the Fox Film Corporation and after playing with them for eight months joined time Famous Players-Lasky
and appeared as leading lady for Douglas Fairbanks
, in Mr. Fix-It
(1918)
She had also appeared opposite William S. Hart
, Charlie Ray, Bryant Washburn
, Wally Reid
and others. She was five feet three inches high, weighed a hundred and ten pounds, and had blond hair and greyish blue eyes. She was an able sportswoman.
With the advent of sound, Hawley's career ended, and she reportedly was working as a call girl
in San Francisco by the early 1930s.
She is interred in the Abbey of Psalms in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, CA.
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
in the 1922's The Young Rajah
The Young Rajah
The Young Rajah is a 1922 silent film starring Rudolph Valentino. The film was based on the book Amos Judd by John Ames Mitchell.-Plot:...
, and rose to stardom in a number of Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
and director Sam Wood
Sam Wood
Samuel Grosvenor "Sam" Wood was an American film director, and producer, who was best known for directing such Hollywood hits as A Night at the Opera, A Day at the Races, Goodbye, Mr. Chips, and The Pride of the Yankees...
's films.
Life and career
Hawley was born in Scranton, PennsylvaniaScranton, Pennsylvania
Scranton is a city in the northeastern part of Pennsylvania, United States. It is the county seat of Lackawanna County and the largest principal city in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre metropolitan area. Scranton had a population of 76,089 in 2010, according to the U.S...
, but together with her family moved to Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, when she was a child. She received her education in Seattle.
Hawley made her screen debut with the Fox Film Corporation and after playing with them for eight months joined time 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...
and appeared as leading lady for Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks
Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was an American actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films such as The Thief of Bagdad, Robin Hood, and The Mark of Zorro....
, in Mr. Fix-It
Mr. Fix-It (1918 film)
Mr. Fix-It is a silent film comedy starring Douglas Fairbanks, Marjorie Daw, and Wanda Hawley, directed by Allan Dwan at Artcraft Pictures, and released by Paramount Pictures.-Preservation status:...
(1918)
She had also appeared opposite William S. Hart
William S. Hart
William Surrey Hart was an American silent film actor, screenwriter, director and producer. He is remembered for having "imbued all of his characters with honor and integrity."-Biography:...
, Charlie Ray, Bryant Washburn
Bryant Washburn
Born Franklin Bryant Washburn , Bryant Washburn was an American film actor. He appeared in 330 films between 1911 and 1947....
, Wally Reid
Wallace Reid
Wallace Reid was an actor in silent film referred to as "the screen's most perfect lover".-Early life:Born William Wallace Reid in St...
and others. She was five feet three inches high, weighed a hundred and ten pounds, and had blond hair and greyish blue eyes. She was an able sportswoman.
With the advent of sound, Hawley's career ended, and she reportedly was working as a call girl
Call girl
A call girl or female escort is a sex worker who is not visible to the general public; nor does she usually work in an institution like a brothel, although she may be employed by an escort agency...
in San Francisco by the early 1930s.
She is interred in the Abbey of Psalms in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, CA.
Selected filmography
- Mr. Fix-ItMr. Fix-It (1918 film)Mr. Fix-It is a silent film comedy starring Douglas Fairbanks, Marjorie Daw, and Wanda Hawley, directed by Allan Dwan at Artcraft Pictures, and released by Paramount Pictures.-Preservation status:...
(1918) - We Can't Have EverythingWe Can't Have EverythingWe Can't Have Everything is a 1918 drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. The film is considered to be lost.-Cast:* Kathlyn Williams - Charity Coe Cheever* Elliott Dexter - Jim Dyckman* Wanda Hawley - Kedzie Thropp* Sylvia Breamer - Zada L'Etoile...
(1918) - Old Wives for NewOld Wives for NewOld Wives for New is a 1918 drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Prints of the film survive at the International Museum of Photography and Film at George Eastman House.-Cast:* Elliott Dexter - Charles Murdock* Florence Vidor - Juliet Raeburn...
(1918) - For Better, for Worse (1919)
- You're FiredYou're Fired (1919 film)You're Fired is a silent film comedy, produced and distributed by Famous Players-Lasky and Paramount Pictures respectively. James Cruze directed and Wallace Reid starred.-Preservation status:...
(1919) - The Affairs of AnatolThe Affairs of AnatolThe Affairs of Anatol is a 1921 silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille.-Cast:* Wallace Reid as Anatol DeWitt Spencer* Gloria Swanson as Vivian Spencer * Wanda Hawley as Emilie Dixon* Theodore Roberts as Gordon Bronson...
(1921) - Thirty DaysThirty Days (1922 film)Thirty Days is a 1922 silent farce produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is based on a play by Thirty Days by A.E. Thomas and Clayton Hamilton which apparently didn't see Broadway. The film was directed by James Cruze and stars idol Wallace Reid in his last...
(1922) - Fires of FateFires of Fate (1923 film)Fires of Fate is a 1923 British-American silent adventure film directed by Tom Terriss and starring Wanda Hawley, Nigel Barrie and Pedro de Cordoba. It was adapted from the play Fires of Fate by Arthur Conan Doyle which was in turn based on his 1898 novel The Tragedy of the Korosko...
(1923) - Bread (1924)
- Smouldering FiresSmouldering Fires (film)Smouldering Fires is a 1925 Universal silent drama film directed by Clarence Brown and starring Pauline Frederick. Its plot is similar to the 1933 talking picture Female, starring Ruth Chatterton....
(1925) - Wizard of OzWizard of Oz (1925 film)Wizard of Oz is a 1925 silent film directed by Larry Semon, who also appears in a lead role. The first major film adaptation of L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, this film features a young Oliver Hardy as the "Tin Woodsman."-Plot:...
(1925) - The Midnight Message (1926)
- Pirates of the Sky (1927)
- The Eyes of the Totem (1927)
- Trails of the Golden West (1931)