Normand, Mabel (09 November 1892–23 February 1930), silent screen comedienne, was born in Staten Island, New York, the daughter of Claude G. Normand, a stage carpenter and pit pianist, and Mary Drury. Mabel was a backstage child, and there is no evidence that she received any formal education....
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Russell, Lillian (04 December 1861–06 June 1922), entertainer, actress, and singer, was born Helen Louise Leonard in Clinton, Iowa, to a well-to-do family. Her father, Charles E. Leonard, was the publisher of the local newspaper, the Clinton Herald, and her mother, Cynthia Howland Van Name, was an early and ardent feminist. Her family moved to Chicago in 1865, and she attended local schools, completing her formal education at the Park Institute, a finishing school. However, as she later recalled, her most significant education occurred at home: “Our family was a musical one. We sang and danced and played, and all my sisters had exceptionally fine voices, which were carefully trained.” Her parents subsequently divorced after separating in 1877, and, with her mother and sisters, she moved to New York City. Within a short time, she secured a chorus part in Edward E. Rice’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s ...
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Templeton, Fay (25 December 1866–03 October 1939), actress, singer, and comedienne, was born in modest circumstances in Little Rock, Arkansas, the daughter of John Templeton and Alice Vane. She began her stage career playing Cupid, and on 19 August 1873 she played Puck in ...
