Anna Mae Walthall (3 October 1894–17 April 1950) (also billed as Anna May Walthall) was an American actress of

silent films A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, whe ...

, appearing in 24 films from 1914 to 1926. She was born as Anna May Walthall in 1894 (possibly in 1890) on a cotton plantation owned by her father in Shelby County in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, the second youngest of eleven children of Junius Leigh Walthall, a former officer in the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...

during the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, and Anne Mallory née Wallace. Her older brother was the actor

Henry B. Walthall Henry Brazeale Walthall (March 16, 1878 – June 17, 1936) was an American stage and film actor. He appeared as the Little Colonel in D. W. Griffith's ''The Birth of a Nation'' (1915). Early life Henry B. Walthall was born March 16, 1878 on a ...

. In 1911 aged 18 she married Robert Lee Rhodes in

La Junta La Junta is a home rule municipality in , the county seat of, and the most populous municipality of Otero County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 7,322 at the 2020 United States Census. La Junta is located on the Arkansas Ri ...

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. The marriage was later dissolved. Many of her film roles were Pre-

Hays Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...

, in which she appeared in see-through sheer clothing semi-nude. Her first film was an unnamed party guest in ''Ethel's Roof Party'' (1914), quickly followed by ''Ethel Has a Steady'' (1914). In 1915 she appeared in ten films including: Beth Slade in ''Light o' Love'', Lib in ''The Fable of the Through Train'', Mrs Drummer in ''Home Again'', and Senorita Ynez in ''

At the Stroke of the Angelus ''At the Stroke of the Angelus'' is a silent short film starring Charles Clary and Francelia Billington. Billington portrays an American girl kidnapped in early childhood and brought up as a Mexican thief and street dancer. She falls in love wit ...

''. Her other films included Favorite of the Harem (uncredited) in ''

Intolerance Intolerance may refer to: * Hypersensitivity or intolerance, undesirable reactions produced by the immune system * ''Intolerance'' (film), a 1916 film by D. W. Griffith * ''Intolerance'' (album), the first solo album from Grant Hart, formerly o ...

'' (1916);Filmography of Anna Mae Walthall

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

(BFI) database Mrs Dana in ''

The Truant Soul ''The Truant Soul'' is a 1916 American silent drama film directed by Harry Beaumont and starring Henry B. Walthall, Mary Charleson and Patrick Calhoun.Connelly p.424 Cast * Henry B. Walthall as Dr. John Lancaster / Dr. Lawson * Mary Charleson as ...

'' (1916); Mrs Dibby in ''The Five Dollar Bill'' (1917); Mary Elizabeth in ''The Lighted Lamp'' (1917); a French peasant girl in ''

Hearts of the World ''Hearts of the World'' (also known as ''Love's Struggle'') is a 1918 American silent World War I propaganda film written, produced and directed by D. W. Griffith. In an effort to change the American public's neutral stance regarding the war, ...

'' (1918); Amanda Garcia in ''

With Hoops of Steel ''With Hoops of Steel'' is a 1918 American silent Western film directed by Eliot Howe and starring Henry B. Walthall, William De Vaull and Mary Charleson.Gmür, p. 533. Cast * Henry B. Walthall as Emerson Mead * William De Vaull as Jim Harlin ...

'' (1919), and Pauline in ''

The Trembling Hour ''The Trembling Hour'' is a 1919 American silent mystery film directed by George Siegmann and starring Helen Jerome Eddy, Kenneth Harlan and Henry A. Barrows.Codori p.233 Cast * Helen Jerome Eddy as Margy Webb * Kenneth Harlan as Major Ralph Du ...

'' (1919). She played the nude Rudy in ''

Bare Fists ''Bare Fists'' (also known as ''The Man Who Wouldn’t Shoot'') is a 1919 American Western film directed by John Ford and featuring Harry Carey. It is considered to be a lost film. John Ford and actor Harry Carey collaborated on at least 25 f ...

'' (1919), was Flozella in '' The Desert Flower'' and the Duchess in ''

As Man Desires ''As Man Desires'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Irving Cummings and starring Viola Dana. It was produced and distributed by First National Pictures. Plot As described in a review in a film magazine, Major John Craig (Sills) ...

'', both in 1925. Her last film was as Mazzie in ''

The Fighting Marine ''The Fighting Marine'' is a 1926 American drama film serial directed by Spencer Gordon Bennet, and featured the only screen performance by the boxing heavyweight champion, Gene Tunney. Cast Preservation ''The Fighting Marine'' is now cons ...

'' (1926).Filmography of Anna May Walthall

(BFI) database Walthall married Luther Osqood Eldridge on 9 June 1926, in

Orange, California Orange is a city located in North Orange County, California. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before ...

, at which time she retired from acting. Their son was Luther Osgood Eldridge Jnr (1926-2008) and their daughter, George Ann Eldridge (1929-2021). She died in April 1950 at

Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, t ...

in California aged 55. She died on the same day as her sister, Natalie Walthall Ashton.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Walthall, Anna Mae 1894 births 1950 deaths People from Shelby County, Alabama 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Alabama American film actresses American silent film actresses Burials at Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery