Alice Hollister
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Alice Hollister (born Rosalie Alice Amélie Berger, September 28, 1886 – February 24, 1973) was an American
silent film 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, when ...
actress who appeared in around 90 films between 1910 and 1925. She is known for her roles in movies such as ''
From the Manger to the Cross ''From the Manger to the Cross or Jesus of Nazareth'' (often shortened to simply ''From the Manger to the Cross'') is a 1912 American drama film directed by Sidney Olcott, written by Gene Gauntier (who also portrays Virgin Mary), and stars Rober ...
'' and '' The Vampire''.


Biography

Born in
Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, Hollister was the last of six siblings. Her parents Pierre Napoleon Berger, a grocery clerk, and Marie Alphonse Foisy were both of
French-Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fr ...
ancestry. Convent educated in the United States and Canada, in 1905 she began to work as an artist and lived with her brother Henry in
Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, along with his wife and three children. On November of the same year, she married
George K. Hollister George K. Hollister (March 7, 1873 – March 28, 1952) was an American pioneer cinematographer. Biography Born in New York City, New York, little is known of his background. In 1905 he married a nineteen-year-old girl named Alice Hollister from W ...
who a few years later became a pioneer
cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the ch ...
with
Kalem Studios The Kalem Company was an early American film studio founded in New York City in 1907. It was one of the first companies to make films abroad and to set up winter production facilities, first in Florida and then in California. Kalem was sold to V ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. When Kalem Studios began sending a film crew to
Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
in the wintertime, Alice Hollister accompanied her husband. She began appearing in film in 1910, at first because of the small crew and the frequent need for a female in a
bit part In acting, a bit part is a role in which there is direct interaction with the principal actors and no more than five lines of dialogue, often referred to as a five-or-less or under-five in the United States, or under sixes in British television, ...
. However, she liked acting and went on to appear in many films, the last in 1925. One of Hollister's most important roles was that of
Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to crucifixion of Jesus, his cru ...
in the film ''
From the Manger to the Cross ''From the Manger to the Cross or Jesus of Nazareth'' (often shortened to simply ''From the Manger to the Cross'') is a 1912 American drama film directed by Sidney Olcott, written by Gene Gauntier (who also portrays Virgin Mary), and stars Rober ...
'' (1912). Filmed on location in
Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
, this film has been selected for preservation in the United States
National Film Registry The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception i ...
. '' The Vampire'' (1913) made her the first recognized
vamp The VaMP driverless car was one of the first truly autonomous cars Dynamic Vision for Perc ...
in cinema, predating
Theda Bara Theda Bara ( ; born Theodosia Burr Goodman; July 29, 1885 – April 7, 1955) was an American silent film and stage actress. Bara was one of the more popular actresses of the silent era and one of cinema's early sex symbols. Her femme fatal ...
in '' A Fool There Was'' (1915). For that role, she was dubbed "the original vampire". She reprised the character in ''
The Vampire's Trail The Vampire's Trail is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and Robert G. Vignola and written by Benjamin Barondess, T. Hayes Hunter, Michael Potter and Robert G. Vignola. The film stars Alice Joyce, Tom Moore, Alice Hol ...
'' (1914) and ''The Lotus Woman'' (1916), her last film for Kalem. In her later career, she mainly appeared in supporting roles. Her husband died in 1952 and she died in 1973, aged 86, in
Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wa ...
. She was affected by dementia and vision loss in her old age. They are interred together in the Great Mausoleum, Columbarium of Solace at
Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks & Mortuaries is an American corporation that owns and operates a chain of cemeteries and mortuaries in Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside counties in Southern California. History The company was founded by a group of ...
in
Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
.


Personal life

Alice and George K. Hollister had a daughter, Doris Ethel (1906–1990), and a son, George Jr. (1908–1976), both
child actor The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in film, movies or television. An adult who began their acting career as a child may also be called a child actor, or a "former child actor". Closely associ ...
s. Doris married cartoonist
Walter Lantz Walter Lantz (April 27, 1899 – March 22, 1994) was an American cartoonist, animator, producer and director best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker. Biography Early years and start in animation Lantz ...
in 1930 but divorced several years later. George Jr. would later embark on a photography career.


Partial filmography

* ''
The Further Adventures of the Girl Spy ''The Further Adventures of the Girl Spy'' is a 1910 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier in the leading role. A story of the Civil War. Cast * Gene Gauntier – Nan * Alice Hollister * ...
'' (1910) * ''
By a Woman's Wit ''By a Woman's Wit'' is a 1911 American silent film produced by Kalem Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Jack J. Clark and Alice Hollister in the leading roles. A copy is kept in the Desmet collection at Eye Film Institute (Amsterdam). ...
'' (1911) * ''
The Colleen Bawn ''The Colleen Bawn, or The Brides of Garryowen'' is a melodramatic play written by Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at Laura Keene's Theatre, New York, on 27 March 1860 with Laura Keene playing Anne Chute and Boucicau ...
'' (1911) * ''
The Fishermaid of Ballydavid ''The Fishermaid of Ballydavid'' is a 1911 American silent film produced by Kalem Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with himself and Gene Gauntier in the leading roles. Cast Production notes The film was shot in Ireland, in Ballydavid, ...
'' (1911) * ''
His Mother ''His Mother'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles. It was one of more than a dozen films produced by the Kalem Company filmed in Ir ...
'' (1912) * '' The Vagabonds'' (1912) * ''
Far From Erin's Isle ''Far from Erin's Isle'' is a 1912 American silent film directed by Sidney Olcott. It was one of more than a dozen films produced by the Kalem Company filmed in Ireland for American audiences. The film tells the story of a young girl who leaves Ire ...
'' (1912) * ''
You Remember Ellen ''You Remember Ellen'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Films. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles. It was one of more than a dozen films pr ...
'' (1912) * ''
Driving Home the Cows ''Driving Home the Cows'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Alice Hollister and Leo Berger. The film was shot in Jacksonville. Cast * Gene Gauntier * Alice Hollister Alice Holli ...
'' (1912) * ''
An Arabian Tragedy ''An Arabian Tragedy'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Film Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Gene Gauntier, Robert Vignola and Alice Hollister in the leading roles. Plot Ayub ...
'' (1912) * ''
A Prisoner of the Harem ''A Prisoner of the Harem'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Film Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with himself, Gene Gauntier and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles. Cast * Gene Gaunt ...
'' (1912) * ''
The Poacher's Pardon ''The Poacher's Pardon'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Film Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Alice Hollister, Jack J. Clark and J.P. McGowan in the leading roles. Cast * Jac ...
'' (1912) * ''
From the Manger to the Cross ''From the Manger to the Cross or Jesus of Nazareth'' (often shortened to simply ''From the Manger to the Cross'') is a 1912 American drama film directed by Sidney Olcott, written by Gene Gauntier (who also portrays Virgin Mary), and stars Rober ...
'' (1912) * ''
The Kerry Gow ''The Kerry Gow'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Films. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with Alice Hollister and Jack J. Clark in the leading roles.Magill's Survey of Silent films, Vol2. FLE-P ...
'' (1912) * ''
Ireland, the Oppressed ''Ireland, the Oppressed'' is a 1912 American silent film produced by Kalem Company and distributed by General Film Company. It was directed by Sidney Olcott with himself, Jack J. Clark and Alice Hollister. Cast * Jack J. Clark - * Alice Hollist ...
'' (1912) * ''
The Shaughraun ''The Shaughraun'' () is a melodramatic Play (theatre), play written by Irish people, Irish playwright Dion Boucicault. It was first performed at Wallack's Theatre, New York City, New York, on 14 November 1874. Dion Boucicault played Conn in the ...
'' (1912) * '' A Sawmill Hazard'' (1913) * '' A Desperate Chance'' (1913) * ''
The Scimitar of the Prophet ''The Scimitar of the Prophet'' is a 1913 American short silent film drama directed by Robert G. Vignola. The film starred Earle Foxe, and Alice Hollister Alice Hollister (born Rosalie Alice Amélie Berger, September 28, 1886 – February 2 ...
'' (1913) * '' The Vampire'' (1913) * ''
The Vampire's Trail The Vampire's Trail is a 1914 American silent drama film directed by T. Hayes Hunter and Robert G. Vignola and written by Benjamin Barondess, T. Hayes Hunter, Michael Potter and Robert G. Vignola. The film stars Alice Joyce, Tom Moore, Alice Hol ...
'' (1914) * ''
A Celebrated Case ''A Celebrated Case'' is a 1914 American silent drama film starring Alice Joyce, Guy Coombs and Marguerite Courtot. It is based on the 1877 play ''Une cause célèbre'' by Adolphe Philippe Dennery and Eugene Cormon. A French soldier is wrongfull ...
'' (1914) * ''
The Siren's Reign ''The Siren's Reign'' is a 1915 American silent drama film directed by Robert G. Vignola and starring Alice Hollister, Harry F. Millarde, Anna Q. Nilsson, Robert Walker and Henry Hallam. An upright young man marries a siren, a drunken, unfaithf ...
'' (1915) * ''
The Lotus Woman ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1916) * ''
Her Better Self ''Her Better Self'' is a 1917 American silent drama film starring Pauline Frederick and Thomas Meighan and directed by Robert G. Vignola. It was produced by Famous Players Film Company and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is now considered ...
'' (1917) * '' The Great Lover'' (1920) * ''
Milestones A milestone is a marker of distance along roads. Milestone may also refer to: Measurements *Milestone (project management), metaphorically, markers of reaching an identifiable stage in any task or the project *Software release life cycle state, s ...
'' (1920) * '' A Voice in the Dark'' (1921) * ''
A Wise Fool ''A Wise Fool'' is a 1921 American silent drama film produced by Famous Players-Lasky and released by Paramount Pictures. This film is based on the novel ''The Money Master'' by Sir Gilbert Parker and was directed by George Melford. James Kirkw ...
'' (1921) * '' The Forgotten Law'' (1922) * '' Married Flirts'' (1924) * '' The Dancers'' (1925)


References


External links

* 1886 births 1973 deaths American silent film actresses People from Costa Mesa, California Actresses from Worcester, Massachusetts American people of French-Canadian descent Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) American film actresses 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-1880s-stub