Bessie Eyton (née Harrison; July 5, 1890 – January 22, 1965) was an American actress of the

silent era 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, wh ...

. Eyton appeared in 200 films between 1911 and 1925. From 1911 to 1918, the period when the majority of her films were made, she was under contract to

Selig Polyscope Company The Selig Polyscope Company was an American motion picture company that was founded in 1896 by William Selig in Chicago. The company produced hundreds of early, widely distributed commercial moving pictures, including the first films starring Tom ...

Biography

Bessie Harrison was born on July 5, 1890, to musician Edgar Thomas Harrison (1868–1924) and Claribel Harrison (née. Mead, 1873–1959). She had a brother, Elbert Harrison. Harrison married her first husband and namesake, actor

Charles Eyton Charles Eyton (24 June 1871 – 2 July 1941) was an actor-producer who became general manager of Famous Players-Lasky Corporation (a Paramount Pictures subsidiary) during the silent film era. Personal life Charles F. Eyton was the son of H ...

, on September 3, 1908. While attending a studio tour at

, she was spotted by a director who wanted to cast her as an extra in a film. She made her film debut in ''The Sheriff of Tuolomne'' (1911) opposite

Tom Mix Thomas Edwin Mix (born Thomas Hezikiah Mix; January 6, 1880 – October 12, 1940) was an American film actor and the star of many early Western films between 1909 and 1935. He appeared in 291 films, all but nine of which were silent films. He w ...

. Although she made up to 200 films while signed to Selig, she is best known for her roles in The Spoilers (1914) and the 12-reel adaptation of

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...

The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...

(1916). In addition to acting, she is also credited with being the screenwriter of the 1914 short ''The Smuggler's Sister''. Eyton was one of Selig's biggest stars until the studio closed in 1918. Her career began to slow after that, and she only appeared in 9 films between 1919 and 1925, mostly for independent studios. In 1919, she made her stage debut in ''Civilian Clothes'', which opened on September 12, 1919. Her final screen appearance was in

The Girl of Gold ''The Girl of Gold'' is a 1925 American silent melodrama film directed by John Ince and starring Florence Vidor. It was released by Producers Distributing Corporation. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Helen Marrimore, daughter of a ...

(1925), starring

Florence Vidor Florence Vidor (née Cobb, later Arto; July 23, 1895 – November 3, 1977) was an American silent film actress. Early life Vidor was born in Houston on July 23, 1895, to John and Ida Cobb. Her parents had married in Houston on March 3, 1894, bu ...

. Eyton married her second husband Clark Brewer Coffey on September 29, 1916, a year after her divorce from Charles Eyton. The marriage ended in divorce in 1923, and neither unions produced children. In 1935, following an argument with her mother, Eyton disappeared from her friends and family. Her whereabouts remained unknown until her death in 1965. Bessie Eyton died on January 22, 1965, in Thousand Oaks, California and was buried at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city on the Southern Coast of California and the county seat of Ventura County. The population was 110,763 at the 2020 census. Ventura is a popular tourist des ...

Partial filmography

*''The Sheriff of Tuolumne'' (1911) *''Saved from the Snow'' (1911) *''The Totem Mark'' (1911) *''Kit Carson's Wooing'' (1911) *''McKee Rankin's '49 (1911) *''An Indian Vestal'' (1911) *''Coals of Fire'' (1911) *''A Painters Idyl'' (1911) *''Captain Brand's Wife'' (1911) *''Lieutenant Grey of the Confederacy'' (1911) *''Blackbeard'' (1911) *''The Right Name, But the Wrong Man'' (1911) *''An Evil Power'' (1911) *''A Diamond in the Rough'' (1911) *''The Chief's Daughter'' (1911) *''George Warrington's Escape'' (1911) *''For His Pal's Sake'' (1911) * ''

Brown of Harvard ''Brown of Harvard'' is the title of three silent films all based on the 1906 Broadway play of the same name by Rida Johnson Young. The 1926 version is notable for featuring John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), ...

'' (1911) *''The Mate of the Alden Bessie'' (1912) *''The Other Fellow'' (1912) *''The Peacemaker'' (1912) *''Merely a Millionaire'' (1912) *''The Little Stowaway'' (1912) *''Disillusioned'' (1912) *''The Danites'' (1912) *''The Shrinking Rawhide'' (1912) *''A Crucial Test'' (1912) *''The Ones Who Suffer'' (1912) *''The Hobo'' (1912) *''A Waif of the Sea'' (1912) *''Me an' Bill'' (1912) *''The End of the Romance'' (1912) *''Bessie's Dream'' (1912) *''The Price He Paid'' (1912) *''The Love of an Island Maid'' (1912) *''A Child of the Wilderness'' (1912) *''The Price of Art'' (1912) *''The Professor's Wooing'' (1912) *''In Exile'' (1912) *''The Lake of Dreams'' (1912) *''His Masterpiece'' (1912) *''In the Tents of the Asra'' (1912) *''The Indelible Stain'' (1912) *''The Pity of It'' (1912) *''The Great Drought'' (1912) *''When Edith Played Jungle and Jury'' (1912) *''Euchred'' (1912) * ''

The Count of Monte Cristo ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' (french: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo) is an adventure novel written by French author Alexandre Dumas (''père'') completed in 1844. It is one of the author's more popular works, along with ''The Three Musketeers''. Li ...

'' (1912) *''The Shuttle of Fate'' (1912) *''The Fisherboy's Faith'' (1912) *''Carmen of the Isles'' (1912) *''The Legend of the Lost Arrow'' (1912) *''Shanghaied'' (1912) *''Atala'' (1912) *''Miss Aubry's Love Affair'' (1912) *''The Triangle'' (1912) *''John Colter's Escape'' (1912) *''The God of Gold'' (1912) *''Opitsah: Apache for Sweetheart (1912) *''Sammy Orpheus; or, The Pied Piper of the Jungle (1912) *''The Last of Her Tribe'' (1912) *''The Little Organ Player of San Juan'' (1912) * '' In the Long Ago'' (1913) * ''

Wamba A Child of the Jungle ''Wamba A Child of the Jungle'' is a 1913 silent short 2 reel film directed by Colin Campbell and released by the Selig Polyscope Company. Cast *Tom Santschi as Portuguese Pete * Bessie Eyton as Wamba * Frank Clark as Dr. Rice *Eugenie Besserer ...

'' (1913) *''The Smuggler's Sister'' (1914) * '' The Spoilers'' (1914) * ''

Shotgun Jones ''Shotgun Jones'' is a 1914 American short silent Western film directed by Colin Campbell. Cast * Wheeler Oakman * Jack McDonald * Frank Clark (as Frank M. Clark) * Hoot Gibson * Bessie Eyton * Fernando Gálvez * William Elmer * Joseph W. ...

'' (1914) * ''

Chip of the Flying U ''Chip of the Flying U'' is a 1926 American silent Western comedy film based on a novel by Bertha Muzzy Sinclair. It was directed by Lynn Reynolds and starred Hoot Gibson. Universal Pictures produced and released the film. A print is preserve ...

'' (1914) *''

In the Days of the Thundering Herd ''In the Days of the Thundering Herd'' is a 1914 silent film western directed jointly by Colin Campbell and Francis J. Grandon. It was produced by the Selig Polyscope Company and distributed by General Film Company. This film stars Tom Mix ...

'' (1914) * '' The Man from Texas'' (1915) * ''

'' (1916) * '' The Heart of Texas Ryan'' (1917) * ''

Beware of Strangers ''Beware of Strangers'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Colin Campbell and starring Fritzi Brunette, Tom Santschi Tom or TOM may refer to: * Tom (given name), a diminutive of Thomas or Tomás or an independent Aramaic given name ...

'' (1917) * ''

Who Shall Take My Life? ''Who Shall Take My Life?'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Colin Campbell and starring Tom Santschi, Fritzi Brunette, and Edward Coxen.''Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema'', p. 66 Cast * Tom Santschi as Big Bill O'Sh ...

'' (1917) * ''

The Still Alarm ''The Still Alarm'' is a melodramatic play by Joseph Arthur that debuted in New York in 1887 and enjoyed great success, and was adapted to silent films in 1911, 1918, and 1926. Though never a favorite of critics, it achieved widespread popularit ...

'' (1918) *''Lend Me Your Name'' (1918) * '' The City of Purple Dreams'' (1918) *''

'' (1918) * ''

The Way of a Man with a Maid ''The Way of a Man with a Maid'' is an anonymous, sadomasochistic,Clifford J. Scheiner (1996), ''The Essential Guide to Erotic Literature, Part One: Before 1920''. Ware, Wordsworth: 326-9 erotic novel, probably first published in 1908. The stor ...

'' (1918) *''Children of Banishment'' (1919) *''A Man of Honor'' (1919) *''The Usurper'' (1919) *''Movie Mad'' (1921) *''Higher Education'' (1921) *''An Indiscreet Flirt'' (1921) *''A Dishonest Crook'' (1921) * '' Cheap Kisses'' (1924) * ''

'' (1925)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eyton, Bessie 1890 births 1965 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from Santa Barbara, California 20th-century American actresses Burials at Ivy Lawn Cemetery