Betty Harte (1882–1965) was a

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

during the heyday of the

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 ...

era, starring in nine

feature films A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

and 108

short films A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

. She is credited with writing four

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

s. She chose Betty Harte as her professional name in honor of her favorite author,

Bret Harte Bret Harte (; born Francis Brett Hart; August 25, 1836 – May 5, 1902) was an American short story writer and poet best remembered for short fiction featuring miners, gamblers, and other romantic figures of the California Gold Rush. In a caree ...

.Rites for Betty Harte, Silent Film Star, Set. ''The Los Angeles Times''. January 5, 1965, p. 8.

Acting career

Harte appeared on stage with various stock entertainment companies in the eastern United States. While working as a secretary for a newspaper in Los Angeles, California, she was assigned to interview

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 ...

director

Francis Boggs Francis Winter Boggs (March 1870 – October 27, 1911) was an American stage actor and pioneer silent film film director, director. He was one of the first to direct a film in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, Hollywood. Biography He was born ...

, who liked her appearance and demeanor and quickly signed her to an acting contract. She became the first leading lady of the Selig Polyscope Company's Los Angeles division and appeared in period dramas,

swashbucklers A swashbuckler is a genre of European adventure literature that focuses on a heroic protagonist stock character who is skilled in swordsmanship, acrobatics, guile and possesses chivalrous ideals. A "swashbuckler" protagonist is heroic, daring, ...

, and

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

. She starred opposite with the company's flamboyant

leading man A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

Hobart Bosworth Hobart Van Zandt Bosworth (August 11, 1867 – December 30, 1943) was an American film actor, director, writer, and producer. Early life Bosworth was born on August 11, 1867, in Marietta, Ohio. His father was a sea captain in the Civil Wa ...

, in the films: ''Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' (1908), ''The Sultan's Power'' (1909), ''The Roman'' (1910) and A''cross the Plain's'' (1910). She later excelled at playing Western heroines and co-starred with

Thomas Santschi Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

in ''Pride of the Range'' (1910) and ''Through Fire and Smoke'' (1911). She also co-starred with the famous Western actor and fellow Pennsylvanian

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 ...

in ''Pride of the Range'' (1910) and ''A Romance of the Rio Grande'' (1911). Harte was known for doing her own stunts and while filming an underwater scene in Bermuda for

Victory Pictures Sam Katzman (July 7, 1901 – August 4, 1973) was an American film producer and Film director, director. Katzman produced low-budget genre films, including Serial film, serials, which had disproportionately high returns for the studios and ...

in the film ''The Mystery of the Poison Pool'' (1914) she was bitten by an angel fish and narrowly escaped a serious injury.Betty Harte - Moving Picture Star Well-Known to Picturegoers. ''Brazil Daily Times''. July 16, 1914, p. 5. Two notable films she appeared in were ''In the Sultan's Power'' (1909) and ''The Coming of Columbus'' (1912). She co-starred with Hobart Bosworth in the short film ''In the Sultan's Power'', which was the first film that was shot entirely on location in California.The Sultan's Power was also made in Los Angeles. ''The Los Angeles Times''. October 10, 1909, p. 32. She co-starred with

Marshall Stedman Marshall Stedman (August 16, 1874 – December 16, 1943) was an American stage and silent screen actor/director, playwright, author and drama teacher. Early life Edward Marshall Stedman Jr. was born in Bethel, Maine, the son of Edward Sr. a ...

in the feature film ''The Coming of Columbus'', which was a three-reel melodrama that was completely hand-tinted in Paris, France, and was an early all-color feature film.The Coming of Columbus. ''The Springfield News-Ledger''. May 31, 1912, p. 7.

Personal life

Harte was born Daisey Mae Light in

Lebanon, Pennsylvania Lebanon () is a city in and the county seat of Lebanon County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 26,814 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Lebanon is located in the central part of the Lebanon Valley, east of Harrisbu ...

, on May 13, 1882,Year: 1900; Census Place: Philadelphia Ward 36, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Page: 11; Enumeration District: 0927; FHL microfilm: 1241477 to Theophilus Ozias Light and Agnes Mary Bohn.Betty Harte a Well Known Lebanon Girl. ''Lebanon Daily News''. March 18, 1913, p. 11. She had seven siblings, although only three lived to adulthood. By 1900, she was living in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where she was attending private school.Here's Betty Harte – A Happy Movie Favorite. ''The Day Book''. November 21, 1912, p. 12. She was the cousin of the American stage actress

Margaret Illington Margaret Illington (born Maude Light; July 23, 1879 – March 11, 1934) was an American stage actress popular in the first decade of the 20th century. She later made an attempt at silent film acting by making two films with Adolph Zukor's Famo ...

.David Horsley Secures Stars. ''The Los Angeles Times''. December 28, 1915, p. 24. On October 17, 1907, she married Frank Hardy in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

; sometime before 1917 they divorced. On September 12, 1917, she married Ralph Lewis Kruger. The 1920 census records states Ralph and Betty were living in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and Ralph either worked for or owned a motion picture theater and Betty had no occupation listed as she had retired from her film career four years earlier in 1916. Throughout her life she was a bird collector and studied

ornithology Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

and was a student of

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

, especially favoring flowers. While under contract with the Selig Polyscope Company she maintained a large bird enclosure on the grounds of their studio in Edendale, California, where she kept various species including mockingbirds and nightingales. Harte said of her doctrine of success, "The more you travel, the more you see, the more you learn, the better your chance of interpreting even the smallest role correctly."Dame Industrious Aids Betty Harte in Life Work. ''The Day Book''. February 3, 1916, p. 20. She described herself as "Hollywood's First Movie Queen." She died on January 3, 1965, in Sunland, California, and is buried in Glen Haven Memorial Park in

Sylmar, California Sylmar is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley and is the northernmost neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles. Historically known for its profusion of sylvan olive orchards, Sylmar can trace its past to the 18th century and th ...

.Betty Harte, Actress, Rites Held. ''Citizen News''. January 5, 1965, p. 13.

Filmography

Screenplays

* ''The Bridge of Sighs'' (1915) – scenario * ''The Little Stowaway'' (1912) – short, scenario * ''Their Only Son'' (1911) – short * ''The Spy'' (1911) – short A scenario is a sketch or outline of a story, which gives the reader an idea of events without including all the details.

Picture gallery

File:Betty Harte and Hobart Bosworth in The roman 1910.jpg, Betty Harte and Hobart Bosworth in ''The Roman'' (1910) File:Betty Harte starring in Fighting for Eternal Peace - Movie Poster (1918).jpg, Betty Harte starring in ''Fighting for Eternal Peace'' - Movie Poster (1918) File:Betty Harte and Wheeler Oakman in How the Cause Was Won (1912).jpg, Betty Harte and

Wheeler Oakman Wheeler Oakman (born Vivian Eichelberger; February 21, 1890 – March 19, 1949) was an American film actor. Early years Oakman was born as Vivian Eichelberger in Washington, D.C., and educated in that city's schools. He grew up in Fairfax, Virg ...

in ''How the Cause Was Won'' (1912) File:Betty Harte and Baby Lillian Wade - ca. 1914.jpg, Betty Harte and Baby Lillian Wade - ca. 1914 File:Betty Harte - in The Mystery of the Poison Pool (1914).jpg, Betty Harte - in The Mystery of the Poison Pool (1914) File:Betty Harte - Do You Know Betty Harte of the Movies - The Tacoma Times - Friday, Nov. 29, 1912.jpg, Do You Know Betty Harte of the Movies (1912) File:Betty Harte - Silent Film Scene Still - The Politician with Bob Leonard (1908).jpg, Betty Harte and Bob Leonard in ''The Politician'' (1908) File:Betty Harte - Kriterion - ca. 1910.jpg, Betty Harte - color photo card - ca. 1910 File:Betty Harte - Dame Industrious - Los Angeles Record - Tuesday, Jan. 4, 1916.jpg, Betty Harte - Dame Industrious (1916)

References

External links

*
Betty Harte
at the American Film Institute Catalog

Media History Digital Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harte, Betty 1882 births 1965 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses People from Lebanon, Pennsylvania 20th-century American actresses