Elizabeth Jane May (1904–1949), was an actress during the silent film era in America.

Biography

Born in

Cripple Creek, Colorado Cripple Creek is a statutory city that is the county seat of Teller County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 1,155 at the 2020 United States Census. Cripple Creek is a former gold mining camp located southwest of Colorado Sprin ...

on 22 June 1904, May worked in cinema from the early 1920s until 1936, appearing in at least sixteen films. May made her first appearance for Century Comedy (also known as Century Comedies), a production company founded by

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and

Julius Stern Julius Stern (8 August 1820 – 27 February 1883) was a Jewish German musical pedagogue and composer. Biography Stern was born at Breslau. He received his elementary education in music from the violinist Peter Lüstner, and at the age of nine p ...

. She was signed to a long term contract by Julius Stern in 1922. She was described in trade publications at the time as "the Century beauty" who was cast in ingenue roles but who "shows the ability to do more ambitious roles." Her debut was in the 1922 film ''Upper and Lower'', a comedy directed by

Alf Goulding Alfred John "Alf" Goulding (January 26, 1885 – April 25, 1972) was an Australian-born vaudevillian, who became an American film director and screenwriter. He directed more than 180 films between 1917 and 1959 and is credited with having H ...

. With Century Comedy Films, she appeared in several film with

Lee Moran Lee Moran (June 23, 1888 – April 24, 1961) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. Moran was active in vaudeville before he began performing in films at Nestor Studios in 1909. He transcended the silent film era of mot ...

as the lead, as well as several starring "Queenie The Human Horse." By 1923 she had been contracted by Principal Pictures Corporations. After 1931, May tended to only appear in small, often un-credited, roles. In 1937 she was interviewed by the San Bernardino Sun for an article about breaking into acting in Hollywood, where she mentions she is studying voice and diction in hopes of getting more roles. She died in Los Angeles on November 13, 1949 at the age of 45.

Filmography

* Upper and Lower (1922) * Ten Seconds (1922) * True Blue (1922) * Me and My Mule (1922) *

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(1923) * The Home Plate (1923) * Game Hunters (1923) * East Side - West Side (1923) * Love on the Rio Grande (1925) * Flaming Fury (1926) * Night Nurse (1931) *

Sisters Under the Skin ''Sisters Under the Skin'', later renamed ''The Romantic Age'', is a 1934 American drama film directed by David Burton and starring Elissa Landi, Frank Morgan, and Joseph Schildkraut. It was the first film Landi made for Columbia Pictures. Plot ...

(1934) * Whom the Gods Destroy (1934) *

Broadway Bill ''Broadway Bill'' is a 1934 American comedy-drama film directed by Frank Capra and starring Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy. Screenplay by Robert Riskin and based on the short story "Strictly Confidential" by Mark Hellinger, the film is about a man' ...

(1934) *

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(1935) *

Case of the Missing Man ''The Case of the Missing Man'' is a 1935 American mystery crime film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring Roger Pryor, Joan Perry and Thurston Hall. Synopsis A newspaper photographer is persuaded by his girlfriend to quit his job and se ...

(1935) *

Dangerous Intrigue ''Dangerous Intrigue'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by David Selman and starring Ralph Bellamy, Gloria Shea and Joan Perry.Monaco p.49 Main cast * Ralph Bellamy as Tony Halliday * Gloria Shea as Gerta Kosovic * Joan Perry as Carol A ...

(1936) *

(1934)

References

{{authority control 1904 births 1949 deaths American silent film actresses 20th-century American actresses People from Cripple Creek, Colorado