Billie Bennett (October 23, 1874 – May 19, 1951) was an American film 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 ...

. She appeared in more than 50 films between 1913 and 1930. She was born in

Evansville, Indiana Evansville is a city in, and the county seat of, Vanderburgh County, Indiana, United States. The population was 118,414 at the 2020 census, making it the state's third-most populous city after Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, the largest city in ...

, and died 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' ...

. Author E. J. Fleming writing in his 2004 book, ''The Fixers: Eddie Mannix, Howard Strickling and the MGM Publicity Machine'', states that when she ceased making films at the end of the silent era, she ran a high class

bordello A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub pa ...

in an exclusive part of the Los Angeles area. Bennett's girls were made up to look like movie stars of the period, even undergoing surgical alterations to achieve the illusion. Much of the brothel was sponsored by

MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

courting out of town clientele and foreign distributors and exhibitors from around the world.

Selected filmography

* ''

Almost a Rescue ''Almost a Rescue'' is a 1913 American Short film, short comedy film featuring Roscoe Arbuckle, Fatty Arbuckle. Cast * Donald MacDonald (actor), Donald MacDonald as Hawkeye * Roscoe Arbuckle, Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle as Jimmie * Irene Hunt (act ...

'' (1913) * ''

The House in the Tree ''The House in the Tree'' is a 1913 American silent short film written by Lloyd Lonergan starring William Garwood and Billie Bennett. Cast *Josie Ashdown *Victory Bateman *Billie Bennett *Howard Davies *William Garwood *Dimitri Mitsoras *Murie ...

'' (1913) * '' Mabel's Busy Day'' (1914) * '' The Masquerader'' (1914) * '' Tillie's Punctured Romance'' (1914) * ''

Fatty's Chance Acquaintance ''Fatty's Chance Acquaintance'' is a 1915 American short comedy film directed by and starring Fatty Arbuckle. Plot summary Cast * Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle as Fatty * Billie Bennett as Fatty's wife * Harry McCoy as Pickpocket * Minta Durfee a ...

'' (1915) * ''

Court House Crooks ''Court House Crooks'' is a 1915 American short comedy film. It features Harold Lloyd in an uncredited role. Cast * Ford Sterling as The District Attorney * Charles Arling as The Judge * Minta Durfee as The Judge's Wife * Doris Baker as Little ...

'' (1915) * ''

Hearts and Sparks ''Hearts and Sparks'' is a 1916 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and starring Gloria Swanson. Cast * Billie Bennett * Nick Cogley * Albert T. Gillespie * Tom Kennedy * Joe Lee * Hank Mann * Slim Summerville * Gloria ...

'' (1916) * ''

Fighting Cressy ''Fighting Cressy'' is a lost 1919 silent film western directed by Robert Thornby and starring Blanche Sweet. It was produced by Jesse D. Hampton and distributed through Pathé Exchange. Cast * Blanche Sweet - Cressy * Russell Simpson - Hiram ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Courage of Marge O'Doone ''The Courage of Marge O'Doone'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by David Smith and featuring Pauline Starke, Billie Bennett, Niles Welch and Boris Karloff (as Buck Tavish, a mountain man). It was written by Robert N. Bradbury, ba ...

'' (1920) * ''

Crossing Trails ''Crossing Trails'' is a 1921 American silent Western film directed by Clifford Smith and starring Pete Morrison, Esther Ralston and Lew Meehan.Connelly, p. 55. Cast * Pete Morrison as Jim Warren * Esther Ralston as Helen Stratton * John Hat ...

'' (1921) * ''

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Eternal Three ''The Eternal Three'' is a 1923 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. It was directed by both Marshall Neilan and Frank Urson. Hobart Bosworth, Claire Windsor, and Bessie Love star. The film was made from a s ...

'' (1923) * ''

Blood Test A blood test is a laboratory analysis performed on a blood sample that is usually extracted from a vein in the arm using a hypodermic needle, or via fingerprick. Multiple tests for specific blood components, such as a glucose test or a cholester ...

'' (1923) * ''

Wanted by the Law ''Wanted by the Law'' is a 1924 American silent Western film directed by Robert N. Bradbury and starring J.B. Warner, Jay Morley and William McCall.Langman, p. 490 Cast * J.B. Warner as Jim Loraine * Jay Morley as Bill Baxter * William Mc ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Martyr Sex ''The Martyr Sex'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Duke Worne and starring William Fairbanks, Dorothy Revier and William Dyer.Connelly p.384 this film is now believed to be lost Synopsis In the rural South, a Doctor goes to a ...

'' (1924) * '' The Wall Street Whiz'' (1925) * ''

Lady Windermere's Fan ''Lady Windermere's Fan, A Play About a Good Woman'' is a four-act comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed on Saturday, 20 February 1892, at the St James's Theatre in London. The story concerns Lady Windermere, who suspects that her husband i ...

'' (1925) *'' The Wyoming Wildcat'' (1925) * '' Ranson's Folly'' (1926) * '' Memory Lane'' (1926) * ''

The Amateur Gentleman ''The Amateur Gentleman'' is a novel by Jeffery Farnol, published in 1913. It was made into a silent film in 1920 and again in 1926 and a talking film in 1936 with Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. starring as the protagonist, Barnabas Barty. Plot summ ...

'' (1926) * '' The Claw'' (1927) * ''

Marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Slaver ''The Slaver'' is a 1927 American drama film directed by Harry Revier and starring Pat O'Malley, Carmelita Geraghty and John Miljan.Munden p.732 Cast * Pat O'Malley as Dick Farnum * Carmelita Geraghty as Natalie Rivers * John Miljan as Cyr ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Sonora Kid The Sonora Kid, also known as Steve Allison, is a fictional cowboy created by Robert E. Howard. The stories were not printed until more than fifty years after the author's death. The Sonora Kid occasionally crossed over with El Borak, another ...

'' (1927) * ''

The Tragedy of Youth ''The Tragedy of Youth'' is a 1928 American silent drama film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Patsy Ruth Miller, Warner Baxter and William Collier Jr.Munden p.825 It was produced and released by Tiffany Pictures, one of the largest ...

'' (1928) * ''

My Lady's Past ''My Lady's Past'' is a 1929 American drama film directed by Albert Ray and starring Belle Bennett, Joe E. Brown and Alma Bennett.Pitts p.409 After completing his first novel, a writer abandons his wife for his secretary. It is now considered a ...

'' (1929) * ''

One Romantic Night ''One Romantic Night'' is a 1930 American pre-Code romantic comedy film directed by Paul L. Stein. It is the first sound film version of Ferenc Molnár's play ''The Swan'', and marked silent screen star Lillian Gish's talkie debut. She starred ...

'' (1930)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennett, Billie 1874 births 1951 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from Indiana 20th-century American actresses