Clare Eames (August 5, 1894 – November 8, 1930) was an American actress and stage director, and the first wife of playwright

Sidney Howard Sidney Coe Howard (June 26, 1891 – August 23, 1939) was an American playwright, dramatist and screenwriter. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1925 and a posthumous Academy Award in 1940 for the screenplay for ''Gone with the Wind''. ...

Early years

Eames was born August 5, 1894 in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Clare (Hamilton) and Hayden Eames. Her maternal grandfather was Maryland governor and senator

William Thomas Hamilton William Thomas Hamilton (September 8, 1820October 26, 1888), a member of the United States Democratic Party, was the 38th Governor of Maryland in the United States from 1880 to 1884. He also served in the United States Senate, representing the ...

. Her aunt was American soprano

Emma Eames Emma Eames (August 13, 1865 – June 13, 1952) was an American first dramatic soprano, later lyric soprano renowned for the beauty of her voice. She sang major lyric and lyric-dramatic roles in opera and had an important career in New York ...

. Eames' family moved to Cleveland, Ohio when she was 11 years old. From there, she went to Paris to live with her aunt and studied drama. She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

Career

In 1919, Eames joined the repertory theatre headed by Ethel Barrymore. After World War I, Eames was considered one of the leading new female lights of the Broadway stage, performing classical roles in plays by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

and

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...

. She made her stage debut in 1918. As a virtual unknown on Broadway, she won acclaim for her performance as the young Princess Elizabeth in a 1920 stage adaptation of Mark Twain's ''

The Prince and the Pauper ''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a novel by American author Mark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt at historical fiction. Set in 1547 ...

''. After her starring role in John Drinkwater's one-act play ''Mary Stuart'' (1921), Eames quickly rose to the top rank in the American theatre. Eames made a handful of silent pictures, but died before having the opportunity to appear in sound films.

Personal life

Eames was engaged to Lieutenant Philip Livingston Rose, who was killed in action on October 6, 1918. In 1922 Eames married playwright

. He divorced her in March 1930 after she had moved to England. He was awarded custody of their young daughter Clare, later known as Jennifer Howard.

Death

She died November 8, 1930 at a hospital in

Richmond, London Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commis ...

, England, following surgery. She was 36.''Who Was Who in the Theatre: 1912–1976'' a compilation of editions published annually by John Parker; 1976 version published by Gale Research Company''Who Was Who on Screen'' 3rd Edit. by Evelyn Mack Truitt, p.212; c.1983''Silent Film Necrology'' 2nd Edit. by Eugene Michael Vazzana, p. 150; c.2001

Theatre credits

Filmography

References

External links

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Portrait of Clare Eames
NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection)
Clare Eames in the Mary Pickford film ''Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall''
(University of Washington, Sayre collection) {{DEFAULTSORT:Eames, Clare 1894 births 1930 deaths Actresses from Hartford, Connecticut American stage actresses American silent film actresses 20th-century American actresses