Clarine E. Seymour (December 9, 1898 – April 25, 1920) was an American silent film actress.
Early life
Seymour was the eldest of two children born to Albert V. Seymour and Florence Seymour in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, a wealthy couple who were devout
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
s.
She had one younger brother.
Albert Seymour ran a prosperous ribbon manufacturing business. Seymour began appearing in "entertainments" at the family's church as a child.
In early 1916, Albert Seymour became ill and was forced to close his business. The family moved to
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle (; older french: La Nouvelle-Rochelle) is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state. In 2020, the city had a population of 79,726, making it the seventh-largest in the state of ...
where Seymour found work at the
Thanhouser Film Company as a film
extra
Extra or Xtra may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Film
* ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film
* ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film
Literature
* ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper
* ''Extra!'', an American me ...
to help support her family.
While at Thanhouser, she appeared in two shorts, ''Pots-and-Pans Peggy'' and ''It Happened to Adele''.
As a result of her work through that company, she obtained work through
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...
in a
Pearl White
Pearl Fay White (March 4, 1889 – August 4, 1938) was an American stage and film actress. She began her career on the stage at the age of six, and later moved on to silent films appearing in a number of popular serials.
Dubbed the "Queen of ...
serial.
Career
![Clarineseymour](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Clarineseymour.jpg)
In 1917, Seymour appeared in Pathé's ''Mystery of the Double Cross'' opposite actress Mollie King.
Hal Roach
Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...
saw her performance and offered her a film contract with his Rolin Film Company. Seymour accepted and relocated to
Los Angeles
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' ...
to perform as the leading lady in the Toto the Clown (played by Armando Novello) film comedy serials.
Throughout 1918, she appeared in the Toto serial and also had a supporting role in the comedy short ''
Just Rambling Along
''Just Rambling Along'' is a 1918 American short silent comedy film featuring Stan Laurel. The film is Laurel's earliest surviving work and the first project he did with film producer Hal Roach, who later put out a large portion of the Laurel a ...
'' (1918), opposite
Stan Laurel
Stan Laurel (born Arthur Stanley Jefferson; 16 June 1890 – 23 February 1965) was an English comic actor, writer, and film director who was one half of the comedy double act, duo Laurel and Hardy. He appeared with his comedy partner Oliver Ha ...
.
The deal with Roach soon soured after Seymour claimed she was fired for refusing to do her own stunts. She filed suit against the company and was awarded $1,325 (approximately $ today) in damages. While the case was pending, Seymour appeared in comedy shorts for
Al Christie
Charles Herbert Christie (April 13, 1882 – October 1, 1955) and Alfred Ernest Christie (November 23, 1886 – April 14, 1951) were Canadian motion picture entrepreneurs.
Early life
Charles Herbert Christie was born between April 13, 1 ...
's comedy shorts.
In 1918, Seymour met
Victor Heerman
Victor Eugene Heerman (August 27, 1893 – November 3, 1977) was an English-American film director, screenwriter, and film producer.Vazzana, Eugene Michael (2001). ''Silent Film Necrology.'' McFarland, After writing and directing short comedies ...
. Heerman directed a
screen test
A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...
featuring Seymour and one of
D.W. Griffith
David Wark Griffith (January 22, 1875 – July 23, 1948) was an American film director. Considered one of the most influential figures in the history of the motion picture, he pioneered many aspects of film editing and expanded the art of the na ...
's Artcraft stock company actors
Robert Harron
Robert Emmett Harron (April 12, 1893 – September 5, 1920) was an American motion picture actor of the early silent film era. Although he acted in over 200 films, he is possibly best recalled for his roles in the D.W. Griffith directed film ...
.
Griffith was pleased with the pairing and with Seymour's knack for light comedy and hired her as member of his stock company.
Griffith cast Seymour with Harron,
Richard Barthelmess
Richard Semler Barthelmess (May 9, 1895 – August 17, 1963) was an American film actor, principally of the Hollywood silent era. He starred opposite Lillian Gish in D. W. Griffith's '' Broken Blossoms'' (1919) and ''Way Down East'' (1920) and ...
and
Carol Dempster
Carol Dempster (December 9, 1901 – February 1, 1991) was an American film actress of the silent film era. She appeared in films from 1916 to 1926, working with D. W. Griffith extensively.
Early years
Born in Duluth, Minnesota, Dempster was ...
in the drama ''
The Girl Who Stayed at Home
''The Girl Who Stayed at Home'' is a 1919 American silent drama film produced and directed by D. W. Griffith and released by Paramount Pictures. Prints of the film exist.
Plot
As described in a film magazine, younger son James "Jim" Grey (Harr ...
'' (1919). Although the film was not well received by critics, Seymour's performance was and the public interest in her began to grow. Later that year, she was paired with Robert Harron again in ''
True Heart Susie
''True Heart Susie'' is a 1919 American drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. A print of the film survives in the film archive of the British Film Institute. The film has seen several VHS releases as well as a DVD iss ...
'' (1919) which also featured
Lillian Gish
Lillian Diana Gish (October 14, 1893February 27, 1993) was an American actress, director, and screenwriter. Her film-acting career spanned 75 years, from 1912, in silent film shorts, to 1987. Gish was called the "First Lady of American Cinema", ...
. Seymour followed with role in ''
Scarlet Days
''Scarlet Days'' is a 1919 American silent Western film produced and directed by D. W. Griffith and released through Paramount/Artcraft Pictures, Artcraft being an affiliate of Paramount. Richard Barthelmess stars in a role for which Griffit ...
'' (1919), also opposite Richard Barthelmess and Carol Dempster.
In 1920, Griffith cast Seymour in the lead role in ''
The Idol Dancer
''The Idol Dancer'' is a 1920 American silent South Seas genre, South Seas drama film produced and directed by D. W. Griffith. It stars Richard Barthelmess and Clarine Seymour in her final film role. Seymour was a young actress Griffith was gro ...
''. The film was not well received by audiences but they were taken by Seymour's performance.
Shortly after the film's release, Seymour was featured on the cover of ''
Motion Picture Magazine
''Motion Picture'' was an American monthly fan magazine about film, published from 1911 to 1977.Fuller, Kathryn H. “Motion Picture Story Magazine and the Gendered Construction of the Movie Fan.” ''At the Picture Show: Small-Town Audiences a ...
''.
Death
In early 1920 Griffith again cast Seymour, this time in ''
Way Down East
''Way Down East'' is a 1920 American silent romantic drama film directed by D. W. Griffith and starring Lillian Gish. It is one of four film adaptations of the melodramatic 19th century play ''Way Down East'' by Lottie Blair Parker. There we ...
''. Halfway through filming, on April 21, Seymour fell ill due to "
intestinal strangulation". She was taken to Misericordia Hospital in New York City for treatment but her condition did not improve.
She underwent emergency surgery but died after developing pneumonia on April 25, 1920. Seymour is buried in
Greenwood Union Cemetery in Rye, New York.
Actress
Mary Hay was cast in Seymour's role for ''Way Down East'' and her part was reshot. Footage of Seymour in long shots can be seen in the finished film. On September 26, a memorial service for Seymour,
Ormer Locklear
Ormer Leslie "Lock" Locklear (October 28, 1891 – August 2, 1920) was an American daredevil stunt pilot and film actor.
His popular flying circus caught the attention of Hollywood, and he starred in ''The Great Air Robbery'' (1919), a scre ...
,
Olive Thomas
Olive Thomas (born Oliva R. Duffy; October 20, 1894 – September 10, 1920) was an American silent-film actress, art model, and photo model.
Thomas began her career as an illustrator's model in 1914, and moved on to the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' the ...
, and
Robert Harron
Robert Emmett Harron (April 12, 1893 – September 5, 1920) was an American motion picture actor of the early silent film era. Although he acted in over 200 films, he is possibly best recalled for his roles in the D.W. Griffith directed film ...
(who died of an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound two days after the premiere of ''Way Down East'') was held at the Robert Brunton Studios. All four had died that year and were eulogized by director
William Desmond Taylor
William Desmond Taylor (born William Cunningham Deane-Tanner, 26 April 1872 – 1 February 1922) was an Anglo-Irish-American film director and actor. A popular figure in the growing Hollywood motion picture colony of the 1910s and early 1920s, ...
.
Taylor was murdered less than 18 months later; his killer was never caught.
Filmography
Notes
References
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, Clarine
1898 births
1920 deaths
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from New York City
American film actresses
Methodists from New York (state)
American silent film actresses
Burials in New York (state)
Film serial actresses
Deaths from pneumonia in New York City
People from Brooklyn
Actresses from New Rochelle, New York