Edna Morton (April 2, 1894 – July 31, 1980) was an American actress who was in films in the 1920s. She starred in mainly

race film The race film or race movie was a genre of film produced in the United States between about 1915 and the early 1950s, consisting of films produced for black audiences, and featuring black casts. Approximately five hundred race films were produce ...

s most of them produced by

Reol Productions REOL Productions Corporation was a film production company in New York City from 1921 until 1924 during the silent film era. It released ten films for African American audiences. The company promoted its films by noting they were adaptations of wor ...

. Her most notable films being ''Spitfire'' (1922), ''Easy Money'' (1922), and ''The Call of His People'' (1921). She was also in a film by

Oscar Micheaux Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (; January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1951) was an author, film director and independent producer of more than 44 films. Although the short-lived Lincoln Motion Picture Company was the first movie company owned and controlled ...

called ''

A Son of Satan ''A Son of Satan'' is a 1924 silent race film directed, written, produced and distributed by Oscar Micheaux. The film follows the misadventures of a man who accepted a bet to spend a night in a haunted house. Micheaux shot the film in The Bronx ...

'' (1924). She is known to have been in ten films in total. She was referred to as "the colored

Mary Pickford Gladys Marie Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American stage and screen actress and producer with a career that spanned five decades. A pioneer in the US film industry, she co-founde ...

Early life

Morton was born in Washington, D.C., on April 2, 1894.

Acting career

Her earliest film was ''

The Sport of the Gods ''The Sport of the Gods'' is a novel by Paul Laurence Dunbar, first published in 1902, centered on American urban black life. Forced to leave the South, a family falls apart amid the harsh realities of Northern inner city life in this examination ...

'' (1921). She acted in many other films in 1921 but the production of ''The Sport of the Gods'' is believed to have taken place during February and March. It was

' first film and she played the character known as Hattie Thompson. She went on to have bigger roles. In the film ''Spitfire'' (1922) she was the lead actress, playing the character Ruth 'Spitfire' Hill. Her co-star in this film was

Lawrence Chenault Lawrence Chenault (November 23, 1877 – December 27, 1943)Wintz, Cary D. and Paul Finkelman. Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance. Ebook, Taylor & Francis group. 2004 was an American vaudeville performer and silent film actor. He appeared in ...

, another African American actor. They were both in ''The Sport of Gods'' as well and made many films together between 1921 and 1925. These films included: ''The Burden of Race'' (1921), ''The Call of His People'' (1921), ''Secret Sorrow'' (1921), ''Ghost of Tolston's Manor'' (1923), and ''A Son of Satan'' (1924). One non-race film Edna Morton acted in was T. Hayes Hunter's ''

Wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

'' (1925). She had a part in the film as the side character known as Susie. When seen in cast listings, Edna Morton was listed a player, leading to majority of her story being lost.

Family

Morton married twice. Her first marriage was to Samuel A. Wilson. They were married in September 1915. They divorced on an unknown date. Morton’s second marriage was to Edward R. DeGrant on September 7, 1930. He died June 6, 1973. Morton did not marry again after and died seven years later at the age of 86 on July 31, 1980.

Filmography

*''

'' (1921) *'' The Secret Sorrow'' (1921) *''

The Simp ''The Simp'' is an extant 1920 silent comedy film starring Lloyd Hamilton. It is a Hamilton and Jack White (film producer), Jack White production distributed by Educational Pictures. The film was directed by Owen Davis and Arthur Roch. A dog ...

'' (1921) *'' The Call of His People'' (1921) *'' The Burden of Race'' (1921) *''

Easy Money A get-rich-quick scheme is a plan to obtain high rates of return for a small investment. The term "get rich quick" has been used to describe shady investments since at least the early 20th century. Most schemes create an impression that partic ...

'' (1922) *''

Spitfire The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries before, during, and after World War II. Many variants of the Spitfire were built, from the Mk 1 to the Rolls-Royce Griff ...

'' (1922) *''

'' (1924) *''

Three Miles Out ''Three Miles Out'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Irvin Willat and starring Madge Kennedy, Harrison Ford, and Marc McDermott. The title of the film refers to the three-mile limit which formerly defined the territorial waters o ...

'' (1924) *''

'' (1925)

References

1894 births 1980 deaths 20th-century American actresses African-American actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from Washington, D.C. {{more cats, date=March 2022