Evelyn Selbie (July 6, 1871 – December 7, 1950) was an American stage actress and performer in both silent and sound films.

Biography

Born in

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...

, as a young woman Selbie was a

sidesaddle Sidesaddle riding is a form of equestrianism that uses a type of saddle which allows female riders to sit aside rather than astride an equine. Sitting aside dates back to antiquity and developed in European countries in the Middle Ages as a way f ...

rider. She had a career which lasted twenty-five years on the stage. She began in Proctor's stock companies in New York after leaving her home. She acted in plays like ''Human Hearts'' and '' The Cat and the Canary''. In the former production she starred for two seasons. Selbie also acted in the stock theater company that operated at the Grand Theater in Reno, Nevada. Then she ventured west where she tenured 18 months at the old Central Theatre in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. This was followed by a season in stock in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

and then a long one in

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

with T.D. Frawley. During the Alaska tour Evelyn alternated leads with Virginia Thornton. In 1909, Selbie joined a vaudeville team, leaving the Bentley stock company. Selbie began her motion picture career in 1912 with the Essanay Company as the leading lady of

Broncho Billy Anderson Gilbert M. "Broncho Billy" Anderson (born Maxwell Henry Aronson; March 21, 1880 – January 20, 1971) was an American actor, writer, film director, and film producer, who was the first star of the Western film genre. He was a founder and star ...

and worked with that company nine years. Her silent movie credits include ''The Squaw Man'', which was the first Hollywood production of

Cecil B. De Mille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

. She continued in motion pictures until 1949 with ''The Doolins of Oklahoma'', in which she played ''Birdie''. She participated in the

Fu Manchu Dr. Fu Manchu () is a supervillain who was introduced in a series of novels by the English author Sax Rohmer beginning shortly before World War I and continuing for another forty years. The character featured in cinema, television, radio, comic ...

film serials and did

freelance ''Freelance'' (sometimes spelled ''free-lance'' or ''free lance''), ''freelancer'', or ''freelance worker'', are terms commonly used for a person who is self-employed and not necessarily committed to a particular employer long-term. Freelance w ...

work on radio. On December 7, 1950, Selbie died at the

Motion Picture Country Hospital The Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) is a charitable organization that offers assistance and care to those in the motion picture and television industries and their families with limited or no resources, including services such as temp ...

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' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

. She was 79. Selbie entered the Motion Picture Country Hospital two weeks after suffering a heart attack. The interment was at Inglewood Park Cemetery,

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

Selected filmography

*'' The People vs. John Doe'' (1916) - Mrs. Doe *'' The Price of Silence'' (1916) - Jenny Cupps *'' The Mysterious Mrs. M'' (1917) - Mrs. Musselwhite *''

The Terror The Reign of Terror (french: link=no, la Terreur) was a period of the French Revolution when, following the creation of the First Republic, a series of massacres and numerous public executions took place in response to revolutionary fervour, ...

'' (1917) - Mrs. Connelly *''

The Voice on the Wire ''The Voice on the Wire'' is a 1917 American action film serial directed by Stuart Paton. It is presumed to be lost. Cast * Ben F. Wilson as John Shirley (as Ben Wilson) * Neva Gerber as Polly Marion * Joseph W. Girard as Dr. Reynolds * Franc ...

'' (1917, Serial) - Pale Ida *''

The Flower of Doom ''The Flower of Doom'' is a 1917 silent drama film written and directed by Rex Ingram and starring Wedgwood Nowell, Yvette Mitchell and Nicholas Dunaew. A reporter has to rescue a singer kidnapped in Chinatown. Cast * Wedgwood Nowell as Sam Savi ...

'' (1917) - Arn Fun *'' The Hand That Rocks the Cradle'' (1917) - Sarah *''

The Flashlight ''The Flashlight'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Ida May Park and starring Lon Chaney, Dorothy Phillips and William Stowell. The screenplay was written by Ida May Park, based on the short story by Albert M. Treynore. This wa ...

'' (1917) - Mrs. Barclay *''

Pay Me! ''Pay Me!'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Joe De Grasse and starring Lon Chaney, Dorothy Phillips and William Stowell. In the United States, the film is also known as ''The Vengeance of the West''. The screenplay was written ...

'' (1917) - Hilda Hendricks *''

Sirens of the Sea ''Sirens of the Sea'' is the debut album by the British vocal trance group Above & Beyond presents OceanLab, released on 21 July 2008 through Anjunabeats. On 8 June 2009 a remix edition of the album was released, ''Sirens of the Sea Remixed ...

'' (1917) - Hadji *'' The Grand Passion'' (1918) - Boston Kate *'' The Two-Soul Woman'' (1918) - Leah *'' Danger, Go Slow'' (1918) - Miss Witherspoon (uncredited) *''

The Red Glove ''The Red Glove'' is a 1919 American film serial directed by J. P. McGowan for Universal. The film is considered to be lost. Plot Walcamp played a "fearless cowgirl" engaged in "perilous adventures" in the cliffhanger style. One episode featur ...

'' (1919) - Tiajuana *''

Uncharted Channels ''Uncharted Channels'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring H. B. Warner, Kathryn Adams and Sam De Grasse Samuel Alfred De Grasse (June 12, 1875 – November 29, 1953) was a Canadian actor. He was the un ...

'' (1920) - Elsa Smolski *''

A Broadway Cowboy ''A Broadway Cowboy'' is a 1920 American silent Western comedy film directed by Joseph Franz and starring William Desmond. It was distributed by Pathé Exchange. Plot As described in a film magazine, Betty Jordan (Francisco), daughter of a M ...

'' (1920) - Miss Howell *''

Seeds of Vengeance ''Seeds of Vengeance'' is an American film released in 1920. It was directed by Ollie Sellers. It was an adaptation of Margaret Prescott's ''The Sowing of Alderson Cree''. The film starred Bernard Durning. It was a C. R. Macauley Photoplay. It ...

'' (1920) - Martha Ryerson *'' The Devil to Pay'' (1920) - Mrs. Roan *'' The Broken Gate'' (1920) - Julia Delafield *'' Devil Dog Dawson'' (1921) *''

Without Benefit of Clergy ''Without Benefit of Clergy'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by James Young and featuring Virginia Brown Faire, Thomas Holding and Boris Karloff. It is based on the story by Rudyard Kipling. A print of the film still exists at t ...

'' (1921) - Ameera's mother *'' The Devil Within'' (1921) - Witch * '' Silver Spurs'' (1922) - Tehama * '' The Half Breed'' (1922) - Mary *'' Thorns and Orange Blossoms'' (1922) - Fallie, Rosita's Maid *'' Omar the Tentmaker'' (1922) - Zarah *''

The Tiger's Claw ''The Tiger's Claw'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by Joseph Henabery and written by Jack Cunningham. The film stars Jack Holt, Eva Novak, George Periolat, Bertram Grassby, Aileen Pringle, and Carl Stockdale. It was released on ...

'' (1923) - Azun *''

Snowdrift A snowdrift is a deposit of snow sculpted by wind into a mound during a snowstorm. Snowdrifts resemble sand dunes and are formed in a similar manner, namely, by wind moving light snow and depositing it when the wind has virtually stopped, u ...

'' (1923) - Wananebish (prologue) *'' The Broken Wing'' (1924) - Quichita *''

Name the Man ''Name the Man'' is a surviving 1924 American silent drama film directed by Victor Sjöström and starring Mae Busch. It was produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures in association with Cosmopolitan Productions. Plot Arriving home late on ...

'' (1924) - Lisa Collister *''

Flapper Wives ''Flapper Wives'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Justin H. McCloskey and Jane Murfin and starring May Allison, Rockliffe Fellowes, and Vera Reynolds. Cast * May Allison as Claudia Bigelow * Rockliffe Fellowes as Stephen Care ...

'' (1924) - Hulda *'' Poisoned Paradise: The Forbidden Story of Monte Carlo'' (1924) - Madame Tranquille *''

Mademoiselle Midnight ''Mademoiselle Midnight'' is a 1924 American silent drama film starring Mae Murray and directed by Murray's then husband, Robert Z. Leonard. The film was written by Carl Harbaugh and John Russell. The film was the final release of Metro under ...

'' (1924) - Chiquita *''

Romance Ranch ''Romance Ranch'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Howard M. Mitchell and starring John Gilbert, Virginia Brown Faire and John Miljan.Munden p.664 Cast * John Gilbert as Carlos Brent * Virginia Brown Faire as Carmen Hendley ...

'' (1924) - Tessa *'' A Cafe in Cairo'' (1924) - Batooka *''

The Prairie Pirate ''The Prairie Pirate'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by Edmund Mortimer and featuring Harry Carey Harry Carey may refer to: *Harry Carey (actor) (1878–1947), American actor * Harry Carey Jr. (1921–2012), American actor * ...

'' (1925) - Marie - Housekeeper (uncredited) *''

Lord Jim ''Lord Jim'' is a novel by Joseph Conrad originally published as a serial in ''Blackwood's Magazine'' from October 1899 to November 1900. An early and primary event in the story is the abandonment of a passenger ship in distress by its crew, ...

'' (1925) - Sultan's Wife (uncredited) *'' The Test of Donald Norton'' (1926) - Nee-tah-wee-gan *''

Hell-Bent for Heaven ''Hell-Bent for Heaven'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by J. Stuart Blackton and written by Marian Constance Blackton. It is based on the 1924 Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''Hell-Bent Fer Heaven'' by Hatcher Hughes. The film sta ...

'' (1926) - Meg Hunt - Sid's Mother *''

Silken Shackles ''Silken Shackles'' is a 1926 American silent drama film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The film was directed by Walter Morosco, the son of theater owner Oliver Morosco, and based on a play by Charles Harris. Irene Rich leads the cas ...

'' (1926) - Tade's Mother *''

The Silver Treasure ''The Silver Treasure'' is a 1926 American silent action drama film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring George O'Brien. It is based on the 1904 novel ''Nostromo'' by Joseph Conrad. It was produced and distributed by the Fox Film Corporat ...

'' (1926) - Mother Teresa *''

Flame of the Argentine ''Flame of the Argentine'' is a 1926 American silent action film directed by Edward Dillon and starring Evelyn Brent, Orville Caldwell and Frank Leigh. It was produced by Film Booking Offices of America, and was released in Britain by Ideal F ...

'' (1926) - Nana *''

Into Her Kingdom ''Into Her Kingdom'' is a 1926 American silent film featuring a Technicolor sequence which dramatizes the Russian Revolution. It was based on a 1925 short story of the same name by Ruth Comfort Mitchell, originally published in Red Book Magaz ...

'' (1926) - Stepan's Mother *'' The Country Beyond'' (1926) - Martha Leseur *''

Prisoners of the Storm ''Prisoners of the Storm'' is a 1926 American silent Western film directed by Lynn Reynolds and starring House Peters, Peggy Montgomery, and Walter McGrail. Plot As described in a film magazine, Bucky Malone and his elder partner, Pierre LeG ...

'' (1926) - Lillian Nicholson *''

Rose of the Tenements ''Rose of the Tenements'' is a 1926 American silent melodrama film, directed by Phil Rosen. It stars Shirley Mason, John Harron, and Evelyn Selbie, and was released on May 26, 1926. Cast list * Shirley Mason as Rosie Rossetti * John Harron as ...

'' (1926) - Sara Kaminsky *'' Camille'' (1926) - Camille's Mother *'' The King of Kings'' (1927) - (uncredited) *''

Wings A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is expresse ...

'' (1927) - Dressing Room Attendant (uncredited) *'' The American'' (1927) (never-released

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ratio greater than t ...

film) *''

Eager Lips ''Eager Lips'' is a 1927 silent film romantic drama directed by Wilfred Noy and starring Pauline Garon, Betty Blythe and Gardner James. The producer was I.E. Chadwick. Cast *Pauline Garon - Mary Lee *Betty Blythe - Paula *Gardner James - Bill Ar ...

'' (1927) *'' Wild Geese'' (1927) *'' Eternal Love'' (1929) *'' The Mysterious Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1929) *''

Love Comes Along ''Love Comes Along'' is a 1930 American romantic film directed by Rupert Julian, written by Wallace Smith, based on the uncompleted play ''Conchita'' by Edward Knoblock. It was a vehicle specifically picked to highlight the vocal talents of Bebe ...

'' (1930) *'' Dangerous Paradise'' (1930) *'' The Return of Dr. Fu Manchu'' (1930) * ''

Desert Vengeance ''Desert Vengeance'' is a 1931 American western film directed by Louis King and starring Buck Jones, Barbara Bedford and Douglas Gilmore.Pitts p.86 It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. Cast * Buck Jones as Jim Cardew (as Charles ...

'' (1931) *''

Diamond Frontier ''Diamond Frontier'' is a 1940 American adventure film directed by Harold D. Schuster and starring Victor McLaglen, John Loder and Anne Nagel. It was based on the story ''A Modern Monte Cristo'' by Stanley Rubin and Edmund L. Hartmann. The film ...

'' (1940) *'' White Eagle'' (1941)

References

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

Post, Friday, October 17, 1913, Page 3. * ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', ''Evelyn Selbie, Actress'', December 9, 1950, Page 15. * Santa Fe New American, ''Veteran Movie Actress Dies'', Friday, December 8, 1950, Page 12, Section A.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Selbie, Evelyn Actresses from Louisville, Kentucky American film actresses American silent film actresses Burials at Inglewood Park Cemetery 1871 births 1950 deaths 19th-century American actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses