Flora Le Breton (1899 – 11 July 1951 in Brooklyn, New York City) was an English

silent film 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, when ...

actress from

Croydon Croydon is a large town in south London, England, south of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Croydon, a local government district of Greater London. It is one of the largest commercial districts in Greater London, with an extensi ...

, Surrey, England. She was a dainty blonde with dark blue eyes. In the UK she was called both ''the British

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 ...

'' and ''the English Mary Pickford.''

Lineage and family

Her ancestry was English, French, Scottish and

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

. Her Scottish lineage was lengthy and distinguished. She was related to

Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll Gillespie Archibald Campbell, 2nd Earl of Argyll ( – 9 September 1513) was a Scottish nobleman and politician who was killed at the Battle of Flodden. Biography Archibald was the eldest son of Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll and Isabel Ste ...

. Her ancestral home, Ware Park, dated to the 15th century. Flora Annie Le Breton was the youngest child of a gentleman of private means, Bertram Le Breton (born 1870), and his wife, and Florence Evelyn Le Breton. She had a sister called Violet (born 1897) and their brother was named Vivian Bertram Le Breton (born 1898). In August 1918, her brother, Lieutenant Vivian Le Breton, who had just weeks before married a Miss Theodora Fairbrother, was killed in action while fighting in France during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Her sister Violet married Major Cecil Haigh and settled in Hong Kong.

Education and stage career

She trained for the stage at the

Royal Academy of Dramatic Art The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA; ) is a drama school in London, England, that provides vocational conservatoire training for theatre, film, television, and radio. It is based in the Bloomsbury area of Central London, close to the Sen ...

in London. Le Breton earned a scholarship there at the age of fifteen. Founded by Sir Herbert Tree, the academy grant was presented to her by Sir

Squire Bancroft Sir Squire Bancroft (14 May 1841 – 19 April 1926), born Squire White Butterfield, was an English actor-manager. He changed his name to Squire Bancroft Bancroft by deed poll just before his marriage. He and his wife Effie Bancroft are consi ...

and Sir John Hare. She secured the role of a London flower girl and played opposite Sir

Gerald du Maurier Sir Gerald Hubert Edward Busson du Maurier (26 March 1873 – 11 April 1934) was an English actor and manager. He was the son of author George du Maurier and his wife, Emma Wightwick, and the brother of Sylvia Llewelyn Davies. In 1903, he m ...

for an entire year in the English capital. She was noticed by Andre Charlot, who envisioned her as an English

soubrette A soubrette is a type of operatic soprano voice ''fach'', often cast as a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy". Theatre In theatre, a soubrette is a c ...

. He put Le Breton in several revues in which she sang and performed a stiff-legged doll dance that became the highlight of the shows.

Film actress

Le Breton's film career began in 1920 with a role as Alesia in ''La Poupee''. In 1922 she co-starred with George K. Arthur and Simeon Stuart in ''Love's Influence'', originally titled ''Love's April''. The French

heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

boxer,

Georges Carpentier Georges Carpentier (; 12 January 1894 – 28 October 1975) was a French boxer, actor and World War I pilot. He fought mainly as a light heavyweight and heavyweight in a career lasting from 1908 to 1926. Nicknamed the "Orchid Man", he stood and hi ...

, made a

cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...

in the British silent film. Le Breton won many of the London film favourite contests along with actress

Betty Balfour Betty Balfour (born Florence Lilian Woods; 27 March 1902 – 4 November 1977) was an English screen actress, popular during the silent era, and known as the "British Mary Pickford" and "Britain's Queen of Happiness". She was best known to au ...

. She appeared in the first coloured film made in Great Britain. '' The Glorious Adventure'' (1922) starred

Lady Diana Cooper Diana, Viscountess Norwich (née Lady Diana Olivia Winifred Maud Manners; 29 August 1892 – 16 June 1986) was an English actress and aristocrat who was a well-known social figure in London and Paris. As a young woman, she moved in a celebrat ...

and

Victor McLaglen Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (10 December 1886 – 7 November 1959) was a British boxer-turned-Hollywood actor.Obituary ''Variety'', 11 November 1959, page 79. He was known as a character actor, particularly in Westerns, and made se ...

. Produced by

J. Stuart Blackton James Stuart Blackton (January 5, 1875 – August 13, 1941) was a British-American film producer and director of the silent era. One of the pioneers of motion pictures, he founded Vitagraph Studios in 1897. He was one of the first filmmakers to ...

, founder of

Vitagraph Studios Vitagraph Studios, also known as the Vitagraph Company of America, was a United States motion picture studio. It was founded by J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith in 1897 in Brooklyn, New York, as the American Vitagraph Company. By 1907, ...

, the film was made in

Prizma The Prizma Color system was a color motion picture process, invented in 1913 by William Van Doren Kelley and Charles Raleigh. Initially, it was a two-color additive color system, similar to its predecessor, Kinemacolor. However, Kelley eventual ...

colour. As a dancer Le Breton and her partner, Cecil Rubens, won the world's amateur dancing championship in February 1923. Le Breton arrived in

America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

in January 1924. Among her early Hollywood films is ''Another Scandal'' (1924). She had the third lead after Lois Wilson and Holmes Herbert. Shot in Florida, the film was a production of the Tilford Cinema Corporation. Le Breton was among those considered for the role of

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

in ''

'', which was adapted from the novel by

Sir James Barrie Sir James Matthew Barrie, 1st Baronet, (; 9 May 1860 19 June 1937) was a Scottish novelist and playwright, best remembered as the creator of Peter Pan. He was born and educated in Scotland and then moved to London, where he wrote several succe ...

. She chose not to play additional parts like the

vamp The VaMP driverless car was one of the first truly autonomous cars Dynamic Vision for Perc ...

character, ''Mrs. May Beamish'', she performed in ''Another Scandal''. She appeared in the

melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

''I Am The Man'' (1924) with

Lionel Barrymore Lionel Barrymore (born Lionel Herbert Blythe; April 28, 1878 – November 15, 1954) was an American actor of stage, screen and radio as well as a film director. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''A Free Soul'' (1931) ...

. Her last screen credit came in the

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

comedy ''

Charley's Aunt ''Charley's Aunt'' is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. The story centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt. The complications of the plot inc ...

'' (1930). Le Breton played the part of ''Ela Delahay''. Le Breton sent for her mother in Britain and settled her in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. B ...

after she became a star in the US.

American stage

In her first year in the United States, Le Breton acted the part of a

waif A waif (from the Old French ''guaif'', "stray beast")Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/waif (accessed: June 02, 2008) is a person removed, by hardship, loss or other helpless circumstance ...

who inherits the wealth of a long-lost grandfather, Lord Maxwell. The play was ''Lass o' Laughter''. Her character necessitates that she enunciate a Glaswegian Scottish accent. A reviewer praised her appearance, commenting ''Miss Le Breton's beauty is of the

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

doll type.'' In November 1925 she was featured in the Henry W. Savage production, ''The Balcony Walker'', which played the Lyric Theatre in

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city and a major port in the U.S. state of Connecticut. With a population of 148,654 in 2020, it is also the fifth-most populous in New England. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnoc ...

, Connecticut. By March 1926 she had given up her film career to appear in a New York City

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

, ''The Optimists''. In a 1928 play, she was Lady Delphine, the romantic object of song and dance man Charles King in the well-received Broadway show, ''Present Arms'', which had a run of 155 performances at the Mansfield Theatre. In March 1929,

Walter Winchell Walter Winchell (April 7, 1897 – February 20, 1972) was a syndicated American newspaper gossip columnist and radio news commentator. Originally a vaudeville performer, Winchell began his newspaper career as a Broadway reporter, critic and co ...

, in his gossip column "Diary of a New Yorker,"'Harrisburg Telegraph'' page 10, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 5 March 1929. recounted Miss Le Breton's theatrical struggle to win stardom in America, and noted that she was now "the headliner and sensation of the bill at a vaudeville theater." In 1933, Le Breton was reviewed favourably for her role in the ''School For Husbands'', which was produced by the

Theatre Guild The Theatre Guild is a theatrical society founded in New York City in 1918 by Lawrence Langner, Philip Moeller, Helen Westley and Theresa Helburn. Langner's wife, Armina Marshall, then served as a co-director. It evolved out of the work of the W ...

. Included in the cast were

Osgood Perkins James Ridley Osgood Perkins (May 16, 1892 – September 21, 1937) was an American actor. Life and career Perkins was born in West Newton, Massachusetts, son of Henry Phelps Perkins Jr., and his wife, Helen Virginia (née Anthony). His maternal g ...

and

June Walker : ''For the American activist and former Hadassah leader, see June Walker (Hadassah)'' June Walker (June 14, 1900 – February 3, 1966) was an American stage and film actress. Early years Walker was born in New York City on June 14, 1900, an ...

Selected Broadway performances

''Lass o' Laughter'' (Comedy Theatre, New York, 28 performances, January – February 1928) ''The Optimists'' (Casino de Paris, New York, 24 performances, January – February 1928) ''Present Arms'' (Lew Fields' Mansfield Theatre, New York, 155 performances, 26 April to 1 September 1928) ''The Singing Rabbi'' (Selwyn Theatre, New York, 3 performances, 10–12 September 1931) ''The Cat and the Fiddle'' (Globe Theatre, N.Y., and then moved to

George M. Cohan's Theatre George M. Cohan's Theatre was a Broadway theatre at Broadway and West 43rd Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. It was built in 1911 and demolished in 1938. History The theatre was designed by George Keister, and ope ...

, N.Y., 395 performances, 15 October 1931 to 24 September 1932) ''The School for Husbands'' (Empire Theatre, New York, 116 performances, 16 October 1932 to 20 January 1934) ''The Chinese Nightingale'' (Theatre of Young America, New York, 8 performances, October 1934)

Selected filmography

* ''

Cocaine Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly recreational drug use, used recreationally for its euphoria, euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from t ...

'' (UK, 1922) * ''

A Soul's Awakening ''A Soul's Awakening'' is a 1922 British silent drama film directed by W. P. Kellino and starring David Hawthorne, Flora le Breton and Ethel Oliver. It was made at Lime Grove Studios in Shepherd's Bush. It is also known by the alternative title ...

'' (UK, 1922) * ''

A Gipsy Cavalier ''A Gipsy Cavalier'' is a 1922 British historical drama film directed by J. Stuart Blackton and starring Georges Carpentier, Flora le Breton and Rex McDougall. It was one of three films made in Britain during the early 1920s by the British-born ...

'' (UK, 1922) * '' Love's Influence'' (UK, 1922) * '' I Will Repay'' (UK, 1923) * '' Little Miss Nobody'' (UK, 1923) * ''

Another Scandal ''Another Scandal'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Edward H. Griffith and distributed by W. W. Hodkinson. Based on a 1923 novel ''Another Scandal'' by Cosmo Hamilton, the film stars Lois Wilson and Holmes Herbert. Plot As de ...

'' (US, 1924) * ''

Those Who Judge ''Those Who Judge'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Patsy Ruth Miller, Lou Tellegen, and Mary Thurman. Plot As described in a film magazine, any romance between Angelique Dean (Miller) and John Dawso ...

'' (US, 1924) * '' I Am the Man'' (US, 1924) * '' Lover's Island'' (US, 1924) with

Hope Hampton Hope Hampton (Mae Elizabeth Hampton; February 19, 1897 – January 23, 1982) was an American silent motion picture actress and producer, who was noted for her seemingly effortless incarnation of siren and flapper types in silent-picture roles d ...

and James Kirkwood * ''

The White Monkey ''The White Monkey'' is a 1925 American silent drama film, directed by Phil Rosen and starring Barbara La Marr, Thomas Holding, and Henry Victor. It was released by First National Pictures on June 7, 1925. Plot As described in a film magazine r ...

'' (1925) * '' Lover's Island'' (1925) * '' Tons of Money'' (UK, 1926) * ''

Education of a Prince ''Éducation de Prince'' (English: ''Education of a Prince'') was a silent French film released in 1927. The French title has been spelled slightly differently over the years. It was adapted by the director Henri Diamant-Berger from the play b ...

'' (France, 1927) * ''

The Rolling Road ''The Rolling Road'' is a 1927 British silent drama film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Carlyle Blackwell, Flora le Breton, Clifford Heatherley and A.V. Bramble. The screenplay concerns a young woman in a Cornish fishing village who h ...

'' (UK, 1928) * ''

'' (US, 1930) with Charles Ruggles

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Le Breton, Flora English film actresses English silent film actresses English stage actresses Vaudeville performers 1899 births People from Croydon 1951 deaths 20th-century English actresses 20th-century English singers British expatriate actresses in the United States 20th-century English women singers