Frances Grant Starr (June 6, 1881 – June 11, 1973) was an American stage, film and television actress.

Early years

Starr's parents were Charles Edward Starr and Emma (''née'' Grant). She had two half sisters, and her father died when she was a child.

Career

Starr started in plays in 1901 in an Albany stock company, in which

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) ...

and Alison Skipworth were members. She signed with

David Belasco David Belasco (July 25, 1853 – May 14, 1931) was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story ''Madame Butterfly'' for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of m ...

in 1906 and appeared in a small role with

David Warfield David Warfield (November 28, 1866 – June 27, 1951) was an American stage actor. Life and career Warfield was born David Wohlfeld in San Francisco, California, to German-Jewish parents, Louise and Sigmund Wohlfeld. His first connection wit ...

in ''The Music Master''. In November 1906 she appeared along with another young actress,

Jane Cowl Jane Cowl (December 14, 1883 – June 22, 1950) was an American film and stage actress and playwright "notorious for playing lachrymose parts". Actress Jane Russell was named in Cowl's honor. Biography Cowl was born Jane Bailey in Boston, Mas ...

, in ''The Rose of the Rancho''. She achieved her breakout stage role in 1909 in Belasco's production of ''The Easiest Way''. Starr continued to have a string of successes such as ''The Case of Becky'' (1912) and ''Shore Leave'' (1922). Several of the plays she starred in were turned into early silent films often by

Famous Players-Lasky Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and ...

. She delivered a standout role as the wronged mother in ''

Five Star Final ''Five Star Final'' is a 1931 American pre-Code drama film about the excesses of tabloid journalism directed by Mervyn LeRoy and starring Edward G. Robinson, Aline MacMahon (in her screen debut) and Boris Karloff. The screenplay was by Rober ...

'' (1931), an early talkie about newspaper corruption. It was her second of only three sound films. Lastly she appeared in ''

This Reckless Age ''This Reckless Age'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Charles "Buddy" Rogers and produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film is based on a Broadway play ''The Goose Hangs High'' by L ...

'' (1932) with Buddy Rogers and Richard Bennett. On television, Starr appeared on '' Studio One'', '' Omnibus'', ''

Kraft Television Theatre ''Kraft Television Theatre'' is an American anthology drama television series running from 1947 to 1958. It began May 7, 1947 on NBC, airing at 7:30pm on Wednesday evenings until December of that year. It first promoted MacLaren's Imperial Chees ...

'' and other programs. Starr's Broadway credits included ''The Ladies of the Corridor'' (1953), ''The Sacred Flame'' (1952), ''The Long Days'' (1951), ''The Young and Fair'' (1948), ''Claudia'' (1941), ''The Good'' (1938), ''Field of Ermine'' (1935), ''Lady Jane'' (1934), ''Moor Born'' (1934), ''The Lake'' (1933), ''Diplomacy'' (1928), ''Immoral Isabella?'' (1927), ''The Shelf'' (1926), ''Shore Leave'' (1922), ''The Easiest Way'' (1921), ''One'' (1920), ''Tiger! Tiger!'' (1918), ''Little Lady in Blue'' (1916), ''Marie-Odile'' (1915), ''The Secret'' (1914), ''The Secret'' (1913), ''The Case of Becky'' (1912), ''The Easiest Way'' (1909), ''The Rose of the Rancho'' (1906), ''Gallops'' (1906), and ''Nell Gwyn'' (1901).

Personal life

Starr's marriages to artist William Haskell Coffin and banker R. Golden Donaldson ended in divorce. She was widowed by her third husband, attorney Emil C. Wetten.

Death

Starr died on June 11, 1973, at her home at age 92.

Filmography

*'' Tiger Rose'' (1923) as Minor Role *''

The Star Witness ''The Star Witness'' is a 1931 American pre-Code crime drama film produced and distributed by Warner Bros. and directed by William A. Wellman. The film stars Walter Huston, Frances Starr, Grant Mitchell, and Chic Sale. ''The Star Witness'' wa ...

'' (1931) as Ma Leeds *''

'' (1931) as Nancy 'Voorhees' Townsend *''

'' (1932) as Eunice Ingals *'' Ford Theatre Hour'' (1949, TV Series) as Margaret 'Marmee' March *''

Hallmark Hall of Fame ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...

'' (1952, TV Series) as Anna Warner *''

Crime Photographer ''Casey, Crime Photographer'' (also known as ''Crime photographer''; ''Flashgun Casey''; ''Casey, Press Photographer''; ''Stephen Bristol, Crime Photographer'') was an American media franchise that lasted from the 1930s until the 1960s. Created ...

'' (1952, TV Series) *''Studio One'' (1952-1953, TV Series) as Mrs. Fairfax *''Omnibus'' (1953, TV Series) as Mother (segment "The Sojourner") *'' Love Story'' (1954, TV Series) *'' Center Stage'' (1954, TV Series) *''Mr. Citizen'' (1955, TV Series) as Sophie Farnham *''

'' (1955, TV Series) as Nora *''The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse'' (1955, TV Series)

References

External links

* *
"ALL-STAR CAST ON CEDRIC; Five Prominent Actresses Back for Work"
(Frances Starr,

, Pamela Gaythorne,

Dorothy Donnelly Dorothy Agnes Donnelly (January 28, 1876 - January 3, 1928) was an actress, playwright, librettist, producer, and director. After a decade-long acting career that included several notable roles on Broadway, she turned to writing plays, musicals ...

and Mrs LeMoyne return from European vacation on

RMS Cedric RMS ''Cedric'' was an ocean liner owned by the White Star Line. She was the second of a quartet of ships over 20,000 tons, dubbed the Big Four, and was the largest vessel in the world at the time of her entering service. Her career, peppered w ...

); ''

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 ...

'', August 4, 1912
Frances Starr
portrait gallery at

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

Billy Rose digital collection
Frances Starr
(University of Washington, Sayre collection) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Starr, Frances 1881 births 1973 deaths Actresses from New York (state) American stage actresses American film actresses American television actresses People from Oneonta, New York Place of death missing 20th-century American actresses