Laura Sawyer (February 3, 1885 – September 7, 1970) was an American film actress on stage and in

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...

Early life

Sawyer was born in Iron County, Missouri, the daughter of Alvah Hayden and Laurette Sawyer.Corpus Christi Times (Corpus Christi, Texas) September 9, 1970 Her father was a doctor. By 1900 she was a boarder at the Ursuline Academy in St. Louis.

Career

Sawyer began her career on stage with the Otis Skinner theatrical company and performed in Shakespeare's plays for two years. She also toured with

E. H. Sothern Edward Hugh Sothern (December 6, 1859 – October 28, 1933) was an American actor who specialized in dashing, romantic leading roles and particularly in Shakespeare roles. Biography Sothern was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, the son of English ...

. She joined the Edison Studios while still in her early twenties. She almost immediately found stardom at Edison and remained with the studio until 1913. Her most memorable performance during the period was probably playing the title role in ''The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter'' (1912). Over her tenure with his film studio

Thomas Edison Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventi ...

was said to have considered Sawyer as his favorite actress. She later joined the

Famous Players Film Company The Famous Players Film Company was a film company founded in 1912 by Adolph Zukor in partnership with the Frohman brothers, powerful New York City theatre impresario. History Discussions to form the company were held at The Lambs, a famous th ...

where she played Kate Kirby in the detective films ''Chelsea 7750'', ''An Hour Before Dawn'' and ''The Port of Doom'', all released in 1913, and was praised for her performance in ''The Daughter of the Hills'', also produced in 1913. In 1914, she starred with Betty Harte in ''A Woman's Triumph'' where they played roles as sisters of widely different temperament.A Woman's Triumph. ''The Evening News''. May 25, 1914, p. 9. Sawyer’s last known film appearance was in ''The Daughter of the People'', produced by the Dyreda Art Film Corporation in 1915.

Personal life and death

Sawyer disappeared from the public eye until her death in 1970. At some point she married Charles Frederick Wolff and spent time living in Florida and New Jersey. Her daughter Hayden grew up in Manhattan, New York, and Bronxville, New York. She died on September 7, 1970, in Emory Manor Nursing Home in Matawan, New Jersey, aged 85.

Selected filmography

* '' The Rajah'' (1911) * '' The Battle of Trafalgar'' (1911) * ''

The Lighthouse by the Sea ''The Lighthouse by the Sea'' is a 1924 American silent adventure film produced by and distributed by Warner Bros. The film's star is canine sensation Rin Tin Tin, the most famous animal actor of the 1920s. The film was directed by Malcolm St ...

'' (1911) * '' For the Cause of the South'' (1912) * '' For Valour'' (1912) * '' In His Father's Steps'' (1912) * ''

Hulda of Holland ''Hulda of Holland'' is a 1913 American short drama film. Harold Lloyd features in an uncredited role. Cast * Ben F. Wilson as Heintz * Laura Sawyer as Hulda * Jessie McAllister * Charles Sutton * Harold Lloyd as Bit Role (uncredited) See al ...

'' (1913) * '' The Twelfth Juror'' (1913) * ''

The Old Monk's Tale ''The Old Monk's Tale'' is a 1913 American drama film directed by J. Searle Dawley, produced by The Edison Company and released by General Film Company. It features the first known film appearance of Harold Lloyd as an uncredited Yaqui Indian at ...

'' (1913) * ''

On The Broad Stairway ''On The Broad Stairway'', from Edison Studios, was a 1913 American silent film (short) written and directed by J. Searle Dawley.Catalog of Copyright Entries. Part 4. Works of Art, Etc. New Series By Library of Congress. Copyright Office – 1913 ...

'' (1913) * ''

Chelsea 7750 ''Chelsea 7750'' is a surviving 1913 American silent crime drama film directed by J. Searle Dawley and starring Henry E. Dixey (from the stage), Laura Sawyer, and House Peters. It was the fourth of six “Kate Kirby's Cases" detective stories mad ...

'' (1913) * ''

An Hour Before Dawn ''An Hour Before Dawn'' is a lost 1913 silent film detective drama directed by J. Searle Dawley and starring Laura Sawyer and House Peters. It was the fifth of six "Kate Kirby's Cases" detective stories made in 1913, the second produced by the Fam ...

'' (1913) * ''

The Port of Doom ''The Port of Doom'' is a lost 1913 silent film detective drama directed by J. Searle Dawley and featuring Laura Sawyer and House Peters. It was the last of six “Kate Kirby's Cases" detective stories made in 1913, the third produced by the Fam ...

'' (1913) * '' The Daughter of the Hills'' (1913) * ''

A Woman's Triumph ''A Woman's Triumph'' is a lost 1914 silent film drama directed by J. Searle Dawley and starring Laura Sawyer. It was produced by Daniel Frohman and Adolph Zukor and based on an 1818 story ''The Heart of Midlothian'' by Sir Walter Scott. A rival ...

'' (1914) * ''

The Valentine Girl ''The Valentine Girl'' is a 1917 American silent romantic drama film directed by J. Searle Dawley and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film starred Marguerite Clark, Frank Losee, and Richard Barthelmess. Actress Laura Sawyer wrote the s ...

'' (1917) (*as writer)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sawyer, Laura 1885 births 1970 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses People from Iron County, Missouri 20th-century American actresses American stage actresses