Leah Baird (born Ada Frankenstein; June 20, 1883 – October 3, 1971) was an American actress and screenwriter.

Life

Baird was born in Champaign County, Illinois. on June 20, 1883, the daughter of William Frankenstein and Bertha Schreiver Frankenstein Rathjen. She had two older sisters, Augusta and Mathilda. Both her parents were alcoholics and her mother was one of the richest madams in Central Illinois. An early star for

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, ...

, Baird began her film career in 1910 in ''Jean and the Waif'' opposite

Jean Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jea ...

, the Vitagraph Dog. She played several leads in William F. Brady's troupe, opposite

Douglas Fairbanks Douglas Elton Fairbanks Sr. (born Douglas Elton Thomas Ullman; May 23, 1883 – December 12, 1939) was an American actor, screenwriter, director, and producer. He was best known for his swashbuckling roles in silent films including '' The Thi ...

. In the late 1910s she played in 15 episodes of the serial ''Wolves of Kultur''. Baird wrote and produced film during the 1920s. Baird later became a screenwriter and contributed to a number of

Clara Bow Clara Gordon Bow (; July 29, 1905 – September 27, 1965) was an American actress who rose to stardom during the silent film era of the 1920s and successfully made the transition to "talkies" in 1929. Her appearance as a plucky shopgirl in the ...

features. She was married to producer Arthur F. Beck. Baird was under contract to

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

for seventeen years, where she appeared in character roles and as an extra.Slide, Anthony. ''Hollywood Unknowns: A History of the Extras, Bit Players, and Stand-Ins''. Jackson: University of Missouri Press. p 167.

Partial filmography

Actress

* ''Jean and the Waif'' (1910, Short) * ''Chumps'' (1912, Short) - Terpsine - the Cause * ''

A Cure for Pokeritis ''A Cure for Pokeritis'' is a 1912 short silent film starring John Bunny and Flora Finch. After Bunny's death in 1915, a re-release was announced with the alternative title ''A Sure Cure for Pokeritis''. The film, a domestic comedy, depicts a wom ...

'' (1912, Short) * '' All for a Girl'' (1912, Short) - Mrs. Gardner * '' Red and White Roses'' (1913, Short) - Beth Whitney * '' Hearts of the First Empire'' (1913, Short) - Beatrice * ''

Ivanhoe ''Ivanhoe: A Romance'' () by Walter Scott is a historical novel published in three volumes, in 1819, as one of the Waverley novels. Set in England in the Middle Ages, this novel marked a shift away from Scott’s prior practice of setting st ...

'' (1913) - Rebecca of York * '' Absinthe'' (1914) - Madame Dumas * '' Neptune's Daughter'' (1914) - Princess Olga * ''

The Man That Might Have Been ''The Man That Might Have Been'' is a 1914 American short drama silent black and white film directed by William J. Humphrey. It is produced by Vitagraph Company of America. Cast * William J. Humphrey as William Rudd * Leah Baird as Mrs. Wi ...

'' (1914, Short) - Mrs. William Rudd * '' Lights of New York'' (1916) - Yolande Cowles * '' The People vs. John Doe'' (1916) - Woman Lawyer * ''

The Devil's Pay Day ''The Devil's Pay Day'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by William Worthington and starring Franklyn Farnum, Leah Baird and Gertrude Astor.Lowe p.29 Cast * Franklyn Farnum as Gregory Van Houten * Leah Baird as Jean Haskins * Ger ...

'' (1917) - Jean Haskins * ''

One Law for Both ''One Law for Both'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Ivan Abramson. Plot Elga Pulsaki (Rita Jolivet) and her brother Ossip (James W. Morrison) emigrate to the United States from Russia to escape persecution. Elga marries Norman ...

'' (1917) - Helen * ''Sins of Ambition'' (1917) - Laurette Maxwell * ''The Fringe of Society'' (1917) - Myra Strang * ''A Sunset'' (1917) * ''Moral Suicide'' (1918) - Fay Hope * ''Life or Honor?'' (1918) - Helen West * ''

Wolves of Kultur ''Wolves of Kultur'' is a 1918 adventure film serial directed by Joseph A. Golden. It was Charles Hutchison's first serial and though he was the second lead, the film made him a star. Originally 15 chapters, it survives today only in an edited ...

'' (1918) - Alice Grayson * ''

The Echo of Youth ''The Echo of Youth'' is a lost 1919 American silent drama film written and directed by Ivan Abramson, and featuring Charles Richman, Leah Baird, Pearl Shepard, and Marie Shotwell. Plot Cabaret singer Olive Martin (played by Baird) approaches ...

'' (1919) - Olive Martin * '' As a Man Thinks'' (1919) - Elinor Clayton * ''The Volcano'' (1919) - Ruth Carroll * '' The Capitol'' (1919) - Margaret Kennard / Agnes Blake * ''Cynthia of the Minute'' (1920) - Cynthia * ''

The Heart Line ''The Heart Line'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Frederick A. Thomson and starring Leah Baird, Jerome Patrick and Frederick Vroom.Goble p.792 Cast * Leah Baird as Fancy Gray * Jerome Patrick as Francis Granthope * Frederick V ...

'' (1921) - Fancy Gray * ''The Bride's Confession'' (1921) * ''

Don't Doubt Your Wife Don't Doubt Your Wife is a 1922 American silent drama directed by James W. Horne based on the story by Leah Baird and starring Leah Baird and Emory Johnson. The movie was released on March 12, 1922 by Associated Exhibitors. __TOC__ Plot Ro ...

'' (1922) - Rose Manning * '' When the Devil Drives'' (1922) - Blanche Mansfield * '' When Husbands Deceive'' (1922) - Viola Baxter * '' Is Divorce A Failure?'' (1923) - Carol Lockwood * ''

The Destroying Angel ''The Destroying Angel'' is a 1923 American silent comedy film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and starring Leah Baird, John Bowers and Noah Beery.Munden p.183 Cast * Leah Baird as Mary Miller / Saraa Law * John Bowers as Hugh Miller Whittaker * No ...

'' (1923) - Mary Miller / Saraa Law * ''

The Miracle Makers ''The Miracle Makers'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and starring Leah Baird, George Walsh and Edith Yorke.Connelly p.171 Synopsis Doris Mansfield is forced to marry Bill Bruce, despite being engaged to another m ...

'' (1923) - Doris Mansfield * ''Fangs of the Wolf'' (1924) * '' The Unnamed Woman'' (1925) - Billie Norton * ''

Bullets for O'Hara ''Bullets for O'Hara'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by William K. Howard, written by Raymond L. Schrock, and starring Joan Perry, Roger Pryor, Anthony Quinn, Maris Wrixon, Dick Purcell and Richard Ainley. It was released by Warne ...

'' (1941) - Police Matron * ''

Bad Men of Missouri ''Bad Men of Missouri'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Ray Enright and written by Charles Grayson. The film stars Dennis Morgan, Jane Wyman, Wayne Morris and Arthur Kennedy. The film was released by Warner Bros. on July 26, 194 ...

'' (1941) - Ms. Brooks (uncredited) * ''

Manpower Human resources (HR) is the set of people who make up the workforce of an organization, business sector, industry, or economy. A narrower concept is human capital, the knowledge and skills which the individuals command. Similar terms include ...

'' (1941) - Mrs. Taylor - Prison Matron (uncredited) * ''

One Foot in Heaven ''One Foot in Heaven'' is a 1941 American biographical film starring Fredric March, Martha Scott, Beulah Bondi, Gene Lockhart and Elisabeth Fraser. The film was adapted by Casey Robinson from the autobiography by Hartzell Spence. It was directed ...

'' (1941) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Blues in the Night'' (1941) - Nurse (uncredited) * ''

The Body Disappears ''The Body Disappears'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring Jeffrey Lynn and Jane Wyman. Plot Unconscious after his bachelor party, Peter De Haven (Jeffrey Lynn) is transported by his friends to the college ...

'' (1941) - Rest Home Nurse (uncredited) * ''

Dangerously They Live ''Dangerously They Live'' is a 1941 American World War II spy film directed by Robert Florey and starring John Garfield, Nancy Coleman and Raymond Massey. The plot concerns Nazi spies who try to pry information out of a British agent. Plot I ...

'' (1941) - Fake Telephone Operator (uncredited) * ''

The Man Who Came to Dinner ''The Man Who Came to Dinner'' is a comedy play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. It debuted on October 16, 1939, at the Music Box Theatre in New York City, where it ran until 1941, closing after 739 performances. It then enjoyed a number of N ...

'' (1942) - Fan at Train Station (uncredited) * '' All Through the Night'' (1942) - Woman (uncredited) * ''

Kings Row ''Kings Row'' is a 1942 film starring Ann Sheridan, Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan and Betty Field that tells a story of young people growing up in a small American town at the turn of the twentieth century. The picture was directed by Sam Wood ...

'' (1942) - Aunt Mamie (uncredited) * ''

The Male Animal ''The Male Animal'' is a 1942 American comedy-drama film produced by Warner Bros., starring Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Leslie. The film was based on a hit 1940 Broadway play of the same name written by James Thurber and Elliott ...

'' (1942) - Trustee's Wife (uncredited) * ''

Lady Gangster ''Lady Gangster'' is a 1942 Warner Bros. B picture crime film directed by Robert Florey, credited as "Florian Roberts". It is based on the play ''Gangstress, or Women in Prison'' by Dorothy Mackaye, who in 1928, as #440960, served less than ten ...

'' (1942) - Prison Matron * ''

Yankee Doodle Dandy ''Yankee Doodle Dandy'' is a 1942 American biographical musical film about George M. Cohan, known as "The Man Who Owned Broadway". It stars James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston, and Richard Whorf, and features Irene Manning, George To ...

'' (1942) - Housekeeper (uncredited) * '' The Big Shot'' (1942) - Mrs. Carter (uncredited) * ''

Secret Enemies ''Secret Enemies'' is a 1942 American drama film directed by Benjamin Stoloff and written by Raymond L. Schrock. The film stars Craig Stevens, Faye Emerson, John Ridgely, Charles Lang, Robert Warwick, and Frank Reicher. The film was released b ...

'' (1942) - Hotel Maid (uncredited) * ''

Busses Roar ''Busses Roar'' is a 1942 film directed by D. Ross Lederman and starring Richard Travis and Julie Bishop. Plot A bungling saboteur attempts to place a bomb on board a bus so that it will explode as the bus passes by some oil wells.Pryor, Thoma ...

'' (1942) - Second Old Maid * ''

Truck Busters ''Truck Busters'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by B. Reeves Eason, written by Robert E. Kent and Raymond L. Schrock, and starring Richard Travis, Virginia Christine, Charles Lang, Ruth Ford, Richard Fraser, Tod Andrews and Frank Wi ...

'' (1943) - Floor Nurse (uncredited) * ''

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

'' (1943) - Nurse #2 (uncredited) * ''

Action in the North Atlantic ''Action in the North Atlantic'', also known as ''Heroes Without Uniforms'', is a 1943 American black-and-white war film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Jerry Wald, directed by Lloyd Bacon, that stars Humphrey Bogart and Raymond Massey as ...

'' (1943) - Mother (uncredited) * ''

This Is the Army ''This Is the Army'' is a 1943 American wartime musical comedy film produced by Hal B. Wallis and Jack L. Warner, and directed by Michael Curtiz, adapted from a wartime stage musical with the same name, designed to boost morale in the U.S. duri ...

'' (1943) - Old-Timer's Wife (uncredited) * ''

Watch on the Rhine A watch is a portable timepiece intended to be carried or worn by a person. It is designed to keep a consistent movement despite the motions caused by the person's activities. A wristwatch is designed to be worn around the wrist, attached by ...

'' (1943) - Miss Drake (uncredited) * '' Thank Your Lucky Stars'' (1943) - Bus Passenger (uncredited) * ''

The Desert Song ''The Desert Song'' is an operetta with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel. It was inspired by the 1925 uprising of the Riffs, a group of Moroccan fighters, against French colo ...

'' (1943) - Arab Woman (uncredited) * '' The Adventures of Mark Twain'' (1944) - Elderly Woman (uncredited) * ''

Make Your Own Bed ''Make Your Own Bed'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by Francis Swann, Edmund Joseph and Richard Weil. The film stars Jack Carson, Jane Wyman, Irene Manning, Alan Hale, Sr., George Tobias and Robert S ...

'' (1944) - John's Wife (uncredited) * '' The Last Ride'' (1944) - Mrs. Bronson (uncredited) * '' Pillow to Post'' (1945) - Sailor's Mother (uncredited) * ''

Mildred Pierce ''Mildred Pierce'' is a psychological drama by James M. Cain published by Alfred A. Knopf in 1941. A story of “social inequity and opportunity in America" set during the Great Depression, ''Mildred Pierce'' follows the trajectory of a lower- ...

'' (1945) - Police Matron (uncredited) * ''

My Reputation ''My Reputation'' is a 1946 American romantic drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt. Barbara Stanwyck portrays an upper-class widow whose romance with an army officer causes trouble for her gossiping friends, domineering mother and young sons. ...

'' (1946) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

Shadow of a Woman ''Shadow of a Woman'' is a 1946 American drama film, drama film noir directed by Joseph Santley and starring Helmut Dantine, Andrea King and William Prince (actor), William Prince. The film is based on the novel ''He Fell Down Dead'' written by Vi ...

'' (1946) - Mrs. Calvin * ''

The Verdict ''The Verdict'' is a 1982 American legal drama film directed by Sidney Lumet and written by David Mamet, adapted from Barry Reed's 1980 novel of the same name. It stars Paul Newman, Charlotte Rampling, Jack Warden, James Mason, Milo O'Shea, an ...

'' (1946) - French Charwoman (uncredited) * ''

Humoresque Humoresque (or Humoreske) is a genre of Romantic music characterized by pieces with fanciful humor in the sense of mood rather than wit. History The name refers to the German term ''Humoreske'', which was given from the 1800s (decade) onward to h ...

'' (1946) - Professor (uncredited) * ''

Flaxy Martin ''Flaxy Martin'' is a 1949 film noir starring Zachary Scott and Virginia Mayo, and featuring Elisha Cook Jr., Dorothy Malone, and Douglas Kennedy. The crime thriller was directed by Richard L. Bare based on a story written by David Lang. The ...

'' (1949) - Tenement Resident (uncredited) * ''

The Girl from Jones Beach ''The Girl from Jones Beach'' is a 1949 American comedy film directed by Peter Godfrey and written by I. A. L. Diamond. The film stars Ronald Reagan, Virginia Mayo, Eddie Bracken, Dona Drake, Henry Travers and Lois Wilson. The film was release ...

'' (1949) - Board Member (uncredited) * ''

The Man Who Cheated Himself ''The Man Who Cheated Himself'' is a 1950 American crime film noir directed by Felix E. Feist and starring Lee J. Cobb, Jane Wyatt and John Dall. Plot Wealthy socialite Lois Frazer, divorcing her fortune-hunter husband, Howard, finds a gun h ...

'' (1950) - Police Matron (uncredited) * ''

How to Be Very, Very Popular ''How to Be Very, Very Popular'' is a 1955 comedy film written, produced and directed by Nunnally Johnson. The film starred Betty Grable in her final film role and Sheree North in her first leading role. Johnson later said "I don't much like to ...

'' (1955) - (uncredited) * ''

Around the World in Eighty Days ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' (french: link=no, Le tour du monde en quatre-vingts jours) is an adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in French in 1872. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employe ...

'' (1956) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''

The Phantom Stagecoach ''The Phantom Stagecoach'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring William Bishop, Kathleen Crowley, Richard Webb, Hugh Sanders, John Doucette, and Frank Ferguson. The film was released by Columbia Pictures on Ap ...

'' (1957) - Mrs. Simms (uncredited) * ''

The Hard Man ''The Hard Man'' is a 1957 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Guy Madison.Pitts p.144 Plot A Texas Ranger (Guy Madison) turns deputy sheriff; a woman (Valerie French) wants him to kill her cattle-baron husband (Lorne ...

'' (1957) - Townswoman (uncredited) (final film role)

Writer

* ''The Dawning'' (1912) * ''

Barriers Burned Away ''Barriers Burned Away'' is a 1925 American silent historical drama film directed by W.S. Van Dyke and starring Mabel Ballin, Eric Mayne, and Frank Mayo. It is set at the time of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871. The film is loosely adapted fro ...

'' (1925) * '' The Primrose Path'' (1925) * '' Devil's Island'' (1926) * '' Spangles'' (1926) * ''

The False Alarm ''The False Alarm'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Frank O'Connor and starring Ralph Lewis, Dorothy Revier and John Harron.Munden p.227 Cast * Ralph Lewis as Fighting John Casey * Dorothy Revier as Mary Doyle * John Harron ...

'' (1926) * ''

The Return of Boston Blackie ''The Return of Boston Blackie'' is a 1927 low-budget, silent, drama genre film starring Bob Custer. Based upon a character created by Jack Boyle for short stories appearing in ''The American'', ''Cosmopolitan'' and ''Redbook'' magazines in th ...

'' (1927) * '' Stolen Pleasures'' (1927) * ''

Jungle Bride ''Jungle Bride'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code Hollywood, pre-Code film directed by Harry O. Hoyt and Albert H. Kelley. Plot Doris Evans suspects that an actor has committed murder, so she and her fiancé follow him aboard a ship. Following a ...

'' (1933)

Producer

* ''Cynthia of the Minute'' (1920) * '' Shadow of the Law'' (1926)

References

External links

Leah Baird
on Women Film Pioneers Project * *
Leah Baird
at

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...

*
Leah Baird
gallery at NY Public Library
''Leah Baird'' early studio portrait
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baird, Leah American silent film actresses American women screenwriters Screenwriters from Illinois Film producers from Illinois Actresses from Chicago Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery Warner Bros. contract players 1883 births 1971 deaths 20th-century American actresses Women film pioneers American women film producers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters