Mabel Ballin (née Croft; January 1, 1885 – July 24, 1958), was an American motion-picture actress of the

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 ...

era.

Early life and career

Mabel Croft was born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

on January 1, 1885. Some sources give 1887 as her birthdate. Both of Croft's parents died when she was 2 years old, which resulted in her being raised by her grandfather and social worker grandmother. Mabel Croft's first stage experience was at Salvation Army hall, where she played the tambourine to bring in donations. Raised in poverty, Croft was working as a dressmaker when a customer paid for her tuition to an industrial arts school. Croft never graduated, instead moving to New York to pursue a career in acting. She married painter and director

Hugo Ballin Hugo Ballin NA (March 7, 1879 – November 27, 1956) was an American artist, muralist, author, and film director. Ballin was a member of the National Institute of Arts and Letters and the National Academy of Design. Biography Ballin was born in ...

on October 24, 1909 in

Westport, Connecticut Westport is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, along the Long Island Sound within Connecticut's Gold Coast. It is northeast of New York City. The town had a population of 27,141 according to the 2020 U.S. Census. History ...

and together they founded Ballin Independent Company. Ballin appeared in 28 films between 1917 and 1925. She achieved popularity 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 ...

. She is best known for her role in ''

Riders of the Purple Sage ''Riders of the Purple Sage'' is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1912. Considered by scholars to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been called ...

'' (1925). Other notable films she appeared in include '' The Glorious Adventure'' (1918), ''

Jane Eyre ''Jane Eyre'' ( ; originally published as ''Jane Eyre: An Autobiography'') is a novel by the English writer Charlotte Brontë. It was published under her pen name "Currer Bell" on 19 October 1847 by Smith, Elder & Co. of London. The first ...

'' (1921), and '' Vanity Fair'' (1923), in which she portrayed Becky Sharp.

Death

Mabel Ballin died on July 24, 1958 in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

. She was interred in

Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery Woodlawn Cemetery, Mausoleum & Mortuary, formerly Ballona Cemetery, is located at 1847 14th Street, alongside Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica, California, United States. The cemetery is owned and operated by the city of Santa Monica. The cemetery ...

in Santa Monica with her husband.

Filmography

* ''When Bobby Broke His Arm'' (1917) * ''Bobby, Movie Director'' (1917) * ''Bobby, Boy Scout'' (1917) * ''Bobby's Bravery'' (1917) * ''

The Spreading Dawn ''The Spreading Dawn'' is a 1917 American silent drama film produced by Samuel Goldwyn in his first year of producing independently in his own studio and starring Broadway stage star Jane Cowl in her second and final silent film. It was directed b ...

'' (1917) *Lost film, only a fragment survives * '' For Valour'' (1917) * ''

The Service Star ''The Service Star'' (aka ''The Flag of Mothers'') is an American silent film directed by Charles Miller. The film stars Madge Kennedy as a young woman who pretends to be the fiancée of a famous flying ace during World War I. The film was copyr ...

'' (1918) *Lost film * '' The Glorious Adventure'' (1918) *Lost film * ''

The Turn of the Wheel ''The Turn of the Wheel'' is a lost film, lost 1918 American silent film, silent romantic drama film produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. Reginald Barker directed and Geraldine Farrar starred. Plot As described in a film magazine, Rosalie ...

'' (1918) *Lost film * ''

Laughing Bill Hyde ''Laughing Bill Hyde'' is a lost 1918 American adventure film directed by Hobart Henley and written by Willard Mack. The film stars Will Rogers, Anna Lehr, Clarence Oliver, Joseph Herbert, Robert Conville, and Dan Mason. The film was released o ...

'' (1918) *Lost film * '' The Danger Game'' (1918) * ''

The White Heather ''The White Heather'' is a lost 1919 American silent drama film directed by Maurice Tourneur and starring Holmes Herbert, Ben Alexander and Ralph Graves. It was based on an 1897 play of the same title by Cecil Raleigh and Henry Hamilton. ...

'' (1919) * '' Lord and Lady Algy'' (1919) *Lost film * ''

The Illustrious Prince ''The Illustrious Prince'' is a 1919 American drama film directed by William Worthington and produced by Sessue Hayakawa's Haworth Pictures Corporation. Plot Cast *Sessue Hayakawa as Prince Maiyo (and the Prince's father) *Mabel Ballin as Pen ...

'' (1919) * ''The Quickening Flame'' (1919) * ''

Under Crimson Skies ''Under Crimson Skies'' is a 1920 American silent adventure film directed by Rex Ingram and starring Elmo Lincoln, Harry von Meter and Mabel Ballin. There are no known archival holdings of the film, so it is presumably a lost film. Cast * Elm ...

'' (1920) * ''

Pagan Love ''Pagan Love'' is a 1920 American silent romantic drama film produced and directed by Hugo Ballin and starring his wife Mabel Ballin, Togo Yamamoto, and Rockliffe Fellowes. Its alternate title is ''The Honourable Gentleman'', which is also t ...

'' (1920) *''

'' (1921) *''

East Lynne ''East Lynne'' is an English sensation novel of 1861 by Ellen Wood, writing as Mrs Henry Wood. A Victorian best-seller, it is remembered chiefly for its elaborate and implausible plot, centring on infidelity and double identities. There have ...

'' (1921) * '' The Journey's End'' (1921) * ''Screen Snapshots, Series 1, No. 24'' (1921) * ''Screen Snapshots, Series 3, No. 9'' (1922) * ''

Other Women's Clothes ''Other Women's Clothes'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Hugo Ballin and starring Mabel Ballin, Raymond Bloomer and Crauford Kent.Munden p.393 Synopsis Wishing to help financially support a struggling model he has fallen in lov ...

'' (1922) * ''

Married People ''Married People'' is an American television sitcom that aired on ABC as part of its 1990–91 schedule. It was a production of Sternin & Fraser Ink, Inc. in association with Columbia Pictures Television and aired between September 18, 1990 and ...

'' (1922) * ''Souls for Sale'' (1923) * '' Vanity Fair'' (1923) *Lost film * ''Screen Snapshots, Series 4, No. 10'' (1924) * ''

'' (1925) * '' Code of the West'' (1925) *Lost film * ''

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) * ''

Beauty and the Bad Man ''Beauty and the Bad Man'' is a 1925 American silent Western film directed by William Worthington and starring Mabel Ballin, Forrest Stanley, and Russell Simpson. Plot As described in a film magazine review, Cassie, an orphan with vocal abil ...

'' (1925) * ''

The Shining Adventure ''The Shining Adventure'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Hugo Ballin and starring Percy Marmont, Mabel Ballin Mabel Ballin (née Croft; January 1, 1885 – July 24, 1958), was an American motion-picture actress of the silent ...

'' (1925) * ''The Rainbow Trail'' (1925) * ''Screen Snapshots, Series 5, No. 14'' (1925)

References

External links

* *
Mabel Ballin
at Virtual History
A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ballin, Mabel American silent film actresses Actresses from Philadelphia 1880s births 1958 deaths 20th-century American actresses Burials at Woodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica