Mildred Considine (1887–1933) was an American screenwriter and actress active during

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

's silent era.

Biography

Origins

Mildred was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

to John Considine (a big-time

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

promoter and theater manager who attracted a fair amount of controversies in his day) and Julia Nussbaumer. Her parents divorced when she was young after her mother found out that her father—who spent a good deal of time working in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

—had taken up with another woman. She spent most of her childhood with her mother and stepfather in Chicago, where she later attended the Academy of Fine Arts.

Theatrical career

Given her family's vaudeville background, it was not surprising Mildred was writing and performing at venues in Chicago and around the country from a young age. Her work began to attract notice, and in 1913, she sued her father for , alleging that he was interfering with

booking agent A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, broadcast journalists, film directors, musicians, models, professional athletes, screenwriters, writers, and other professionals in various entertainment or sport ...

s at theaters around the country to prevent her from being booked.

Hollywood ambitions

Mildred been writing scenarios since she was 15, and had acted in a number of

Essanay The Essanay Film Manufacturing Company was an early American motion picture studio. The studio was founded in 1907 in Chicago, and later developed an additional film lot in Niles Canyon, California. Its various stars included Francis X. Bushman, ...

shorts as a teenager. By 1917, she had been hired by

Constance Talmadge Constance Alice Talmadge (April 19, 1898 – November 23, 1973) was an American silent film star. She was the sister of actresses Norma and Natalie Talmadge. Early life Talmadge was born on April 19, 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, to poor par ...

as a scenario editor. That same year, her first scripts, ''

Panthea ''Panthea'' is a genus of the owlet moth family, Noctuidae. The word ''Panthea'' is from Greek, meaning "all of gods" .''Panthea''

'' and '' Framing Framers'', were produced and released. She later wrote for
Anita Stewart Anita Stewart (born Anna Marie Stewart; February 7, 1895 – May 4, 1961) was an American actress and film producer of the early silent film era. Early years Anita Stewart was born in Brooklyn, New York as Anna Marie Stewart on February 7, 18 ...
and
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 ...
, although her relationship with the latter star would turn sour in 1921 when Mildred alleged that Pickford had ripped off one of her scripts in ''
Through the Back Door ''Through the Back Door'' is a 1921 American silent comedy drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and Jack Pickford, and starring Mary Pickford.
'' and not given proper credit. She would also sue
Zelda Sears Zelda Sears (née Paldi; January 21, 1873 – February 19, 1935) was an American actress, screenwriter, novelist and businesswoman. Early life and background She was born as Zelda Paldi near Brockway Township, St. Clair County, Michigan, into ...
on similar grounds.

Death
She died in
Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...
, Illinois, in 1933, aged 46. Little is known about her death.

Relatives
Her half brother,
John Considine Jr. John W. Considine Jr. (October 7, 1898 – March 22, 1961) was an American film producer. He joined MGM from Fox in 1932 and remained with the company for the rest of his career. That year he also directed his only film ''Disorderly Conduct''. ...
, would end up being a film producer; his sons, Tim and
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...
, forged successful careers for themselves as actors.

Selected filmography
* ''
Panthea ''Panthea'' is a genus of the owlet moth family, Noctuidae. The word ''Panthea'' is from Greek, meaning "all of gods" .''Panthea''
'' (1917) * '' Framing Framers'' (1917) * ''
The Ghosts of Yesterday ''The Ghosts of Yesterday'' is a 1918 American silent adventure drama film directed by Charles Miller and starring Norma Talmadge, Eugene O'Brien, and Stuart Holmes. It is based on the play ''Two Women'' by Rupert Hughes. Plot Cast * Norma Tal ...
'' (1918) * '' A Romance of the Underworld'' (1918) * '' All Wrong'' (1919) * '' Under Suspicion'' (1919) * ''
Let's Be Fashionable ''Let's Be Fashionable'' is a lost 1920 American silent comedy film directed by Lloyd Ingraham and written by Mildred Considine and Luther Reed. The film stars Douglas MacLean, Doris May, Wade Boteler, Grace Morse, George Webb, and Wilbur Higb ...
'' (1920) * ''
The Girl of My Heart ''The Girl of My Heart'' is a 1920 American silent adventure-drama film directed by Edward LeSaint and starring Shirley Mason, Raymond McKee and Martha Mattox.Solomon p.266 Cast * Shirley Mason as Joan * Raymond McKee as Rodney White * Martha ...
'' (1920) * ''
Hearts and Masks ''Hearts and Masks'' is a 1921 American silent comedy film directed by William A. Seiter and starring Elinor Field, Francis McDonald and Lloyd Bacon.Munden p.334 Cast * Elinor Field as Alice Gaynor * Francis McDonald as Galloping Dick * Lloyd Ba ...
'' (1921) * ''
The Bride's Play ''The Bride's Play'' is a 1922 American silent romance film produced by William Randolph Hearst as a starring vehicle for Marion Davies. It was directed by George Terwilliger and distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is an extant film that is ...
'' (1922) * ''
The Dangerous Little Demon ''The Dangerous Little Demon'' is a 1922 American silent comedy film directed by Clarence G. Badger and written by Doris Schroeder. The film stars Marie Prevost, Jack Perrin, Robert Ellis, Bertram Anderson-Smith, Fontaine La Rue, and Edward Ma ...
'' (1922) * ''
The Real Adventure ''The Real Adventure'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by King Vidor, based on the best-selling novel by Henry Kitchell Webster that was serialized in 1915 and published as a book in 1916. A print of the film is held by the Cin� ...
'' (1922) * ''
Heroes of the Street ''Heroes of the Street'' is a 1922 American silent crime drama film directed by William Beaudine. It stars child actor Wesley Barry, Marie Prevost, and Jack Mulhall. This film survives in George Eastman House. Plot When a smart aleck street ...
'' (1922)

References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Considine, Mildred American women screenwriters 1887 births 1933 deaths Screenwriters from Illinois 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters