Maude Eburne (born Maud Eburne Riggs, November 10, 1875 – October 15, 1960) was a Canadian

character actress A character actor is a supporting actor who plays unusual, interesting, or eccentric characters.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrieved 7 August 2014, "..a breed of actor who has the ability to be ...

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and

screen Screen or Screens may refer to: Arts * Screen printing (also called ''silkscreening''), a method of printing * Big screen, a nickname associated with the motion picture industry * Split screen (filmmaking), a film composition paradigm in which mul ...

, known for playing eccentric roles.

Early years

Eburne was born the daughter of John and Mary Riggs, in Bronte-on-the-Lake, Ontario. She studied elocution in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. The death of Eburne's father in 1901 was a catalyst for her entry into acting as a profession. She said that he would not have approved a stage career for her and added, "If my father knew I was on the stage, he would not rest in peace."

Career

Eburne began her career in stock theater in Buffalo, New York. Her early theater work was in

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, debuting on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

to great acclaim as "Coddles" in the 1914 farce ''

A Pair of Sixes ''A Pair of Sixes'', originally titled ''The Party of the Second Part'', is a farce in three acts by Edward Peple that made its Broadway debut at the Longacre Theatre on March 17, 1914. The piece was produced by Harry Frazee and achieved a run ...

''. "When I first came to New York... I said I didn't want to be beautiful young girls or stately leading women, but wanted parts that had something queer in them, especially if there were dialect." She continued to play mainly humorous

domestic Domestic may refer to: In the home * Anything relating to the human home or family ** A domestic animal, one that has undergone domestication ** A domestic appliance, or home appliance ** A domestic partnership ** Domestic science, sometimes c ...

roles on stage, appearing in productions such as ''The Half Moon'' (1920), ''Lady Butterfly'' (1923), ''Three Cheers'' (1928) and ''Many a Slip'' (1930), before her first significant film role — and first sound film role — in ''

The Bat Whispers ''The Bat Whispers'' is a 1930 American pre-Code mystery film directed by Roland West, produced by Joseph M. Schenck, and released by United Artists. The film is based on the 1920 mystery play '' The Bat'', written by Mary Roberts Rinehart and ...

'' (1930), director

Roland West Roland (; frk, *Hrōþiland; lat-med, Hruodlandus or ''Rotholandus''; it, Orlando or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the ...

sound In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

remake of his 1926 silent feature '' The Bat''.

Personal life

Eugene J. Hall married Eburne "in about 1905". They had a daughter, Marion Birdseye Hall, in 1907. He died in 1932. Eburne retired in 1951.

Death

Eburne died on October 15, 1960, in Hollywood, California, at age 84.

Partial filmography

Eburne's more than 100 films include: * ''

'' (1918) * ''

Lonely Wives ''Lonely Wives'' is a 1931 American comedy film directed by Russell Mack and produced by E.B. Derr for Pathé Exchange, and was distributed by RKO Pictures after the merger of the two studios; it starred Edward Everett Horton, Esther Ralston, L ...

'' (1931) * ''

The Man in Possession :Not to be confused with the 1937 film '' Personal Property'' (also based on the Harwood play), whose alternate title is ''The Man in Possession''. ''The Man in Possession'' is a 1931 American pre-Code romantic comedy film starring Robert Montgo ...

'' (1931) * ''

Bought! ''Bought'' is a 1931 American Pre-Code drama film produced and released by Warner Bros. and directed by Archie Mayo. The movie stars Constance Bennett and features Ben Lyon, Richard Bennett and Dorothy Peterson. It is based on the 1930 novel ' ...

'' (1931) * ''

The Guardsman ''The Guardsman'' is a 1931 American pre-Code film based on the play '' Testőr'' by Ferenc Molnár. It stars Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Roland Young and ZaSu Pitts. It opens with a stage re-enactment of the final scene of Maxwell Anderson's ' ...

'' (1931) * ''

Her Majesty, Love ''Her Majesty, Love'' is a 1931 American pre-Code musical comedy drama film directed by William Dieterle for First National Pictures, starring Broadway stars Marilyn Miller and Ben Lyon, and in his talking feature debut, W. C. Fields. It is ...

'' (1931) * ''

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) * '' Panama Flo'' (1932) * ''

The Passionate Plumber ''The Passionate Plumber'' is a 1932 American pre-Code comedy film directed by Edward Sedgwick, and starring Buster Keaton, Jimmy Durante, and Irene Purcell. The screenplay by Laurence E. Johnson and Ralph Spence is based on the 1926 play ''Da ...

'' (1932) * '' Polly of the Circus'' (1932) * '' Faithless'' (1932) * '' Robbers' Roost'' (1933) * ''

The Vampire Bat ''The Vampire Bat'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code horror film directed by Frank R. Strayer and starring Lionel Atwill, Fay Wray, Melvyn Douglas, and Dwight Frye. Plot When the villagers of Kleinschloss start dying of blood loss, the town father ...

'' (1933) * ''

East of Fifth Avenue ''East of Fifth Avenue'' is a 1933 American drama film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Wallace Ford, Mary Carlisle and Dorothy Tree.Dick p.237 It was produced and distributed by Columbia Pictures. The plot revolves around the inhabitant ...

'' (1933) * ''

Ladies They Talk About ''Ladies They Talk About'' is a 1933 pre-Code American crime drama directed by Howard Bretherton and William Keighley, and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Preston Foster, and Lyle Talbot. The film is about an attractive woman who is a member of a ba ...

'' (1933) * ''

Ladies Must Love ''Ladies Must Love'' is a 1933 American pre-Code comedy film directed by E. A. Dupont and written by John Francis Larkin. The film stars June Knight, Neil Hamilton, Sally O'Neil, Dorothy Burgess, Mary Carlisle and George E. Stone. The fil ...

'' (1933) * '' Fog'' (1933) * ''

Shanghai Madness ''Shanghai Madness'' is a 1933 American Pre-Code drama film directed by John G. Blystone and starring Spencer Tracy, Fay Wray, Ralph Morgan, and Albert Conti. It was released by Fox Film Corporation. Plot After attacking and destroying a Chin ...

'' (1933) * '' Lazy River'' (1934) * '' Love Birds'' (1934) * ''

Ruggles of Red Gap ''Ruggles of Red Gap'' is a 1935 American comedy western film directed by Leo McCarey and starring Charles Laughton, Mary Boland, Charlie Ruggles, and ZaSu Pitts and featuring Roland Young and Leila Hyams. It was based on the best-selling 1915 ...

'' (1935) * ''

Happiness C.O.D. ''Happiness C.O.D.'' is a 1935 American romantic comedy film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Maude Eburne, Donald Meek and Irene Ware. Plot When meek widower Thomas F. Sherridan, a construction engineer and owner of the Continental Constr ...

'' (1935) * '' The Leavenworth Case'' (1936) * '' Doughnuts and Society'' (1936) * ''

Poppy A poppy is a flowering plant in the subfamily Papaveroideae of the family Papaveraceae. Poppies are herbaceous plants, often grown for their colourful flowers. One species of poppy, ''Papaver somniferum'', is the source of the narcotic drug opi ...

'' (1936) * ''

Hollywood Cowboy ''Hollywood Cowboy'' is a 1937 American adventure film directed by Ewing Scott and written by Daniel Jarrett and Ewing Scott. The film stars George O'Brien, Cecilia Parker, Maude Eburne, Joe Caits and Frank Milan. The film was released on May 28 ...

'' (1937) * '' Champagne Waltz'' (1937) * ''

Convict's Code ''Convict's Code'' is a 1939 American film directed by Lambert Hillyer. Cast * Robert Kent as Dave Tyler *Anne Nagel as Julie Warren *Sidney Blackmer as Gregory Warren * Victor Kilian as Bennett *Norman Willis as Russell *Maude Eburne as Mrs. ...

'' (1939) * ''

Undercover Agent To go "undercover" (that is, to go on an undercover operation) is to avoid detection by the object of one's observation, and especially to disguise one's own identity (or use an assumed identity) for the purposes of gaining the trust of an indi ...

'' (1939) * '' Exile Express'' (1939) * '' Mountain Rhythm'' (1939) * '' The Covered Trailer'' (1939) * ''

Dr. Christian Meets the Women ''Dr. Christian Meets the Women'' is a 1940 American film directed by William C. McGann, one of the series of six Dr. Christian films featuring Jean Hersholt. Plot summary Professor Kenneth Parker, a God-fearing physical culturist, arrives to ...

'' (1940) * ''

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

'' (1940) * '' Remedy for Riches'' (1940) * '' The Border Legion'' (1940) * ''

Melody for Three ''Melody for Three'' is a 1941 American film directed by Erle C. Kenton, one of the six films of the Dr. Christian series. Plot summary Dr. Christian takes an interest in a young boy, a violin prodigy, whose mother is a divorced music teache ...

'' (1941) * '' West Point Widow'' (1941) * ''

Among the Living ''Among the Living'' is the third studio album by American heavy metal band Anthrax. It was released on March 16, 1987, by Megaforce Records in the US and by Island Records in the rest of the world. The album is dedicated to Cliff Burton of ...

'' (1941) * ''

To Be or Not to Be To Be or Not to Be may refer to: * ''To be, or not to be'', the soliloquy from ''Hamlet''. Films and TV, theatre and books * ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1942 film), directed by Ernst Lubitsch * ''To Be or Not to Be'' (1983 film), a remake produced ...

'' (1942) * '' Almost Married'' (1942) * ''

Henry and Dizzy ''Henry and Dizzy'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Hugh Bennett and written by Val Burton. The film stars Jimmy Lydon, Mary Anderson, Charles Smith, John Litel, Olive Blakeney and Maude Eburne. The film was released on June 5, 1942, ...

'' (1942) * '' The Boogie Man Will Get You'' (1942) (uncredited) * ''

Lady Bodyguard ''Lady Bodyguard'' is a 1943 American comedy film directed by William Clemens. The film stars Eddie Albert, Anne Shirley', Raymond Walburn, Roger Pryor', Edward Brophy, Maude Eburne, Clem Bevans and Mary Treen. The film was released on January ...

'' (1943) * ''

The Man from Oklahoma '' The Man from Oklahoma '' is a 1945 American western film directed by Frank McDonald and starring Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and George 'Gabby' Hayes. It was produced and distributed by Republic Pictures.Hurst p.232 Plot Jim Gardner, hoping to ...

'' (1945) * ''

Hitchhike to Happiness Hitchhike to Happiness is a 1945 musical that was nominated at the 18th Academy Awards The 18th Academy Awards were held on March 7, 1946 at Grauman's Chinese Theatre to honor the films of 1945. Being the first Oscars after the end of World ...

'' (1945) * ''

Mother Wore Tights ''Mother Wore Tights'' is a 1947 Technicolor musical film starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey as married vaudeville performers, directed by Walter Lang. This was Grable and Dailey's first film together, based on a book of the same name by Mir ...

'' (1947)

References

Sources

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Eburne, Maude 1875 births 1960 deaths 20th-century Canadian actresses Actresses from Ontario Canadian expatriate actresses in the United States Canadian film actresses Canadian stage actresses People from Oakville, Ontario Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery