Nancy Drexel (born Dorothy Kitchen, April 6, 1910 – November 19, 1989) was an American

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

of the late silent and early

sound era A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befor ...

. She was sometimes credited by her birth name in films. She appeared in 29 films, generally B-film

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

. Drexel was the daughter of George P. Kitchen, who was described in a newspaper article as "a pioneer of the film industry." Her professional debut came when she was 8 years old, performing in ''The Royal Vagabond'' comic opera. She ventured to Hollywood after winning a Miss New York contest that had 10,000 competitors. In 1931, she appeared in one of the earliest Spanish-language sound films, ''

Hollywood, City of Dreams ''Hollywood, City of Dreams'' (Spanish:''Hollywood, ciudad de ensueno'') is a 1931 American drama film directed by George Crone and starring José Bohr, Lia Torá and Donald Reed.Jarvinen p.16-17 It was a Spanish-language film made in the Unite ...

'', as a glamorous movie star who is the idol of the film's hero,

José Bohr José Bohr (3 September 1901 – 29 May 1994) was a German-born Chilean film director, producer, actor and screenwriter. He directed 35 films between 1919 and 1969. Selected filmography Actor * '' Así es la vida'' (1930) * ''Rogue of th ...

. Drexel is presented as one of the leading stars of Hollywood, rather than the B-movie

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

she was in real life. On September 28, 1932, Drexel married Thomas H. Ince Jr., son of film producer

Thomas H. Ince Thomas Harper Ince (November 16, 1880 – November 19, 1924) was an American silent film - era filmmaker and media proprietor. Ince was known as the "Father of the Western" and was responsible for making over 800 films. He revolutionized the mo ...

, in Beverly Hills. Both of them were students at Antioch College in

Antioch, Illinois Antioch is a village in the U.S. state of Illinois. Antioch is part of the larger Antioch Township within Lake County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 14,622. The village is nestled into the Chain O'Lakes waterway system and borders ...

, and resumed their studies after the wedding. The couple had two daughters. Drexel sued for divorce in 1947 and married John Stornes in 1953.

Selected filmography

* ''

The Way of All Flesh ''The Way of All Flesh'' (sometimes called ''Ernest Pontifex, or the Way of All Flesh'') is a semi-autobiographical novel by Samuel Butler that attacks Victorian-era hypocrisy. Written between 1873 and 1884, it traces four generations of the ...

'' (1927) * '' Prep and Pep'' (1928) * '' The Ridin' Renegade'' (1928) * '' Fangs of the Wild'' (1928) * ''

Riley the Cop ''Riley the Cop'' is a 1928 American comedy film directed by John Ford. It was a silent film with a synchronized music track and sound effects. Cast * J. Farrell MacDonald as James "Aloysius" Riley (as Farrell Macdonald) * Nancy Drexel as Mary ...

'' (1928) * '' The Bantam Cowboy'' (1928) * '' Four Devils'' (1929) * ''(The Shrimp ) (1930) * ''

'' (1931) * '' Speed Madness'' (1932) * '' Partners'' (1932) * ''

Law of the West ''Law of the West'' is a 1985 graphic adventure set in the American Old West developed by Accolade for the Commodore 64, Apple II, and Nintendo Entertainment System. It was one of the company's launch titles and the only game from Accolade ...

'' (1932) * ''

Texas Buddies ''Texas Buddies'' is a 1932 American Western film written and directed by Robert North Bradbury. The film stars Bob Steele, Nancy Drexel, Francis McDonald, Harry Semels, George "Gabby" Hayes and William Dyer. The film was released on October ...

'' (1932)

References

External links

* 1910 births 1989 deaths American film actresses Actresses from New York City 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-1910s-stub