Priscilla Dean (November 25, 1896 – December 27, 1987) was an American actress popular in
silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...
as well as in theatre, with a career spanning two decades.
Biography
She was born on November 25, 1896 in
Manhattan, New York City
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. stat ...
to an active theatrical family. Her mother was popular stage actress Mary Preston Dean, Priscilla Dean made her stage debut at the age of four, appearing in plays starring her parents. From then on, she pursued her stage career at the same time as being educated at a convent school until the age of fourteen. Following her leave from school, Priscilla went to work on stage, then tried to get into the movies.
Dean made her film debut at the age of fourteen in one-reelers for Biograph and several other studios. She was finally signed on to Universal (then called IMP) in 1911. She soon gained popularity as the female lead in the comedy series of Eddie Lyons and
Lee Moran
Lee Moran (June 23, 1888 – April 24, 1961) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter.
Moran was active in vaudeville before he began performing in films at Nestor Studios in 1909. He transcended the silent film era of motio ...
.
She was propelled to stardom after she appeared in '' The Gray Ghost'' in 1917. Following this film, she became very successful in her work. However, when the age of sound dawned, Dean's career was severely damaged. She continued to do several low-budget films for minor independent studios during the 1930s, but never regained the popularity she had earned in
silent films
A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, 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) ...
.
Dean died at her home in
Leonia, New Jersey
Leonia is a borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the borough's population was 8,937,Eddie Rickenbacker
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker or Eddie Rickenbacker (October 8, 1890 – July 23, 1973) was an American fighter pilot in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient.ace of aces had been "affianced for some time."
*She married Wheeler Oakman, who was also under contract at Universal and appeared in ''
The Virgin of Stamboul
''The Virgin of Stamboul'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Tod Browning and starring husband and wife team Priscilla Dean and Wheeler Oakman and featuring Wallace Beery in a supporting role.
Plot
Based upon a review in a film ...
'' and '' Outside the Law'' with Priscilla. They divorced in 1926.
*She married
Leslie P. Arnold
The first aerial circumnavigation of the world was completed in 1924 by four aviators from an eight-man team of the United States Army Air Service, the precursor of the United States Air Force. The 175-day journey covered over . The team gener ...
. He was famous as one of the "Around The World Flyers". He was previously married and divorced, and a court ruled that his divorce was invalid, making him a bigamist. A later court decree ruled his divorce valid. Dean and Arnold remained married until his death on March 21, 1961. She had no children.
Filmography
Silent
*''A Blot on the 'Scutcheon'' (1912)(short)
*''The Sunbeam (1912)(short)
*''He Had But Fifty Cents'' (1912)(short)
*''The Man Who Wouldn't Marry'' (1913)(short)
*''
Mother
]
A mother is the female parent of a child. A woman may be considered a mother by virtue of having given birth, by raising a child who may or may not be her biological offspring, or by supplying her ovum for fertilisation in the case of ge ...
'' (1914)(short)
*''The Heiress and the Crook'' (1914)(short)
*''Oh, for the Life of a Fireman'' (1916)(short)
*''Bungling Bill's Burglar'' (1916)(short)
*''Igorrotes' Crocodiles and a Hat Box'' (1916)(short)
*''Heaven Will Protect a Woiking Goil'' (1916)(short)(*extant;Library of Congress)
*''Love, Dynamite and Baseballs'' (1916)(short)
*''More Truth Than Poetry'' (1916)(short)
*''Bungling Bill's Peeping Ways'' (1916)(short)
*''Search Me!'' (1916)(short)
*''
The Social Pirates
''The Social Pirates'' is a 1916 American silent film serial directed by James W. Horne. It starred Marin Sais, Ollie Kirkby and True Boardman. It was written by George Bronson Howard and produced by the Kalem Company.''Pictorial History of Silen ...
'' (1916)(serial)
*''The Lion Hearted Chief'' (1916)(short)
*''Knocking Out Knockout Kelly'' (1916)(short)
*''Caught with the Goods'' (1916)(short)(extant;Library of Congress)
*''Beer Must Go Down'' (1916)(short)
*''He Maid Me'' (1916)(short)
*''All bets Off'' (1916)(short)
*''The Battle of Chili Con Carne'' (1916)(short)
*''Broke But Ambitious'' (1916)(short)
*''The Terrible Turk'' (1916)(short)
*''Tigers Unchained'' (1916)(short)
*''The Boy from the Gilded East'' (1916)(short)
*''Nobody Guilty'' (1916)(short)
*''A Silly Sultan'' (1916)(short)
*''Model 46'' (1916)(short)
*''With the Spirit's Help'' (1916)(short)
*''When the Spirits Fell'' (1916)(short)
*''Almost Guilty'' (1916)(short)
*''His Own Nemesis'' (1916)(short)
*''The Barfly'' (1916)(short)
*''Love and a Liar'' (1916)(short)
*''A Political Tramp'' (1916)(short)
*''Knights of a Bathtub'' (1916)(short)
*''How Do You Feel?'' (1916)(short)
*''The White Turkey'' (1916)(short)
*''Pass the Prunes'' (1916)(short)
*''Two Small Town Romeos'' (1916)(short)
*''It Sounded Like a Kiss'' (1916)(short)
*''
The Bad Man of Cheyenne
''The Bad Man of Cheyenne'' is a 1917 two-reel American silent Western short featuring Harry Carey and Priscilla Dean. The film's survival status is unknown.
Cast
* Harry Carey as Cheyenne Harry
* Priscilla Dean as The Sheriff's Wife
* Elizab ...
Goin' Straight
''Goin' Straight'' is a 1917 American silent film featuring Harry Carey and released by Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni ...
'' (1917)(short)
* ''
Even As You and I
''Even As You and I'' is a 1917 American silent drama film directed by Lois Weber and starring Ben F. Wilson, Mignon Anderson and Bertram Grassby.''American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929''. p.184
Cast
* Ben F ...
Which Woman?
''Which Woman?'' is a 1918 American silent drama film directed by Tod Browning and Harry A. Pollard. The film stars Ella Hall as a reluctant bride and Priscilla Dean as an adventuress and leader of a gang of thieves. The story was remade in 1923 ...
'' (1918)
*'' The Brazen Beauty'' (1918)
*''Three Mounted Men'' (1918)
* '' Kiss or Kill'' (1918)
*''The Wildcat of Paris'' (1918)
*''She Hired a Husband'' (1918)
*''Klever Kiddies'' (1919) (short)
*'' The Wicked Darling'' (1919)
*''The Silk-Lined Burglar'' (1919)
*'' The Exquisite Thief'' (1919)
*''Pretty Smooth'' (1919)
*''
Paid in Advance
''Paid in Advance'' is a 1919 American silent drama film set during the Alaska Gold Rush, from the story ''The Girl Who Dared'' by James Oliver Curwood. The film was directed by Allen Holubar, who wrote the screen adaption as well. The movie st ...
The Virgin of Stamboul
''The Virgin of Stamboul'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Tod Browning and starring husband and wife team Priscilla Dean and Wheeler Oakman and featuring Wallace Beery in a supporting role.
Plot
Based upon a review in a film ...
Reputation
The reputation of a social entity (a person, a social group, an organization, or a place) is an opinion about that entity typically as a result of social evaluation on a set of criteria, such as behavior or performance.
Reputation is a ubiquitou ...
Under Two Flags Under Two Flags may refer to:
*Under Two Flags (novel), a novel by British writer Ouida, and its adaptations:
**Under Two Flags (play), a 1901 play by Paul M. Potter
**Under Two Flags (1912 George Nichols film), ''Under Two Flags'' (1912 George Nich ...
Drifting
Drifting may refer to:
*Drifting (motorsport)
*Pipe drift or drifting, measuring a pipe's inner roundness
Film
* ''Drifting'' (1923 film), a film directed by Tod Browning
* ''Drifting'' (1982 film), the first Israeli gay-themed film
* ''Drifting'' ...
The Storm Daughter
''The Storm Daughter'' is a lost 1924 American silent drama film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Priscilla Dean. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. Some sources claim Edward J. Le Saint and/or Colin Campbell as ...
The Crimson Runner
''The Crimson Runner'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Tom Forman and starring Priscilla Dean, Bernard Siegel, and Alan Hale.
Plot
As described in a film magazine review, Bianca Schreber is a poor girl whose father was woun ...
Forbidden Waters
''Forbidden Waters'' is a 1926 American silent comedy film directed by Alan Hale and starring Priscilla Dean, Walter McGrail, and Dan Mason.
Plot
As described in a film magazine review, J. Austin Bell, a divorced man, promises his former wife ...
'' (1926)
*''
The Dice Woman
''The Dice Woman'' is a 1926 American silent action adventure film directed by Eddie Dillon and starring Priscilla Dean. No known prints of it exist, and it is presumed lost.
No longer a Universal contract star in 1926, Dean was in her career' ...
'' (1926)
*''
The Speeding Venus
''The Speeding Venus'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Robert Thornby and starring Priscilla Dean, Robert Frazer and Dale Fuller.Munden p.754
Cast
* Priscilla Dean as Emily Dale
* Robert Frazer as John Steele
* Dale Fuller ...
'' (1926)
*''
West of Broadway
''West of Broadway'' is a lost 1926 American silent romantic comedy Western film directed by Robert Thornby and starring Priscilla Dean. It was released through Producers Distributing Corporation. The film was based on the short story "New Yor ...
'' (1926)
*''
Jewels of Desire
''Jewels of Desire'' is a 1927 silent film directed by Paul Powell and starring Priscilla Dean. It was released through Producers Distributing Corporation.
A print is preserved at the UCLA Film and Television Archive
The UCLA Film & Televisi ...
'' (1927)
* ''
Birds of Prey
Birds of prey or predatory birds, also known as raptors, are hypercarnivorous bird species that actively hunt and feed on other vertebrates (mainly mammals, reptiles and other smaller birds). In addition to speed and strength, these predato ...
'' (1927)
*'' Slipping Wives'' (1927)(short)
*''The Honorable Mr. Buggs'' (1927)(short)
*''Life in Hollywood No. 7'' (1927) (short)
*''All for Nothing'' (1928)(short)
Sound
* '' Trapped'' (1931)
*'' Law of the Sea'' (1931)
*''Hollywood Halfbacks'' (1931)
*''Behind Stone Walls'' (1932)
*'' Klondike'' (1932)