Viva Tattersall (1898–1989) was the stage name of British

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

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 (), lite ...

, playwright and sculptor, Vera Tattersall, who settled in the United States.

Early life

Tattersall was one of five girls born in London to Hugh Tattersall, a sea captain, and his wife, Lilian. Her father had been blamed for a ship's loss and never worked again. Lilian worked as a dressmaker but supplemented her income by playing the stocks and shares. Tattersall's sisters included Lady Emma Henderson and Marjorie Clark, wife of economist, Colin Clark.

Career

Sidney Toler and Viva Tattersall in Jamaica 1936

Tattersall commenced her career as a stage actress. In 1927 she appeared in the original

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 ...

run of

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. Notable works include ''The Forsyte Saga'' (1906–1921) and its sequels, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of the Chapter''. He won the Nobel Prize i ...

's ''

Escape Escape or Escaping may refer to: Computing * Escape character, in computing and telecommunication, a character which signifies that what follows takes an alternative interpretation ** Escape sequence, a series of characters used to trigger some so ...

''. She was also a playwright, co-authoring plays with actor

Sidney Toler Sidney Toler (born Hooper G. Toler Jr., April 28, 1874 – February 12, 1947) was an American actor, playwright, and theatre director. The second European-American actor to play the role of Charlie Chan on screen, he is best remembered for his p ...

(who she later married) such as ''Her Western Romeo'', ''Dress Parade'' and ''

Ritzy ''Ritzy'' is a lost 1927 American comedy silent film directed by Richard Rosson and written by Elinor Glyn, Percy Heath, Robert N. Lee and George Marion, Jr. The film stars Betty Bronson, James Hall, William Austin, Joan Standing, George N ...

''. She appeared in at least eight Hollywood films between 1932 and 1936. This included a leading role as the daughter, Vera Strang, of Professor Adam Anton Strang, played by

Bela Lugosi Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó (; October 20, 1882 – August 16, 1956), known professionally as Bela Lugosi (; ), was a Hungarian and American actor best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic ''Dracula'', Ygor in ''S ...

, in the serial film,

The Whispering Shadow ''The Whispering Shadow'' is a 1933 American pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Pictur ...

Personal life

Tattersall married screenwriter B. Harrison Orkow (aka Ben Orkow) in Manhattan in 1921. They divorced in New York in the late 1920s. Tattersall (then known as Vera Tattersall Orkow) married Sidney Toler in 1943, four weeks after his previous wife, actress Vivian Marston, died. At the time she was described as working as a sculptor. Their marriage lasted until Toler's death in September 1947. In 1972, she was living in the Brookside Patios Apartments, under the name Viva Toler, in

Redlands, California Redlands ( ) is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 73,168, up from 68,747 at the 2010 census. The city is located approximately west of Palm Springs and east of Lo ...

.Redlands Daily Facts, February 18, 1972, reporting on a visit by her sister Lady Emma Henderson She died on January 19, 1989 (aged 90) in

Loma Linda, California Loma Linda (Spanish for "Beautiful Hill") is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States, that was incorporated in 1970. The population was 24,791 at the 2020 census, up from 23,261 at the 2010 census. The central area of the c ...

Selected filmography

* '' Cynara'' (1932) * ''

Looking Forward ''Looking Forward'' is the third and final studio album by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and their fifth, overall. It is the fourteenth and final album when conflated with releases by the trio of Crosby, Stills & Nash. It was released on Reprise ...

'' (1933) * ''

'' (1933) * '' Picture Brides'' (1934) * '' Without Regret'' (1935) * '' The Call of the Savage'' (1935) * ''

The Widow from Monte Carlo ''The Widow from Monte Carlo'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Arthur Greville Collins and starring Warren William, Dolores del Río, Louise Fazenda and Colin Clive. It was based on the play '' A Present from Margate'' by Ian Hay and ...

'' (1935) * ''

The Unguarded Hour ''The Unguarded Hour'' is a 1936 American drama film directed by Sam Wood and starring Loretta Young and Franchot Tone. In England, a prominent young prosecutor in a murder trial is unaware that his wife is involved. It is based on Bernard Meriv ...

'' (1936)

References

Bibliography

* Allan R. Ellenberger. ''Miriam Hopkins: Life and Films of a Hollywood Rebel''. University Press of Kentucky, 2017. * Thomas S. Hischak. ''Broadway Plays and Musicals: Descriptions and Essential Facts of More Than 14,000 Shows through 2007''. McFarland, 2009.

External links

* *
The Whispering Shadow series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tattersall, Viva 1898 births 1989 deaths People from Fulham British film actresses British stage actresses British emigrants to the United States Actresses from London 20th-century British actresses Writers from London British women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British dramatists and playwrights 20th-century British women writers 20th-century English women 20th-century English people