Jane Gail (August 16, 1890 – January 30, 1963), born Ethel S. Magee in Salem,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, was an early American silent movie and stage actress.

Biography

Gail is best remembered for her role in the silent film ''

Traffic in Souls ''Traffic in Souls'' (also released as ''While New York Sleeps'') is a 1913 American silent crime drama film focusing on forced prostitution (white slavery) in the United States. Directed by George Loane Tucker and starring Jane Gail, Ethel G ...

'' (1913), and the adaptations of ''

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...

'' (1913), where she gained worldwide fame as Dr. Jekyll's (

King Baggot William King Baggot (November 7, 1879 – July 11, 1948) was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in America, B ...

) imperiled fiancée. She also appeared in the 1912 version of ''

Jekyll and Hyde ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' is a 1886 Gothic novella by Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. It follows Gabriel John Utterson, a London-based legal practitioner who investigates a series of strange occurrences between his old ...

'', but as an extra. A veteran of 19 film appearances between 1912 and 1920, Gail first got her acting start on the Broadway stage, appearing in two productions, ''The Rack'' and ''The City''. She was only 30 years old when she made her last film, '' Bitter Fruit'' (1920). She never appeared on the silver screen after that. Gail died in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

, on January 30, 1963. She was 72 years old.

Partial filmography

*''

'' (1912) *''

Twixt Love and Ambition ''Twixt Love and Ambition'' is a 1912 silent film short produced by the Lubin Manufacturing Company and distributed by General Film Company. It starred Edwin August and actress Ormi Hawley. This film is preserved in the Library of Congress col ...

'' (1912) *''

'' (1913) *''

'' (1913) * ''

Gold Is Not All ''Gold Is Not All'' is a 1913 Canadian short drama silent black and white film directed by Wilfred Lucas and produced by Carl Laemmle. Cast * King Baggot as Karl - the Composer * Jane Gail as The Girl * Bess Meredyth as The Slavey * William Cav ...

'' (1913) as The Girl * '' Called Back'' (1914) * '' The Difficult Way'' (1914) * '' The Black Spot'' (1914) *''

She Stoops to Conquer ''She Stoops to Conquer'' is a comedy by Oliver Goldsmith, first performed in London in 1773. The play is a favourite for study by English literature and theatre classes in the English-speaking world. It is one of the few plays from the 18th ...

'' (1914) * ''

The Prisoner of Zenda ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' is an 1894 adventure novel by Anthony Hope, in which the King of Ruritania is drugged on the eve of his coronation and thus is unable to attend the ceremony. Political forces within the realm are such that, in order ...

'' (1915) *''

Rupert of Hentzau ''Rupert of Hentzau'' is a sequel by Anthony Hope to ''The Prisoner of Zenda'', written in 1895 but not published in book form until 1898. The novel was serialized in ''The Pall Mall Magazine'' and ''McClure's Magazine'' from December 1897 thr ...

'' (1915) *''

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas'' (french: Vingt mille lieues sous les mers) is a classic science fiction adventure novel by French writer Jules Verne. The novel was originally serialized from March 1869 through June 1870 in Pierre-J ...

'' (1916)

References

External links

* *
Jane Gail biography at Yahoo! MoviesSilent film Actress Jane Gail bio and filmography at Fandango website
*
well known portrait of Jane Gail from the silent film eraportrait of Jane Gail wearing a fur, NY Public Library Billy Rose Collection
she's mistakenly identified as Janet Gail) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gail, Jane 1890 births 1963 deaths American silent film actresses People from Salem, New York American film actresses 20th-century American actresses People from St. Petersburg, Florida