Mary Thurman (née Christiansen; April 27, 1895 – December 22, 1925) was an American actress of the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized 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) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

era.

Early life

Mary Christiansen was born in

Richfield, Utah Richfield is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Utah, United States, and is the largest city in southern-central Utah. Description As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,551. It lies in the Mormon Corridor, just off I ...

on April 27, 1895, one of seven children raised in

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

. Her parents were Christian Christiansen and Mary Sophia Nielsen Christiansen, who were both Danish, her father having been born in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

. She attended the

University of Utah The University of Utah (U of U, UofU, or simply The U) is a public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is the flagship institution of the Utah System of Higher Education. The university was established in 1850 as the University of De ...

and became a teacher before turning to acting. Thurman married Victor E. Thurman, son of Utah Supreme Court justice

Samuel R. Thurman Samuel R. Thurman (1850–July 12, 1941) was a justice of the Utah Supreme Court from 1917 to 1929, serving as chief justice from 1927 to 1929. He was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Early life, education, and career ...

, in 1915. They divorced in 1919.

Career

Thurman's film career began with roles in the comedies of

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American film actor, director, and producer, and studio head, known as the 'King of Comedy'. Born in Danville, Quebec, in 1880, he started in films in the ...

, as one of the

Sennett Bathing Beauties Sennett Bathing Beauties was a bevy of women performing in bathing costumes assembled by film producer Mack Sennett during the silent film era. Description The Sennett Bathing Beauties appeared in Mack Sennett comedy short subjects, in promotion ...

, and featured appearances in ''Bombs!'' (1916) and ''The Fool'' (1925). Her greatest success came when she started working with director

Allan Dwan Allan Dwan (born Joseph Aloysius Dwan; April 3, 1885 – December 28, 1981) was a pioneering Canadian-born American motion picture director, producer, and screenwriter. Early life Born Joseph Aloysius Dwan in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Dwan, was ...

. They collaborated on several critically acclaimed films including ''The Sin of Martha Queed'' (1921) and ''A Broken Doll'' (1921). In Dwan's still extant 1923 film ''Zaza'' Thurman is the actress Gloria Swanson fights with. Off screen Thurman and Dwan were engaged for several years. She appeared in nearly sixty Hollywood films from 1915 up until her death in 1925, frequently in those made by

Pathé Pathé or Pathé Frères (, styled as PATHÉ!) is the name of various French people, French businesses that were founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France starting in 1896. In the early 1900s, Pathé became the world's largest ...

Studios.

Death

In 1924 while working on the movie ''Down Upon The Suwanee River'' in

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

she came down with a serious case of pneumonia. She suffered from the illness and was hospitalized for nearly a year. Thurman died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

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 ...

on December 22, 1925, in Flower Hospital. Her best friend, actress

Juanita Hansen Juanita Hansen (born Juanita Cecilia Hanson; March 3, 1895 – September 26, 1961) was an American actress who performed in silent films. She became one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties and appeared in a variety of serials through the late 19 ...

, was at her side when she died. She was buried in Richfield City Cemetery in her hometown of Richfield, Utah.

Selected filmography

* '' The Lamb'' (1915) * ''

Watch Your Neighbor ''Watch Your Neighbor'' is a 1918 silent film comedy short directed by Hampton Del Ruth and Victor Heerman. It starred Charles Murray and Mary Thurman. It was produced by Mack Sennett in a distribution deal with Paramount Pictures. Cast *Charles ...

'' (1918) * ''

The Poor Boob ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1919) * ''

This Hero Stuff ''This Hero Stuff'' is a 1919 American silent Western comedy film directed by Henry King and starring William Russell, Winifred Westover, and J. Barney Sherry.Guide to the Silent Years of American Cinema p. 166 Cast * William Russell as Cap ...

'' (1919) * ''

Spotlight Sadie ''Spotlight Sadie'' is a lost 1919 American silent film drama directed by Laurence Trimble and starring Mae Marsh and Wallace MacDonald. It was produced and distributed by Goldwyn Pictures. It was alternately known as ''The Saintly Show Girl''. ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Prince and Betty ''The Prince and Betty'' is a novel by P. G. Wodehouse. It was originally published in '' Ainslee's Magazine'' in the United States in January 1912, and, in a slightly different form, as a serial in '' Strand Magazine'' in the United Kingdom bet ...

'' (1919) * ''

The Scoffer ''The Scoffer'' is a surviving 1920 American silent drama film produced and directed by Allan Dwan and starring Mary Thurman. It was released through Associated First National Pictures. Plot As described in a film magazine, Dr. Stannard Wayne ...

'' (1920) * ''

The Valley of Tomorrow ''The Valley of Tomorrow'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Emmett J. Flynn and starring William Russell, Mary Thurman and Harvey Clark.Connelly p.427 Cast * William Russell as Dabney Morgan * Mary Thurman as Elenore Colonna ...

'' (1920) * ''

In the Heart of a Fool ''In the Heart of a Fool'' is a 1920 American silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan. It is based on a novel by William Allen White. Plot As described in a film magazine, in a small town lives Dr. Harvey Nesbit (Burton), who knows of the scan ...

'' (1920) * ''

Leap Year A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) added to keep the calendar year synchronized with the astronomical year or s ...

'' (1921) * ''

Bare Knuckles ''Bare Knuckles'' is a 1977 blaxploitation film, starring Robert Viharo, Sherry Jackson and Gloria Hendry. The film was written and directed by Don Edmonds. Plot L.A. bounty hunter, Zachary Kane, is on the hunt for a masked serial killer on the ...

'' (1921) * ''

A Broken Doll ''A Broken Doll'' is a 1921 American silent drama film directed by Allan Dwan and starring Monte Blue, Mary Thurman and Mary Jane Irving.Lombardi p.117 Cast * Monte Blue as Tommy Dawes * Mary Thurman as Harriet Bundy * Mary Jane Irving ...

'' (1921) * ''

The Lady from Longacre ''The Lady from Longacre'' is a lost 1921 American silent drama film directed by George Marshall and starring William Russell, Mary Thurman and Mathilde Brundage.Solomon p.273 It is based on the 1918 novel '' The Lady from Long Acre'' by Victor ...

'' (1921) * '' The Sin of Martha Queed'' (1921) * ''

The Green Temptation ''The Green Temptation'' is a lost 1922 American silent melodrama film directed by William Desmond Taylor and starring Betty Compson. It was written by Julia Crawford Ivers and Monte Katterjohn based upon the short story "The Noose" by Constanc ...

'' (1922) * ''

The Bond Boy ''The Bond Boy'' is a lost 1922 American silent drama film directed by Henry King and starring Richard Barthelmess. It was produced by Barthelmess and Charles Duell and released through Associated First National Pictures. Cast *Richard Barth ...

'' (1922) * ''

Zaza Zaza may refer to: Ethnic group * Zazas, a group of people in eastern Anatolia (southeastern Turkey) * Zaza–Gorani languages, Indo-Iranian languages ** Zaza language, spoken by the Zazas People Given name * Zaza Sor. Aree (born 1993), Thai k ...

'' (1923) * ''

The Tents of Allah ''The Tents of Allah'' is a 1923 American silent drama film written and directed by Charles A. Logue and starring Monte Blue, Mary Alden, and Frank Currier. Synopsis While visiting her uncle, the American consul in Tangier, Morocco, a young w ...

'' (1923) * ''

Wife in Name Only ''Wife in Name Only'' is a 1923 American silent drama film directed by George Terwilliger and starring Mary Thurman, Arthur Housman, and Edmund Lowe. Plot As described in a film magazine review, the wealthy and beautiful Philippa L'Estrange fa ...

'' (1923) * ''

Does It Pay? ''Does It Pay?'' is a lost 1923 American silent society drama film directed by Charles Horan and starring Hope Hampton. It was produced and distributed by Fox Film Corporation. Cast *Hope Hampton as Doris Clark *Robert T. Haines as John Weston ...

'' (1923) * ''

Those Who Judge ''Those Who Judge'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Burton L. King and starring Patsy Ruth Miller, Lou Tellegen, and Mary Thurman. Plot As described in a film magazine, any romance between Angelique Dean (Miller) and John Dawso ...

'' (1924) * ''

The Truth About Women ''The Truth About Women'' is a 1957 British comedy film directed by Muriel Box and starring Laurence Harvey, Julie Harris, Mai Zetterling and Diane Cilento. Plot When his son-in-law comes to him with a woeful tale of an unhappy relationship and ...

'' (1924) * ''

Trouping with Ellen ''Trouping with Ellen'' is a 1924 American silent comedy film starring Basil Rathbone, Gaston Glass, Helene Chadwick, and Mary Thurman. Based on a short story by Earl Derr Biggers that appeared in ''The Saturday Evening Post'', this was Rathb ...

'' (1924) *'' The Law and the Lady'' (1924) * '' Greater Than Marriage'' (1924) * ''

Love of Women ''Love of Women'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Whitman Bennett and starring Helene Chadwick, Montagu Love, and Maurice Costello. Synopsis An unscrupulous millionaire schemes to break up a marriage with the aid of a vamp. Ca ...

'' (1924) * ''

For Another Woman ''For Another Woman'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by David Kirkland and starring Kenneth Harlan, Florence Billings, and Tyrone Power Sr. Synopsis A New York City wastrel inherits an estate in Canada. Cast Preservation A cop ...

'' (1924) * ''

Playthings of Desire ''Playthings of Desire'' is a 1924 American silent melodrama film produced and directed by Burton L. King and starring Estelle Taylor. Cast Preservation A print listed as being complete of ''Playthings of Desire'' is located in the Library o ...

'' (1924) * ''

Down Upon the Suwanee River ''Down Upon the Suwanee River'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Lem F. Kennedy and starring Charles Emmett Mack, Mary Thurman and Arthur Donaldson.Hunter p.252 The spelling of the film's titled varied with uses of both ''Swanee'' ...

'' (1925) * '' Back to Life'' (1925) * '' The Mad Marriage'' (1925) * '' The Fool'' (1925) * ''

The Wives of the Prophet ''The Wives of the Prophet'' is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by James A. Fitzgerald and starring Orville Caldwell, Alice Lake, and Violet Mersereau. Plot As described in a film magazine review, a religious sect in the Tennessee m ...

'' (1926)

References

*''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'', "Mary Thurman Dead", December 24, 1925, Page 13. *''

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

Tribune'', "From Film Fun To Film Drama", September 19, 1920, Page 53. *''Oakland Tribune'', "Cupid Captures Mary Thurman", Tuesday Evening, December 26, 1922, Page 8.

External links

* *Mary Thurman gravesit
findagrave
..an
transcript of 1925 Memorial Service,findagrave
1895 births 1925 deaths Actresses from Utah American film actresses American silent film actresses Deaths from pneumonia in New York City Latter Day Saints from Utah People from Richfield, Utah 20th-century American actresses University of Utah alumni {{US-film-actor-1890s-stub