Alta Allen (born Alta Crowin) (September 6, 1904 – July 24, 1998) was an American actress.
Alta Allen | |
|---|---|
 Allen in 1920 | |
| Born | Alta Crowin September 6, 1904 Oakland, California, U.S. |
| Died | July 24, 1998 (aged 93) Boonsboro, Maryland, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1921 – 1926 |
| Spouse | Hampton Del Ruth (m. 1920 – ?) |
Early years
editAllen was born as Alta Crowin[1] in Oakland, California in 1904 to a Scottish mother, Jessie (née Robertson), and W. J. Crowin, who hailed from the West Coast. She made her first professional performance at an Oakland theater in a production of Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Allen's role in this production was as Beth March. She was ten years old at the time.[citation needed]
Allen was "one of the most popular of Oakland's younger social set."[2]
Career
editAllen's early professional experience included acting in stock theater in Oakland and directing and performing in the Fairmont's Rainbow Lane revue.[2]
In 1920, William Fox, the founder of the Fox Film Corporation, observed Allen as she performed the leading role[3] at a musical revue within the Fairmont Hotel.[4] Subsequently, she signed a contract with his studios, although she would only perform one role in any silent film released by Fox Film: the 1921 comedy Skirts.[4] She would subsequently sign a contract with Universal Studios,[5] and later appeared in several films released by this corporation, including The Marriage Chance (1922),[6] and A Self-Made Failure (1924). Her final credited screen appearance occurred in 1926, as Thora Barton in the cast of The Set-Up.
Personal life and death
editOn November 25, 1920, Allen married actor, screenwriter, and director Hampton Del Ruth[1] (the couple later divorced).[7] She died of natural causes at her Boonsboro home on June 24, 1998, the age of 93.[citation needed]
Filmography
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| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | A Shocking Night | Bessie Lane | Lost film |
| Seven Years Bad Luck | Betty | Max's Fiancée | |
| Be My Wife | Mary | The subject of the main characters' affections | |
| Skirts | Kidnapped girl | Lost film | |
| 1922 | The Marriage Chance | Eleanor Douglas | Lost film |
| 1924 | A Self-Made Failure | Mrs. Spike Malone | Alternative title: The Goof Lost film |
| Daring Chances | Agnes Rushton | Lost film | |
| 1926 | The Set-Up | Thora Barton | Daughter of Cliff Barton, the murder victim Lost film |
| Raggedy Rose | Rose's former co-worker | Uncredited role |
References
edit- ^ a b Walker, Brent E. (13 January 2010). Mack Sennett's Fun Factory: A History and Filmography of His Studio and His Keystone and Mack Sennett Comedies, with Biographies of Players and Personnel. McFarland. p. 561. ISBN 978-0-7864-5707-6. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ a b "Oakland Girl to Be Starred Here". Oakland Tribune. September 11, 1921. p. 50. Retrieved December 20, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Balboa Films: A History and Filmography of the Silent Film Studio p. 170
- ^ a b American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929 p. 381
- ^ "Alta Allen". Silents Are Golden. Tim Lussier. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
- ^ ""Marriage Chance" has Novel Plot". Spokane Daily Chronicle. May 21, 1923. Retrieved October 2, 2016.
- ^ "Alta Crowin Mentioned in the Record of Hampton Del Ruth and Alta Crowin". familysearch.org. 1920-11-25. Retrieved 2016-10-02.
External links
edit
- Alta Allen at IMDb