Claire Anderson (actress)

Claire Mathis Anderson (May 8, 1891 – March 23, 1964), native of Detroit,[1] was a silent film actress who worked with stars such as Constance Talmadge, Harry Carey, Thurston Hall, Tom Mix and Gloria Swanson. She was described as one of the original Sennett Bathing Beauties.[1]

Claire Anderson
Born(1891-05-08)May 8, 1891
DiedMarch 23, 1964(1964-03-23) (aged 72)
OccupationActress
Years active1914–1938
SpouseHarry H. Anderson

Before she became an actress, Anderson worked as a telephone operator at Hudson's department store in Detroit.[2]

Anderson became the first documented double used in film in 1914 when she replaced Blanche Sweet in some scenes of The Escape while Sweet had scarlet fever.[3] She also volunteered to replace a leading lady in a Sennett comedy who refused to enter a lion's cage. After Anderson entered the cage, she received a contract for $675 a week.[1]

Anderson also appeared in the 1944 production of Mexican Hayride at the Winter Garden Theatre in New York City.

She was married to Harry H. Anderson, a "wealthy Hollywood automobile agent".[4]

Selected filmography

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c "Claire Mathes Anderson, Silent‐Film Actress, 68". The New York Times. March 27, 1964. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved November 16, 2019.
  2. ^ "'Do you know that'". The Charlotte Observer. June 5, 1921. p. 17. Retrieved February 7, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Slide, Anthony (September 5, 2012). Hollywood Unknowns: A History of Extras, Bit Players, and Stand-Ins. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 118. ISBN 978-1-61703-474-9. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
  4. ^ "Black eye is not step to divorce". The Los Angeles Times. June 10, 1925. p. 25. Retrieved November 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
edit