Myrtle Stedman
Stedman in 1917
Born
Myrtle Lincoln

(1883-03-03)March 3, 1883
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJanuary 8, 1938(1938-01-08) (aged 54)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1910–1938
SpouseMarshall Stedman (m.1900-div.1920)
ChildrenLincoln Stedman

Myrtle Stedman (born Myrtle Lincoln; March 3, 1883[1] – January 8, 1938) was an American leading lady and later character actress in motion pictures who began in silent films in 1910.

Biography

Stedman was born Myrtle Lincoln[2] in Chicago, Illinois,[3] and educated at Mrs. Starett's School there[4] and at the Chicago School of Acting.[5] She and her family moved to Colorado because of her father's mining interests there.[6]

Stedman performed in light opera and musical comedies in Chicago.[3] Her voice was cultivated in France. Her tutor was Marchesi, who was known as one of the finest instructors of voice culture in his country.

She married Marshall Stedman, a drama school conductor, in January 1900. They had one child together, Lincoln Stedman, before divorcing in 1920.[7]

In 1915, Stedman became the first woman elected to the Motion Picture Board of Trade of America.[8]

Music career

Stedman debuted in Chicago as a solo dancer with the Whitney Opera Company.[6] She did not enter the field of opera because of her preference for light opera. She starred for a number of seasons in Isle of Spice and The Chocolate Soldier. She performed for a year at the Whitney Theater in Chicago and was a prima donna of the Chicago Grand Opera Company.

Film career

Myrtle Stedman, in The Famous Mrs. Fair (1923)

Her first appearances in movies, beginning in 1910,[9] were in Selig studio Western and action short films. She was the only female member of Selig's company at that time, making her the female lead in all of that studio's Westerns.[10] Among her feature films are Flaming Youth, The Valley of the Moon, The Dangerous Age, and The Famous Mrs. Fair.

After Selig, Stedman joined the Hobart Bosworth Productions Company.[6] She also worked for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Famous Players–Lasky studios. She retired in 1931,[3] but in 1936, she was signed by Warner Brothers to play bit and extra roles.. A contract with Warner Bros. was in effect at the time of her death.[3]

In 1917, Stedman toured the United States for 10 weeks, making personal appearances at theaters that had shown her films. After the tour, she planned to go to New York to form her own company to make films.[11]

Her last release was Accidents Will Happen, in 1938.

Death

On January 8, 1938, Stedman died of a heart attack at age 52.[12] She was interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

Stedman in The American Beauty (1916)

Partial filmography

References

  1. ↑ 1900 U. S. Federal Census, Precinct 11, Gilpin, Colorado, enumeration district no. 177, sheet no. 19
  2. ↑ "Actress' Lucky Hit". The Grand Island Daily Press. Nebraska, Grand Island. August 23, 1901. p. 6. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 "Myrtle Stedman, 50, film actress, dead". The New York Times. January 9, 1938. p. 42. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  4. ↑ Stars of the Photoplay. Photoplay magazine. 1924. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Music and the Drama: 'Our Regiment'". The Chicago Chronicle. January 3, 1896. p. 6. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 3 "From Grand Opera to the Screen". The Movie Magazine. 2 (2): 104. December 1915. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  7. ↑ 1920 U.S. Federal Census, Los Angeles Assembly District 75, Los Angeles, California, enumeration district no. 476, sheet 16A. Stedman's marital status is indicated as "divorced".
  8. ↑ "Elected member board of trade". Pittsburgh Daily Post. October 17, 1915. p. 29. Retrieved September 15, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ Erickson, Hal. "Myrtle Stedman". AllMovie. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  10. ↑ "A Charming 'Mother'". Photoplay. Photoplay Magazine Publishing Company. XXIV (2): 52. July 1923. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Myrtle Stedman performs well". Great Falls Tribune. August 5, 1917. p. 9. Retrieved December 22, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Katchmer, George A. (22 September 2009). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. p. 358. ISBN 978-0-7864-4693-3. Retrieved September 15, 2020.

Further reading

  • The New York Times, Myrtle Stedman, 50, Film Actress, Dead, January 9, 1938, Page 42.
  • Oakland, California Tribune, Myrtle Stedman in Real Life T&D Star, July 6, 1917, Page 6.
  • The Ogden, Utah Standard, Theatres, Saturday, August 11, 1917, Page 11.
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