Nancy Welford | |
|---|---|
 Welford in 1923 | |
| Born | May 31, 1904 |
| Died | September 30, 1991 (aged 87) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1929–1933 |
| Spouse(s) | F. Heath Cobb (m. 1924; div. 19?) Henry C. Morris
(m. 1945) |
| Children | 5 |
Nancy Welford (May 31, 1904 – September 30, 1991), also known as Christine Welford, was a British-born American actress in the early sound film era.
Early life
The daughter of actress Ada Loftus[1] and actor Dallas Welford, she was born in London, England and came to the United States when she was six years old.[2]
Career
Welford's stage debut came as a member of the ensemble for Mimic World.[3] As early as 1921, she was active in vaudeville.[4] In 1922 she appeared at the Fulton Theatre on Broadway in the musical Orange Blossoms by Victor Herbert. In 1923, a caption of a photograph in the New York Daily News described her as the prima donna of a musical comedy and noted, "She has come up from the chorus and come to stay."[5] She next joined the Gallagher and Shean duo in their performances.[6] In 1926, Welford starred in Nancy, a musical for which she was the inspiration.[7] This was followed by the role of Mary Wheeler in the hit 1928 musical Rain or Shine.[8]
She acted in five films between 1929 and 1933. She is probably today mostly known for starring in the 1929 Warner Brothers musical Gold Diggers of Broadway, which was the second all color-all talking feature ever made. Today, Gold Diggers of Broadway is a lost film with only 2 surviving reels.
Personal life
On October 24, 1924, Welford married film director F. Heath Cobb in Cleveland, Ohio. Her parents learned of the marriage about a month later, prompting her father to say, "I don't believe it", and putting her mother under a doctor's care at her home.[6] She married Henry C. Morris in 1945; he preceded her in death in 1985.
Death
Welford died in San Francisco, California.[9]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1929 | Gold Diggers of Broadway | Jerry | Incomplete film, final two reels survive and Vitaphone soundtrack |
| The Phantom of the House | Dorothy Milburn | ||
| 1930 | The Jazz Cinderella | Patricia Murray | |
| 1931 | A Safe Affair | Mary Bolton | |
| 1933 | Yours Sincerely | Betty Braley |
References
- ↑ "Nancy Welford in Role as Ingenue in 'In Dutch'". Dayton Daily News. Ohio, Dayton. October 9, 1924. p. 17. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Star at Nixon Comes of Family of Actors". The Pittsburgh Press. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh. December 24, 1922. p. 31. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Theatre Notes". Daily News. New York, New York City. April 8, 1923. p. 93. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Majestic Theatre advertisement". The Houston Post. Texas, Houston. November 19, 1921. p. 10. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "(photo caption)". Daily News. New York, New York City. April 1, 1923. p. 28. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 "Nancy Welford's Marriage Ends Career, Says Father". Daily News. New York, New York City. November 27, 1924. p. 3. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "'Nanette' Star in New One". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. May 23, 1926. p. 61. Retrieved July 7, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Rain or Shine". The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. 2019. pp. 298–299, 447–448. ISBN 9781538112823.
- ↑ Schermerhorn, James (October 4, 1991). "Ex-stage Star Nancy Welford Dies at 87". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
External links
- Nancy Welford at the Internet Broadway Database
- Michael G. Morris, "She's Just a Baby" Gershwin 100 (March 25, 2021), a blog post about Welford