Betty Compson

Lovely Betty Compson as she appeared in the 1929 film ON WITH THE SHOW. Betty was born on March 19, 1897, in Beaver, Utah. Playing in vaudeville sketches with touring circuits, she eventually got noticed by Hollywood producers. Her first silent film, “Wanted, a Leading Lady”, was in November 1915. For the next few years, she turned out a steady stream of one-reel and two-reel slapstick comedies, frequently paired with Roscoe 'Fatty' Arbuckle. In 1919, Betty co-starred opposite Lon Chaney in “The Miracle Man” (1919), which was a huge critical and financial success and also established her as a major star. Her popularity allowed her to establish her own production company that provided her creative control over screenplays and financing. Her first movie as producer was “Prisoners of Love” (1921). During the late 1920's, she appeared in a variety of dramatic and comedic roles, including “The Docks of New York” (1928), and was even nominated for an Academy Award for her portrayal of a carnival girl in “The Barker” (1928). She gave a touching performance in “The Great Gabbo” (1929), as the assistant of a demented ventriloquist (Erich von Stroheim), with whom she is unhappily in love. That same year, she appeared in RKO's first sound film, “Street Girl” (1929), and was briefly under contract to that studio, cast in so-called 'women's pictures' such as “The Lady Refuses” (1931) and “Three Who Loved” (1931). The stature of her roles began to diminish from the mid-1930s, though she continued to act in character parts until 1948. In later years, she developed her own cosmetics label and ran a business with her third husband in California producing personalized ashtrays for the hospitality industry. She and her husband were happily married until his death in 1962. Betty herself passed away from a heart attack on April 18, 1974.

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