Virginia Pearson
| Virginia Pearson | |
|---|---|
 Pearson (c. 1918) | |
| Born |
Virginia Belle Pearson March 7, 1886 Anchorage, Kentucky |
| Died |
June 6, 1958 (aged 72) Hollywood, Los Angeles, California |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1910-1932 |
| Spouse(s) | Sheldon Lewis |
Virginia Belle Pearson (March 7, 1886 – June 6, 1958) was an American stage and film actress. She made fifty-one films in a career which extended from 1910 until 1932.
Career
Born in Anchorage, Kentucky to parents Joseph F. Pearson and Mary Alice Calloway. She had one younger brother, Harvey Thompson Pearson. Virginia was also the granddaughter of Precious Martha Grable Pearson (actress Betty Grable's great aunt). Virginia worked for a brief time as an assistant in the public library in Louisville, Kentucky after completing school. She was famous in her hometown Louisville playhouse performances. Pearson trained in the tradition of the stars of the American stage, and played in stock productions in Washington, D.C. and New York City. In New York she played the heroine in Hypocrisy, a story which laid bare "the shame of society." She was promoted by William Fox of Fox Film Corporation for the same kind of strong vamp parts as those played by Theda Bara. Among her movies is Blazing Love (1916), Wildness of Youth (1922), The Vital Question (1916), Sister Against Sister (1917), The Red Kimona (1925), Wizard of Oz (1925), and The Phantom of the Opera (1925).
In 1916 Pearson and her husband, movie actor Sheldon Lewis, severed their ties with the Virginia Pearson Producing Company. The couple affiliated themselves with the Independent Productions Company, capitalized at $1,000,000. In 1924 the couple were forced to declare bankruptcy. In 1928, Pearson was legally divorced from Lewis. At the time, it was considered bad box office for screen actresses to be married. However the two remained constant companions., and resided for many years at the old Hollywood Hotel. Later they lived at the Motion Picture Country Home.
Death
Virginia Pearson died of uremic poisoning in Hollywood on June 6, 1958 nearly a month to the day after Sheldon Lewis. She was 72. Funeral services were held at the Pierce Brothers Hollywood Chapel. She was buried in an unmarked grave in Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | On Her Doorsteps | ||
| 1914 | The Stain | Stevens' daughter | |
| 1915 | The Turn of the Road | Marcia Wilbur | |
| 1916 | Thou Art the Man | Emily Raynor | |
| 1917 | Thou Shalt Not Steal | Mary Bruce | |
| 1918 | The Firebrand | Princess Natalya | |
| 1919 | The Bishop's Emeralds | Hester, Lady Cardew | |
| 1922 | Wildness of Youth | Louise Wesley | |
| 1923 | A Prince of a King | Queen Claudia | |
| 1925 | Wizard of Oz | Lady Vishuss | |
| 1925 | The Phantom of the Opera | Virginia Pearson as Carlotta/Carlotta's mother (1930 redux) | |
| 1926 | Atta Boy | Madame Carlton | |
| 1927 | Driven from Home | ||
| 1928 | The Big City | Tennessee | |
| 1929 | Smilin' Guns | Mrs. van Smythe | |
| 1931 | The Primrose Path | ||
| 1932 | Back Street | Bit part | Uncredited |
Stolen Honor (1917)
Queen of Hearts (1918)
The Love Auction (1919)
The Bishop's Emeralds (1919)
References
- Los Angeles Times, "Silent Screen's Star Virginia Pearson Dies", June 10, 1958, Page B1.
- Mansfield, Ohio News, "Virginia Quits Her Firm", August 19, 1916, Page 15.
- New York Times, "Virginia Pearson Dies", June 10, 1958, Page 33.
- Reno Evening Gazette, "Stage People On Reno Screen", Saturday, August 5, 1916, Supplement Pages 7 and 10.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Virginia Pearson. |
- Virginia Pearson at the Internet Broadway Database
- Virginia Pearson at the Internet Movie Database
- Virginia Pearson at Find a Grave