Carol Dempster facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carol Dempster
|
|
|---|---|
Carol Dempster in Scarlet Days (1919)
|
|
| Born | December 9, 1901 |
| Died | February 1, 1991 (aged 89) La Jolla, California, U.S.
|
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1916–1926 |
| Spouse(s) | Edwin S. Larsen (m. 1929–1991) |
Carol Dempster (born December 9, 1901 – died February 1, 1991) was an American actress. She was a famous silent movie star. She acted in films from 1916 to 1926. She later married a rich banker and stopped acting. Later in life, she was known for giving a lot of money to good causes. This is called philanthropy.
Carol Dempster's Acting Career
Carol Dempster was born in Duluth, Minnesota on December 9, 1901. She was the youngest of four children. When she was a baby, her family moved to California.
Carol studied dance at the Ruth St. Denis dancing school. A famous movie director, D. W. Griffith, saw her there. He gave her a small role as a dancer in his movie Intolerance (1916). Griffith then gave her a bigger part in A Romance of Happy Valley (1919). This movie also starred the popular actors Robert Herron and Lillian Gish.
Carol's first main role was in the movie The Girl Who Stayed at Home (1919). Lillian Gish was supposed to play this part. But she was tired, so Griffith chose Carol instead. Critics did not praise Carol's acting very much at first.
Her first movie where she was the only main star was The Love Flower (1920). Around this time, people started comparing her to Lillian Gish. Griffith even told Carol to sound like Gish. Carol also became romantically involved with Griffith.
In 1922, Carol acted in a movie not directed by Griffith. She starred in Sherlock Holmes with John Barrymore. Her movie Isn't Life Wonderful? (1924) was liked by critics. She also starred in two movies with W. C. Fields for Paramount Pictures. These were Sally of the Sawdust (1925) and That Royle Girl (1925). Many people think her best acting was in her last movie, The Sorrows of Satan (1926).
Carol Dempster's Later Life
In July 1929, Carol Dempster was injured in a car accident in California. A month later, she married Edwin Skinner Larsen. He was a wealthy investment banker. They got married at her home in New York.
After they traveled to Europe, Carol said she was retiring from acting. She and her husband lived in La Jolla, California. Carol died there on February 1, 1991, because of heart failure.
Carol Dempster was buried at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery in Glendale, California. When she died, Carol left $1.6 million USD to the San Diego Museum of Art. This money was to help the museum buy more prints and drawings. She and her husband had given gifts to the museum before. These included a sculpture by Francisco Zuniga and a painting by Thomas Eakins.
Images for kids
-
Carol Dempster in The Love Flower (1920)
See also
In Spanish: Carol Dempster para niños
