Claire Windsor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Claire Windsor
Windsor in 1924
Born	Clara Viola Cronk (1892-04-14)April 14, 1892 Marvin, Phillips County, Kansas, U.S.
Died	October 24, 1972(1972-10-24) (aged 80) Los Angeles, California
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1919–1945
Spouse(s)	Willis Bowes ​ ​ (m. 1914; div. 1920)​ Bert Lytell ​ ​ (m. 1925; div. 1927)​
Children	1

Claire Windsor (born Clara Viola Cronk; April 14, 1892 – October 24, 1972) was a famous American actress. She was best known for her roles in silent films. These were movies made before sound was added.

Claire Windsor's Early Life and Family

Claire Windsor was born Clara Viola Cronk in 1892. Her nickname was "Ola." She was born in Marvin, Kansas. Her parents, George and Ella Cronk, were from Scandinavia. When Claire was two, her family moved to Cawker City, Kansas. She also had a sister named Nellie.

Claire went to school at Washburn Preparatory Academy in Topeka. Later, she studied fine arts at Washburn College. In 1910, her mother moved with Claire and Nellie to Seattle. Claire was chosen to be "Empress" in a musical show called Jappyland.

While in Seattle, Ola met David Willis Bowes. They secretly got married in Denver, Colorado in 1914. They had a son named David Willis Bowes Jr. in 1916. The couple later separated, and David Bowes filed for divorce in 1920.

After her parents retired to California, Ola moved there too. She needed a way to support herself and her son. A friend suggested she try working at movie studios. She started with small roles. Soon, Lois Weber, a famous director, noticed her. Weber signed Claire to a contract with Paramount Pictures.

Claire Windsor's Rise to Stardom

Windsor, Hobart Bosworth and Teddy the Dog in Marshall Neilan's The Strangers' Banquet (1922)

Claire Windsor's first movie was To Please One Woman in 1920. It was a small success. To help her become famous, Paramount Pictures often took pictures of her with the actor Charlie Chaplin. This made the newspapers talk about the young actress. In 1921, she starred with Louis Calhern in The Blot.

Her fame grew quickly. In 1922, she was named one of the "WAMPAS Baby Stars." This award recognized the most promising new actresses of the year. Other stars like Bessie Love and Colleen Moore also received this award. That same year, Claire signed a contract with Goldwyn Pictures Corporation. She appeared in Broken Chains with Colleen Moore.

In 1923, Ola Cronk officially changed her name to Claire Windsor. This name sounded better for a movie star. Throughout the 1920s, Claire became a respected leading lady in films. She often played "upscale society girls," like princesses or wealthy women. People admired her elegant style. Claire Windsor became a fashion trend-setter in the 1920s.

Windsor in 1926

By 1924, Windsor was one of the top stars at the new Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studio. Later, at Tiffany Pictures, her movie Souls for Sables (1925) was a big hit. She starred in it with Eugene O'Brien.

Later Career and Personal Life

Claire Windsor was often linked romantically to her male co-stars. In 1925, she married matinée idol Bert Lytell. They divorced in 1927. Claire never married again.

In the late 1920s, movies started to have sound, called "talkies." Like many silent film actors, Claire found it hard to switch to talkies. She made several sound films in the 1930s. However, she never reached the same level of success she had during the silent film era. She also performed on stage sometimes. In her later years, Claire enjoyed painting.

On April 12, 1943, she legally changed her name to Claire Windsor. Her son also changed his name to William Willis Windsor.

Death and Legacy

Claire Windsor passed away from a heart attack on October 24, 1972. She was 80 years old. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park cemetery in Glendale.

For her important work in movies, Claire Windsor received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Her star is located at 7021 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California. It was placed there on February 8, 1960.

Filmography