Dorothy Mackaill facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dorothy Mackaill
Publicity photo of Mackaill from Stars of the Photoplay, 1924
Born	(1903-03-04)March 4, 1903 Sculcoates, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England
Died	August 12, 1990(1990-08-12) (aged 87) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Citizenship	British American
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1920–1937; 1976–1980
Spouse(s)	Lothar Mendes (m. 1926; div. 1928) Neil Miller (m. 1931; div. 1934) Harold Patterson (m. 1947; div. 1948)

Dorothy Mackaill (born March 4, 1903 – died August 12, 1990) was an actress from Britain and America. She was very popular during the time of silent movies. She also acted in early sound films in the 1930s.

Early Life and Stage Career

Dorothy Mackaill was born in Hull, England, in 1903. When she was about 11 years old, her parents separated. Dorothy then lived with her father.

As a teenager, Dorothy wanted to become an actress. One story says she ran away to London to start her acting career. Another story says that visitors saw her talent when she taught a dance class. They convinced her father to send her to London for acting and dance lessons. She studied at a drama and dance school there.

When she was 16, Dorothy danced in a show in London. She also acted in a few small movies in Paris. A Broadway choreographer then asked her to move to New York City. At age 17, she became a dancer in the famous Ziegfeld Follies stage shows.

Becoming a Movie Star

By 1920, Dorothy Mackaill started acting in movies. Her first film was a mystery called The Face at the Window. She also appeared in comedies with actor Johnny Hines. In 1921, she acted with stars like Anna May Wong and Lon Chaney in the movie Bits of Life.

Dorothy Mackaill, around 1920

Dorothy became a main actress in the drama The Man Who Came Back (1924). She starred opposite the popular actor George O'Brien. In 1924, she also acted in a western film called The Mine with the Iron Door. This movie was filmed in Arizona.

That same year, Dorothy received a special award called the WAMPAS Baby Stars award. This award honored young women who were expected to become big movie stars. Other famous actresses who received this award in 1924 included Clara Bow. Dorothy's career continued to grow throughout the 1920s. She easily moved from silent films to movies with sound, like The Barker (1928).

Later Career and Retirement

In 1928, a big movie company called Warner Bros. bought First National Pictures. Dorothy's contract with First National ended in 1931. One of her most famous roles from this time was in the 1932 movie Love Affair. She starred with a young Humphrey Bogart.

Dorothy made several more movies for different studios. She stopped acting in 1937 to take care of her mother, who was ill.

In 1955, Dorothy moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. She had loved the islands since filming His Captive Woman (1929) there. She lived at the beautiful Royal Hawaiian Hotel and enjoyed swimming in the ocean almost every day.

She sometimes acted again for television shows. She appeared in two episodes of Hawaii Five-O in 1976 and 1980.

Personal Life

Dorothy Mackaill on a magazine cover in 1926

Dorothy Mackaill was married three times. Her first marriage was to German film director Lothar Mendes in 1926. They divorced in 1928.

In 1931, she married a radio singer named Neil Albert Miller. They divorced in 1934. Her third marriage was to Harold Patterson in 1947. She filed for divorce in 1948.

Dorothy Mackaill did not have any children.

Becoming a U.S. Citizen

Dorothy Mackaill became a citizen of the United States in 1926.

Death

Dorothy Mackaill lived in Honolulu, Hawaii, for the last 35 years of her life. She passed away there on August 12, 1990. She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered off Waikiki Beach.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Dorothy Mackaill para niños