Edna Purviance Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Edna Purviance
Purviance in 1923
Born	Olga Edna Purviance (1895-10-21)October 21, 1895 Paradise Valley, Nevada, U.S.
Died	January 13, 1958(1958-01-13) (aged 62) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1915–1927
Spouse(s)	John Squire (m. 1938; died 1945)

Edna Purviance (born October 21, 1895 – died January 13, 1958) was an American actress. She was famous during the silent film era, a time when movies had no sound. Edna Purviance became well-known as the main actress in many early films starring the famous comedian Charlie Chaplin. Over eight years, she appeared in more than 30 movies with him.

Life and career
Death
Images for kids
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Life and career

Early life (1895–1913)

Edna Purviance was born on October 21, 1895, in Paradise Valley, Nevada. Her mother, Louisa Wright Davey, was from England. Her father, Madison Purviance, was an American who made wine. When Edna was three years old, her family moved to Lovelock, Nevada. There, they owned a hotel called the Singer Hotel.

Edna's parents divorced in 1902. Her mother later married Robert Nurnberger. As Edna grew up, she showed a lot of talent as a pianist. In 1913, she left Lovelock and moved to San Francisco. She lived with her married sister, Bessie, and went to business college.

Becoming a film star (1914–1927)

Purviance in Photoplay magazine, 1915

In 1915, Edna Purviance was working as a secretary in San Francisco. Around this time, the famous actor and director Charlie Chaplin was making a new movie. He was looking for a main actress for his film A Night Out.

A person helping Chaplin found Edna Purviance. She was seen at a cafe in San Francisco. Chaplin arranged to meet her. He was a little worried she might be too serious for funny movies. But Edna still got the part!

Purviance in The Adventurer (1917)

Edna Purviance became very well-known for working with Charlie Chaplin. People expected to see her in his films. One writer even said, "Come on back, Edna!" when Chaplin made a movie without her.

Edna appeared in 33 of Chaplin's movies. This included the famous 1921 film The Kid. Her last big role in a Chaplin film was in A Woman of Paris in 1923. This movie was her first main role, but it was not very successful. This film sadly marked the end of her main acting career. She appeared in two more films after that. One was called Sea Gulls (also known as A Woman of the Sea), which Chaplin never released. The other was a French film called Éducation de Prince, released in 1927.

Even after her acting career slowed down, Charlie Chaplin continued to support Edna. He kept her on his payroll, giving her money each month. This support lasted for many years.

Later life (1927–1958)

For over 30 years after her last film, Edna Purviance lived a quiet life away from Hollywood. In 1938, she married John Squire, who was a pilot for Pan-American Airlines. They were married until John passed away in 1945.

Charlie Chaplin never forgot Edna. He continued to pay her a small monthly salary. These payments started again after her husband died. She even had small, uncredited roles in Chaplin's last two American movies, Monsieur Verdoux and Limelight.

After Edna's death, Chaplin was asked about her. He said, "How could I forget Edna? She was with me when it all began."

Another actress, Georgia Hale, wrote about Chaplin's kind feelings for Edna. She shared a story from the silent film days. Chaplin and Edna, dressed simply, stopped at a fancy hotel restaurant. The head waiter thought they looked like ordinary people and seated them in a hidden spot. But when other guests recognized them, the waiter quickly offered them a better table. Edna, however, stayed put. She told the waiter, "We want to thank you for treating us like humble people. You have just paid us the highest compliment." This shows how humble and kind Edna was.

Death

Edna Purviance passed away on January 13, 1958. She was 62 years old and died from throat cancer. She is buried at Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.