Florence La Badie facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Florence La Badie
Born	Florence Russ (1888-04-27)April 27, 1888 New York City, U.S.
Died	October 13, 1917(1917-10-13) (aged 29) Ossining, New York, U.S.
Cause of death	Sepsis
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1909–1917

Florence La Badie (born Florence Russ; April 27, 1888 – October 13, 1917) was a famous American-Canadian actress. She starred in movies during the early days of silent film. Florence was a very big star between 1911 and 1917. Her career was at its best when she died at age 29. This happened because of injuries from a car accident.

Early Life

Florence La Badie was born Florence Russ on April 27, 1888. She was born in New York City. When she was very young, her father passed away. Her mother found it hard to care for her. So, at age three, Florence was adopted by Joseph and Amanda La Badie. They lived in Montreal, Canada.

Florence's adoptive father, Joseph E. La Badie, was a well-known lawyer. Her adoptive mother, Amanda Victor, was possibly from Paris, Europe. Florence went to school in New York City and also in Montreal.

Florence La Badie became one of the most important and popular actresses. She appeared in 30 films for Biograph starting in 1909. Then she made 166 silent films for the Thanhouser studio. She was very brave and known as "Fearless Flo." She did many of her own stunts in movies. Fans loved her and wrote about her often. She was the most famous Thanhouser actress for many years.

Career Success

Florence La Badie as Katheleen Moran, a blind girl, in Adrift in a Great City (1914)

After finishing school, Florence worked as a fashion model in New York City. In 1908, she got a small part in a play. She then toured with a theater group for two years. During this time, she met another young actress, Mary Pickford. Mary suggested Florence try making movies.

In 1909, Mary invited Florence to watch a movie being made. This was at the Biograph studio in Manhattan. Florence got a small part on the spot. She was asked to come back for another film later that year. She made several films with the famous director D. W. Griffith. Her first movie with a credit was The Politician's Love Story in 1909.

In 1911, her career really took off. She was hired by Edwin Thanhouser for the Thanhouser Film Corporation. This studio was in New Rochelle, New York. Florence La Badie was beautiful and talented. She quickly became Thanhouser's top actress. She appeared in many films over the next two years.

Some of her most famous films were The Tempest (1911) and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1912). She also starred in the first movie version of Shakespeare's Cymbeline (1914). Her most well-known work was in the movie series The Million Dollar Mystery (1914-1915). By 1915, she was a top film actress in America.

World War I

When World War I started in Europe in 1914, Canada joined the war right away. Many of Florence La Badie's friends and family from Montreal went overseas to fight. She had many fans in Canada. A newspaper said that in 1915, a young soldier fighting in France wrote to her. He sent many photos showing the terrible things happening in the war.

Florence was deeply moved by these pictures. She became a strong supporter of peace. She traveled around the United States. She used a special projector to show the soldier's photos. She warned people about the dangers of going to war.

Personal Life

For a while, Florence was engaged to a car salesman named Val Hush. They later broke up. She then became involved with Daniel Carson Goodman. He was a writer who worked on a movie series called Zudora.

Death

In August 1917, Florence La Badie was at the peak of her movie career. She had been in 185 films since 1909. Her movie The Woman in White had just come out. Two more of her films, The Man Without a Country and War and the Woman, were also about to be released.

Even though the Thanhouser Corporation was having problems, Florence's career was doing great. She had just announced she was leaving Thanhouser. Other film companies were ready to hire her right away.

On August 28, 1917, Florence was driving near Ossining (village), New York. Her fiancé, Daniel Carson Goodman, was with her. The car's brakes failed, and it crashed down a hill. Daniel only broke his leg. But Florence was thrown from the car. She was badly hurt, breaking her pelvis.

She was in the hospital for over six weeks. She seemed to be getting better. But then, on October 13, she suddenly died from sepsis. Sepsis is a serious infection. Florence was the first major female film star to die while her career was at its highest. Many movie fans were very sad about her death.

After a large funeral, she was buried in an unmarked grave. This was in the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York. In 2014, Ned Thanhouser, whose grandfather owned the studio, raised money for a headstone for Florence. It was placed on her grave on April 27, 2014. This would have been her 126th birthday.

Selected Filmography

Images for kids

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  The Fear of Poverty (1916)

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  Saint, Devil and Woman (1916)

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  Advertisement (1916)

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  The Fugitive (1916)

See also

In Spanish: Florence La Badie para niños