Louise Fazenda

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Louise Fazenda
Fazenda in 1920
Born(1895-06-17)June 17, 1895
DiedApril 17, 1962(1962-04-17) (aged 66)
Resting placeInglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California
OccupationActress
Years active1913–1939
Spouses
Noel M. Smith
(m. 1917; div. 1926)
(m. 1927)
Children1

Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962)[1] was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films.

Early life[edit]

Fazenda was born in her maternal grandparents' house in Lafayette, Indiana,[2] the daughter of merchandise broker Joseph A. Fazenda, who was born in Mexico, and Nelda T. Schilling Fazenda, a Chicago native. She was of Portuguese, French, and Italian descent on her father's side and of German descent on her mother's.[citation needed]

The Fazenda family moved to California, where Joseph Fazenda opened a grocery store. Louise attended Los Angeles High School and St. Mary's Convent, and one of her jobs after school was delivering groceries for the family business by a horse-drawn wagon.

Career[edit]

Who's Who in the Film World, 1914

Fazenda was discovered while appearing in a high school comedy show, by a scout employed by Mack Sennett. She made her first film in 1913. She was best known as a character actor in silent films, playing roles such as a fussy spinster and a blacksmith. She briefly left films from 1921 to 1922 to perform vaudeville.[3] Her transition into talking pictures led to more serious roles.[2] The Old Maid, in 1939, was her last of her nearly 300 movie appearances.[citation needed]

Marriage[edit]

In 1927, Fazenda married Hal B. Wallis, a producer at Warner Bros., and they remained married until her death. They had one son, Brent, who became a psychiatrist.[2]

Death[edit]

Fazenda died of a cerebral hemorrhage in Beverly Hills, California.[1] Wallis was in Hawaii making a film and left immediately for home. She was interred at the Inglewood Park Cemetery in Inglewood, California. At her funeral, many stories were told of Fazenda's volunteer work, such as caring for children at UCLA Medical Center and taking in two children during World War II.[4]

Recognition[edit]

Fazenda has a star at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard in the Motion Pictures section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[5]

She appears in the lyrics of "Out in the Street", a rock-ballad from 1975 by hard rock band UFO. "Your comic book impersonations, Louise Fazenda and Buster Keaton"[citation needed]

Selected filmography[edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1913 Poor Jake's Demise Servant Short subject
Incomplete
Almost an Actress Susie Short subject
Lost film
1915 Hogan's Romance Upset Short subject
Fatty's Tintype Tangle Edgar's Wife Short subject
1916 The Marble Heart Lost film
Maid Mad Short subject
1917 Maggie's First False Step Lost film
1919 Bullin' the Bullsheviki
Salome vs. Shenandoah Short subject
Lost film
1920 Down on the Farm Louise, the Farmer's Daughter
Married Life Wife of Heckler at Theatre
1921 A Small Town Idol Theatregoer
1922 Bright Eyes the Golfer Short subject
The Beauty Shop Cremo Panatella Lost film
Bow Wow the Country Girl Lost film
Quincy Adams Sawyer Mandy Skinner Lost film
The Beautiful and Damned Muriel Lost film
1923 The Fog Millie Richards Lost film
The Spider and the Rose Dolores Lost film
Main Street Bea Sorenson Lost film
Mary of the Movies Cameo
Uncredited
Incomplete film
The Spoilers Tilly Nelson
Tea: With a Kick! Lost film
The Gold Diggers Mabel Munroe Incomplete film
The Wanters Mary Lost film
The Old Fool Dolores Murphy Lost film
1924 The Dramatic Life of Abraham Lincoln Sally, a Country Girl Incomplete film
The Galloping Fish Undine
True as Steel Miss Leeds Incomplete film
Listen Lester Arbutus Quilty
Being Respectable Deborah Carpenter
This Woman Rose
The Lighthouse by the Sea Flora Gale
1925 The Night Club Carmen
Cheaper To Marry Flora
The Price of Pleasure Stella Kelly Lost film
Déclassé Mrs. Walton
A Broadway Butterfly Cookie Dale Lost film
Grounds for Divorce Marianne Incomplete film, missing reel 3
The Love Hour Jenny Tibbs Lost film
Compromise Hilda Lost film
Bobbed Hair Sweetie
Hogan's Alley Dolly
1926 The Bat Lizzie Allen
Footloose Widows Flo
Miss Nobody Mazie Raleigh Lost film
The Passionate Quest Madame Mathilde Lost film
Tin Gods Lost film
Millionaires Reba, Esther's Sister Lost film
The Old Soak Annie Lost film
The Lady of the Harem Yasmin Lost film
Ladies at Play Aunt Katherine Lost film
1927 Finger Prints Dora Traynor Lost film
The Red Mill Gretchen
The Gay Old Bird Sisseretta Simpkins
Babe Comes Home Laundry Girl Lost film
Cradle Snatchers Susan Martin Incomplete film, missing reels 3 and 4
Simple Sis Sis Lost film
A Sailor's Sweetheart Cynthia Botts Incomplete film
A Texas Steer Mrs. Ma Brander Lost film
Ham and Eggs at the Front Cally Brown
1928 Tillie's Punctured Romance Tillie, a Runaway Lost film
Domestic Troubles Lola Lost film
Pay as You Enter Mary Smith Lost film
Vamping Venus Maggie Cassidy / Circe Lost film
Five and Ten Cent Annie Annie Lost film
A fragment exists
Heart to Heart Aunt Katie Boyd
The Terror Mrs. Elvery Lost film
Noah's Ark Hilda/Tavern Maid Film survives as a partially restored 108 minute version; the original 138 minute version is lost
Outcast Mable
Riley the Cop Lena Krausmeyer
Taxi 13 Uncredited
1929 Stark Mad Mrs. Fleming Lost film
The Desert Song Susan
House of Horror Louise Lost film
Hot Stuff Aunt Kate
On With the Show Sarah
Hard to Get Ma Martin
The Show of Shows in 'Recitations' Sketch
The Broadway Hoofer Jane
1930 No, No, Nanette Sue Smith Incomplete film
Wide Open Agatha Hathaway
Loose Ankles Sarah Harper
High Society Blues Mrs. Granger
Spring Is Here Emily Braley
Bride of the Regiment Teresa, the Maid Lost film
A 20-second fragment exists
Rain or Shine Frankie
Leathernecking Hortense
Viennese Nights Gretl Kruger
1931 Gun Smoke Hampsey Dell
Misbehaving Ladies Aunt Kate Boyd
Newly Rich Maggie Tiffany
The Mad Parade Fanny Smithers
The Cuban Love Song Elvira
1932 Racing Youth Daisy Joy
Once in a Lifetime Helen Hobart
The Unwritten Law Lulu Potts
1933 Hunting Trouble Walter's Wife Short subject
Alice in Wonderland White Queen
1934 Caravan Governess Bessie Opitz
Wonder Bar Mrs. Pratt
1935 The Winning Ticket Nora Tomasello
The Casino Murder Case Becky
Broadway Gondolier Flaggenheim
Bad Boy Mrs. Harris – Landlady
The Widow from Monte Carlo Rose Torrent
1936 Colleen Alicia Ames
Doughnuts and Society Kate Flannagan
I Married a Doctor Bea Sorenson
1937 Ready, Willing, and Able Clara Heineman
The Road Back Angelina
Ever Since Eve Abbie Belldon
Merry-Go-Round of 1938 Mrs. Penelope Updike
First Lady Mrs. Lavinia Mae Creevey
1938 Swing Your Lady Sadie
Down on the Farm Aunt Ida
1939 The Old Maid Dora

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-7864-5019-0.
  2. ^ a b c "Louise Fazenda, star of silent films, dies". Journal & Courier. Lafayette, Indiana. April 18, 1962. p. 1. Retrieved May 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  3. ^ Death takes Louise Fazenda of silent films. The Los Angeles Times. April 18, 1962. p. 35 and p. 42. Retrieved May 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com Free access icon
  4. ^ "Louise Fazenda's good deeds live after her". Los Angeles Times. April 21, 1962. p. 10. Retrieved May 29, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.Free access icon
  5. ^ "Louise Fazenda". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved June 17, 2017.

External links[edit]