Florence Lawrence (1886–1938) is often referred to as the “first movie star,” and was long thought to be the first actor to be named publicly until evidence in 2019 indicated that the first named star was French actor Max Linder.
Occupational Inheritance: Yes (mother vaudeville actress)
She also was the inventor of car turn and brake signals.
At the height of her fame in 1910s, she was known as the “Biograph Girl” as one of the leading ladies in silents from the Biograph Company. She appeared in almost 300 films for various companies throughout her career.
Florence Annie Bridgwood was born on 2 January 1886 in Hamilton, Ontario.
She was the youngest of 3 children of George Bridgwood, an English-born carriage builder and Charlotte “Lotta” Bridgwood (née Dunn), a vaudeville actress.
Charlotte Bridgwood had emigrated to Canada from Ireland after the Great Famine with her family as a child.
She was known professionally as Lotta Lawrence, the leading lady and director of the Lawrence Dramatic Company.
At the age of 3, Lawrence made her debut onstage with her mother in a song and dance routine. When she was old enough to memorize lines of dialogue, she performed with her mother and other members of the Lawrence Dramatic Company in dramatic plays.
After performing melodramas like Dora Thorne and East Lynne began to depress Lawrence, her mother dropped them from the repertoire. Lawrence performed on stage at her mother’s behest, but she enjoyed the work even if she did like the traveling that vaudeville performers were required to do.
By the age of 6, Lawrence had earned the nickname “Baby Flo, the Child Wonder”
On February 18, 1898, George Bridgwood died from accidental coal gas poisoning in Hamilton (Lawrence’s parents had separated when she was 4). Lotta Lawrence moved the family from Hamilton to Buffalo, NY to live with her mother Ann Dunn. She chose to stop bringing her children, and for the first time, Florence was enrolled in school. After graduating, Lawrence rejoined her mother’s company. However, her mother disbanded the Lawrence Dramatic Company shortly thereafter; the two moved to NYC around 1906.
Lawrence was one of several Canadian pioneers in the rapid growth of the fledgling motion picture business. In 1906, she appeared in her first picture.
The next year, she appeared in 38 movies for the Vitagraph film company.
During 1906, Lawrence auditioned for Broadway productions, but she did not have success. However, on December 27, 1906, she was hired by Edison Manufacturing Company to play Daniel Boone’s daughter in Daniel Boone; or, Pioneer Days in America. She got the part because she knew how to ride a horse. Both she and mother received parts and were paid $5 per day for two weeks of outdoor filming in freezing weather.
In 1907, she went to work for the Vitagraph Company in Brooklyn, NY, acting as Moya, Irish peasant girl in one-reel version of Dion Boucicault’s The Shaughraun.
She returned briefly to stage, playing the lead role in a road show production of Melville B. Raymond’s Seminary Girls. Her mother played her last role in this production. After touring with the roadshow for a year, Lawrence resolved that she would “never again lead that gypsy life”. In 1908, she returned to Vitagraph where she played the lead role in The Dispatch Bearer. Largely as a result of her equestrian skills, she received parts in 11 films in the next five months.
Griffith
Also at Vitagraph was young actor Harry Solter looking for “young, beautiful equestrian girl” to star in a film to be produced by the Biograph Studios, with direction of D. W. Griffith.
Griffith, the most prominent producer-director at Biograph, had noticed the beautiful blonde woman in one of Vitagraph’s films. The film’s actors received no mention, so Griffith had to make discreet inquiries and arrange a meeting.
Griffith had intended to give the part to Florence Turner, Biograph’s lead lady, but Lawrence convinced Solter and Griffith she was best suited for the starring role in The Girl and the Outlaw.
With Vitagraph Company, she had been earning $20 per week, working also as costume seamstress. Griffith offered her a job, acting only, for $25 per week.
After her success, she appeared as society belle in Betrayed by a Handprint and as Indian in The Red Girl.
She had parts in most of the 60 films directed by Griffith in 1908, the year in which she married Harry Solter.
Biograph Girl: Nameless Star
Lawrence gained much popularity, but because her name never was publicized, fans began writing to the studio asking to know her identity. Even after gaining wide recognition, particularly after starring in the comedy series Mr. and Mrs. Jones and the successful Resurrection, Biograph refused to publicly announce her name and fans simply called her the “Biograph Girl.”
During formative years, silent actors were not named because studio owners feared that fame might lead to demands for higher wages; also many were embarrassed to be performing pantomime in motion pictures. She continued to work for Biograph in 1909. Her demand to be paid by the week rather than daily was met, and she received double the normal rate.
Lawrence and Solter in 1909 joined the Independent Moving Pictures Company of America (IMP). The company, founded by Carl Laemmle, the owner of film exchange (who later absorbed IMP into Universal Pictures, of which he was founder and president), was looking for filmmakers and actors.
Needing a star, he lured Lawrence away from Biograph by promising to give her a marquee. First, Laemmle organized a publicity stunt by starting a rumor that Lawrence had been killed by street car in New York City.
After gaining media attention, he placed ads in newspapers that announced “We nail a lie” and included photo of Lawrence. The ad declared she is alive and well and making The Broken Oath, new movie for IMP Film Company to be directed by Solter.
Laemmle had Lawrence make personal appearance in St. Louis, Missouri in March 1910 with her lead man to show her fans she was alive, making her one of early performers not already famous in another medium to be identified by name by her studio.
By late 1910, Lawrence left IMP to work for Lubin Studios, advising fellow Canadian, Mary Pickford, 18, to take her place as IMP’s star.
Victor Film Company
In 1912, Lawrence and Solter made deal with Carl Laemmle, forming their own company. Laemmle gave them complete freedom in the company, named Victor Film Company, and paid Lawrence $500 per week as leading lady, and Solter $200 per week as director.
They established film studio in Fort Lee, New Jersey and made films starring Lawrence and Owen Moore, then sold to Universal in 1913.
With new prosperity, Florence realized ‘lifelong dream,’ buying a 50-acre estate in River Vale, New Jersey.
In August 1912, she fought with husband, in which he “made cruel remarks about his mother-in-law”. He left and went to Europe. However, he wrote “sad” letters to her every day, about plans to commit suicide. His letters “softened her feelings”, and they were re-united in Nov 1912.
Lawrence announced her intention to retire. She was persuaded to return to work in 1914 for her company (Victor Film Company), which had been acquired by Universal Studios. During the filming of Pawns of Destiny in 1915, a staged fire got out of control. Lawrence was burned, her hair was singed, and she suffered a serious fall which fractured her spine.[7] She went into shock for months. She returned to work, but collapsed after the film was completed. To add to her problems, Universal refused to pay her medical expenses, leaving Lawrence feeling betrayed. In mid-1916, she returned to work for Universal and completed Elusive Isabel. However, the strain of working took its toll on her, and she suffered a serious relapse. She was completely paralyzed for four months. In 1921, she traveled to Hollywood to attempt a comeback, but had little success. She received lead role in minor melodrama (The Unfoldment), and then two supporting roles.
All her film work after 1924 was in uncredited bit parts.
Besides her film career, Lawrence is credited with designing the first “auto signaling arm,”predecessor of the modern turn signal, along with the first mechanical brake signal. She did not patent these inventions, however, and so she received no credit for, nor profit from, either one.
Lawrence was married three times. Her first marriage was to actor, screenwriter and director Harry Solter in 1908. They remained married until Solter’s death in 1920.
She then married automobile salesman Charles Byrne Woodring in 1921. They separated in 1929; Lawrence was granted interlocutory divorce in Feb 1931, which was finalized the following year.
During the 1920s, Lawrence and Woodring opened cosmetics store in Los Angeles called Hollywood Cosmetics. The store sold theatrical makeup and line of cosmetics that Lawrence developed. They continued their partnership after their separation in 1929, but the store was forced to close in 1931.
In 1933, Lawrence wed for the third time to Henry Bolton, an abusive alcoholic and beat her severely. The union lasted five months.
By the late 1920s, Lawrence’s popularity had declined and she suffered personal losses. Her mother, to whom she was close, died suddenly in August 1929. Four months later, she separated from second husband, Charles Woodring.
While Lawrence earned small fortune during film career, she made poor business decisions. She lost much fortune after stock market crash in October 1929 and Great Depression. The cosmetics store she and second husband opened in Los Angeles also lost business because of the Depression, and the couple was forced to close its doors in 1931.
By the early 1930s, Lawrence’s acting consisted solely of extra and bit parts which were often uncredited.
In 1936, MGM head Louis B. Mayer began giving extra and bit parts to former silent film actors for $75 per week. Lawrence, along with other “old timers” from silent era whose careers ended when sound films replaced silent films, signed with MGM. Lawrence remained with the studio until her death.
In 1937, Lawrence was diagnosed with “a bone disease which produces anemia and depression.”The disease was likely myelofibrosis, rare bone marrow disease, or agnogenic myeloid metaplasia, both incurable at the time. Due to poor health and chronic pain, Lawrence became depressed but tried to keep working.
She moved into a home on Westbourne Drive in West Hollywood, with studio worker named Robert “Bob” Brinlow and his sister.
Suicide
At 1 p.m. on December 28, 1938, Lawrence called M-G-M where she was to report to work that afternoon, claiming she was ill. Later in the afternoon, Lawrence ingested ant poison and cough syrup at her home in West Hollywood. Some media reports stated her neighbor Marian Menzer heard her screams, while others say Lawrence called Menzer that she poisoned herself. Menzer called an ambulance, and Lawrence was rushed to Beverly Hills Emergency Hospital. Doctors were unable to save Lawrence, who died at 2:45 p.m.
Lawrence left suicide note, addressed to her housemate Bob Brinlow:
Dear Bob,
Call Dr. Wilson. I am tired. Hope this works. Good bye, my darling. They can’t cure me, so let it go at that.
Lovingly, Florence – P.S. You’ve all been swell guys. Everything is yours.
Lawrence’s death was ruled “probable suicide” owing to her “ill health”. The Motion Picture & Television Fund paid for Lawrence’s funeral, held on December 30, and for her unmarked grave in the Hollywood Cemetery (now Hollywood Forever Cemetery). Her grave remained unmarked until 1991, when an anonymous British actor paid for memorial marker for her.
It reads: “The Biograph Girl/The First Movie Star”. The date of birth on Lawrence’s headstone is given as 1890.[28] This inaccuracy was also stated on her death certificate filled out by the coroner. Lawrence’s biographer, Brown, owed this mistake to “Lawrence’s own brand of fiction” as she subtracted years off her age. The mistake was repeated by the Pierce Brothers Mortuary, where Lawrence’s funeral was held, though most obituaries printed correct year of birth: 1886.
Filmography
Hundreds of shorts
Features
1908 The Red Girl The Red Girl Lost film
1914 A Singular Sinner Lost film
1916 Elusive Isabel Isabel Thorne Lost film
1922 The Unfoldment Katherine Nevin Lost film
1923 The Satin Girl Sylvia Lost film
1923 Lucretia Lombard
1924 Gambling Wives Polly Barker Lost film
1926 The Johnstown Flood Townswoman Uncredited
1926 The Greater Glory Woman Uncredited Lost film
1930s
1930 Sweeping Against the Winds
1931 Homicide Squad
1931 Pleasure Martha
1931 The Hard Hombre The Sister Uncredited
1932 So Big Mina Uncredited
1932 Sinners in the Sun Minor role Uncredited
1933 Secrets Minor role Uncredited
1933 The Silk Express Minor role Uncredited
1934 The Old Fashioned Way Minor role Uncredited
1935 Man on the Flying Trapeze Minor role Uncredited
1935 The Crusades Minor role Uncredited
1936 Yellow Dust Minor role Uncredited
1936 One Rainy Afternoon Minor role Uncredited
1936 Hollywood Boulevard Minor role Scenes deleted
1937 Night Must Fall Minor role Uncredited
Biblio
Bailey, Thomas Melville (1992). Dictionary of Hamilton Biography. Vol. III, 1925–1939. W.L. Griffin Ltd. pp. 106–108.
Brown, Kelly R. (1999). Florence Lawrence, the Biograph Girl: America’s First Movie Star. McFarland. ISBN 0-786-43089-3.
