Dorothy (Davenport) Reid (1895 - 1977)

Born 3 Mar 1895 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 12 Oct 1977 at age 82 in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States

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Biography

Dorothy was a successful actress, producer and director during the silent era of American motion pictures. It was rare at that time for a woman to be a producer and director, so in this, Dorothy was a trailblazer.

Dorothy was born 13 March 1895 in Boston, the daughter of actors Harold George Bryant Davenport and Alice Shepphard.^[1] She came from a theatrical family. Her aunt, Fanny Davenport, was "one of the greatest stage actresses of her time and her father, Harry Davenport, was a Broadway star before later venturing into movies. Her mother, Alice, was a respected Broadway and film actress .... By the time Dorothy was 17, she was a star at Universal, where she met her husband, Wallace Reid."^[2]

She married the actor Wallace Reid 13 October 1913 in Los Angeles, California. In her marriage license, she gives her full name as Fanny Dorothy Davenport.^[3] They were the parents of one son, William Wallace, Jr.^[4] and also an adopted daughter, Betty.

Dorothy and Wallace acted together in several films, including "The Sea Dog" (1913), "The Adventurer" (1915), "Treason" (1917) and "The Masked Avenger" (1922). After Wallace's addiction and subsequent death in 1923, Dorothy produced and directed the film "Human Wreckage" (1923), which explores the dangers of drug addiction, a film in many ways ahead of its time. Later, she also produced and directed "The Red Kimono" (1925), "Linda" (1929), "Road to Ruin" (1934) and "Footsteps in the Fog" (1956).^[5]

Dorothy died 12 October 1977 in Los Angeles, California at the age of 82.^[6] Her remains were buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California.^[7]

Sources

1. ↑ At the time of her birth, she was yet unnamed. "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F4FV-T68 : 10 March 2018), Davenport, 13 Mar 1895; citing , Vol 1; FHL microfilm 594,925.
2. ↑ Dorothy Davenport, Biography on IMDb, by Tony Fontana.
3. ↑ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1952," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8D4-7YR : 8 December 2017), William Wallace Reid and Fanny Dorothy Davenport, 13 Oct 1913; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,074,108.
4. ↑ "California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QGL7-VZV1 : 18 January 2018), Fanny Dorothy Davenport in entry for William Wallace Reid, 18 Jun 1917; citing Birth, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, California State Archives, Sacramento.
5. ↑ Dorothy Davenport on Wikipedia.
6. ↑ "United States Social Security Death Index," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V3GV-YT1 : 20 May 2014), Dorothy Reid, Oct 1977; citing U.S. Social Security Administration, Death Master File, database (Alexandria, Virginia: National Technical Information Service, ongoing).
7. ↑ Find a Grave Memorial for Dorothy Davenport.