Myrtle Stedman

Myrtle Stedman (March 3, 1883^[1] – January 8, 1938) was a leading lady and later character actress in motion pictures beginning in silent films in 1910. She was born in Chicago, Illinois and educated at a private finishing school there. Miss Stedman performed in light opera and musical comedies there. Her voice was cultivated in France. Her tutor was Marchesi, who was known as one of the finest instructors of voice culture in his country. Myrtle did not enter the field of opera because of her preference for light opera. She starred for a number of seasons in Isle of Spice and The Chocolate Soldier. She performed for a year at the Whitney Theater in Chicago and was a prima donna of the Chicago Grand Opera Company.

Film career

Her first appearances in movies were in Selig studio western and action short films. Among her feature films are Flaming Youth, The Valley of the Moon, The Dangerous Age, and The Famous Mrs. Fair.

In 1936, she was signed by Warner Brothers to play bit and extra roles.

Her last release was Accidents Will Happen, in 1938.

Myrtle Stedman died due to a heart attack in Hollywood, California in 1938 at the age of 54. Interment was at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.

Her husband Marshall Stedman was a drama school conductor, although they were divorced by 1920.^[2]

Their son, Lincoln Stedman, who accumulated 85 credits as a prolific silent film character actor, died at age 40 in 1948.

Selected filmography

Stedman in The American Beauty (1916)

• The Telltale Knife (1911)
• When the Heart Calls (1912)
• Valley of the Moon (1914)
• Hypocrites (1915)
• Nearly a Lady (1915)
• Jane (1915)
• The World Apart (1917)
• In the Hollow of Her Hand (1918)
• Sex (1920)
• The Silver Horde (1920)
• The Whistle (1921)
• Nancy from Nowhere (1922)
• The Famous Mrs. Fair (1923)
• Crashin' Thru (1923)
• Flaming Youth (1923)
• Lilies of the Field (1924)
• The Woman on the Jury (1924)
• Bread (1924)
• Wine (1924)
• The Mad Whirl (1925)
• Chickie (1925)
• The Far Cry (1926)
• The Prince of Pilsen (1926)
• The Black Diamond Express (1927)
• The Life of Riley (1927)
• The Irresistible Lover (1927)
• Alias the Deacon (1928)
• The Jazz Age (1929)
• The Wheel of Life (1929)
• The Love Racket (1929)(*sound remake of The Woman on the Jury)
• Lummox (1930)
• The Truth About Youth (1930)
• Beau Ideal (1931)
• The Widow in Scarlet (1932)
• Forbidden Company (1932)
• Klondike (1932)
• Beggars in Ermine (1934)
• Give Me Liberty (1936)

References

Further reading

• The New York Times, Myrtle Stedman, 50, Film Actress, Dead, January 9, 1938, Page 42.
• Oakland, California Tribune, Myrtle Stedman in Real Life T&D Star, July 6, 1917, Page 6.
• The Ogden, Utah Standard, Theatres, Saturday, August 11, 1917, Page 11.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Myrtle Stedman.

• Myrtle Stedman at the Internet Movie Database
• Myrtle Stedman at Virtual History