# Lois Wilson (actress)

Lois Wilson (June 28, 1894 – March 3, 1988) was an American actress who worked during the silent film era. She also directed two short films and was a scenario writer.

## Early life

Born to Andrew Kenley Wilson and Constance (née Coolidge) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Wilson's family moved to Alabama when she was still very young. She earned a degree from Alabama Normal College (now the University of West Alabama), and became a school teacher for young children, soon leaving to pursue a film career.
In 1915, Wilson moved to California after winning a beauty contest put on by Universal Studios and the Birmingham News. This pageant was the predecessor to the Miss Alabama/Miss America pageant system, and Wilson is considered the first Miss Alabama. Upon arriving in Hollywood, she auditioned and was hired by the Victor Film Company for several small film roles.
In 1916, she visited Chicago, where she met pioneer female film director Lois Weber, who gave her a small part in her film The Dumb Girl of Portici, which starred famed ballerina Anna Pavlova. Weber then took her to Los Angeles, where she was groomed for stardom and began playing leads opposite actors such as J. Warren Kerrigan and Frank Keenan.

## Career

After appearing in several films at various studios, Wilson settled in at Paramount Pictures in 1919, where she remained until 1927. She was a WAMPAS Baby Star of 1922, and appeared in 150 movies. Her most recognized screen portrayals are Molly Wingate in The Covered Wagon (1923), in which she was well reviewed, and Daisy Buchanan in the silent film version of The Great Gatsby (1926). She acted opposite male stars such as Rudolph Valentino and John Gilbert.
Wilson played both romantic leads and character parts. Despite making a successful transition to sound, Wilson was dissatisfied with the roles she received in the 1930s, and she soon retired in 1941, making only three films after 1939. Lois ventured to Broadway and television following her final role in The Girl from Jones Beach (1949) with Ronald Reagan. Wilson played in the network soap operas The Guiding Light in 1951, The Secret Storm and The Edge of Night. She portrayed featured character roles. She made a guest appearance with her old friend Gloria Swanson on the WPIX TV show The Gloria Swanson Hour in 1948.
Wilson was also the model of the official poster for "America Welcomes the World", the Philadelphia Sesquicentennial Celebration, in 1926.
In 1934, her performance in No Greater Glory inspired a Birmingham, Alabama sculptor to create a monument for the city's celebration of World Peace Day.

## Personal life

She was once described as having a screen image of "the soft, marrying kind of woman"; in real life, however, she never married. She was chosen by Paramount Pictures to represent the motion picture industry at the British Empire Exposition of 1924. She was described as "a typical example of the American girl in character, culture and beauty". In 1919, Wilson met Gloria Swanson on the set of Cecil B. DeMille's drama, Male and Female. In her 1981 autobiography, Swanson says "Lois had real star quality. Everyone who met her knew it was just a question of time until the right part came along. She never stopped working." They remained close friends.

## Death

Lois Wilson died of pneumonia at the Riverside Hospital for Skilled Care in Reno, Nevada at age 93. Her funeral service was conducted at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills, California. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in nearby Glendale.

## Filmography

The following is a list of films that Lois Wilson either directed, acted in, wrote or produced:

### Silent films

| Year | Title | Role | Studio(s) / Distributor(s) | Notes |
| 1915 | The Palace of Dust | Beatrix | | Short |
| 1915 | The New Adventures of Terence O'Rourke | Beatrix | | Short |
| 1915 | When a Queen Loved O'Rourke | Beatrix | | Short |
| 1915 | The Road to Paradise | Beatrix | | Short |
| 1915 | The Hypocrite | | | Extant |
| 1916 | Langdon's Legacy | Pepita | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost |
| 1916 | The Dumb Girl of Portici | | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Extant |
| 1916 | Married on the Wing | Grace Darling | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost |
| 1916 | The Pool of Flame | Princess Beatrix | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost |
| 1916 | The Gay Lord Waring | Helen Von Gerold | Bluebird Photoplays | Lost |
| 1916 | Hulda the Silent | Hulda Anderson | New York Motion Picture Company | Lost Short |
| 1916 | A Son of the Immortals | Joan Cameron | Bluebird Photoplays | Lost |
| 1916 | The Decoy | | Mutual Film Corporation | Lost |
| 1916 | The Silent Battle | Jane Loring | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost |
| 1916 | He Wrote a Book | Jennie | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Short |
| 1916 | The Beckoning Trail | Mary Helton | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost |
| 1916 | Arthur's Desperate Resolve | Sibly Grey | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Short |
| 1916 | The White Man's Law | | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | |
| 1916 | A Soul at Stake | Clementina Fairwood | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Short |
| 1916 | The Decoy | Felese | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Short |
| 1916 | Her Chance | Frances Martin | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost Short |
| 1916 | The Morals of Hilda | Marion | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost |
| 1916 | Green Eyes | Julia | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Short |
| 1917 | Alone in the World | | | Lost Short Also wrote and directed |
| 1917 | The Whispered Name | Madeline Evers | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost Short |
| 1917 | Black Evidence | Mary | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost Short |
| 1917 | Won by Grit | Teresa | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Short |
| 1917 | Flames of Treachery | Ruth Chalmers | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost Short |
| 1917 | Treason | Floria Natarre | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost |
| 1917 | Parentage | Mrs. Melton | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | |
| 1917 | Alimony | Marjorie Lansing | First National Pictures | Lost |
| 1918 | His Robe of Honor | Laura Nelson | W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1918 | The Turn of a Card | Cynthia Burdette | W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1918 | One Dollar Bid | Virginia Dare | W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1918 | Maid o' the Storm | Elaine Shackleford | W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1918 | A Burglar for a Night | Janet Leslie | W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1918 | The Bells | Annette | Pathé Exchange | Lost |
| 1918 | Prisoners of the Pines | Rosalie Dufresne | W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1918 | Three X Gordon | Dorrie Webster | W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1918 | A Man's Man | Dolores Ruey | W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1919 | The Drifters | The Girl | Pathé Exchange W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1919 | Come Again Smith | Lucy Stevens | Pathé Exchange W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1919 | The End of the Game | Mary Miller | Pathé Exchange W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Extant. Preserved at the EYE Film Institute Netherlands |
| 1919 | Gates of Brass | Margaret Blake | Pathé Exchange | Lost |
| 1919 | The Best Man | Celia Hathaway | Pathé Exchange W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1919 | A Man's Fight | Mary Tompkins | United Picture Theaters of America | Lost |
| 1919 | Love Insurance | Cynthia Meyrick | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1919 | Why Smith Left Home | Marian | Famous Players-Lasky | An incomplete copy is held at the Library of Congress |
| 1919 | The Price Woman Pays | Louise | J. Frank Hatch Enterprises | Lost |
| 1919 | It Pays to Advertise | Mary Grayson | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1919 | Too Much Johnson | Mrs. Billings | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1920 | Who's Your Servant? | Madeline Bancroft | Robertson-Cole | Lost |
| 1920 | Thou Art the Man | Joan Farrant | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1920 | The City of Masks | Miss Emsdale | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1920 | What's Your Hurry? | Virginia MacMurran | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. A copy is held at the Gosfilmofond |
| 1920 | A Full House | Ottilie Howell | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1920 | Burglar Proof | Laura Lowell | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1920 | Midsummer Madness | Margaret Meredith | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. A copy is held at the Library of Congress |
| 1921 | What Every Woman Knows | Maggie Wylie | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1921 | The City of Silent Men | Molly Bryant | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1921 | The Lost Romance | Sylvia Hayes | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. A copy is held at the Library of Congress |
| 1921 | The Hell Diggers | Dora Wade | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1921 | Miss Lulu Bett | Lulu Bett | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. |
| 1922 | The World's Champion | Lady Elizabeth | Famous Players-Lasky | An incomplete copy is held at the Library of Congress |
| 1922 | Is Matrimony a Failure? | Mabel Hoyt | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1922 | Our Leading Citizen | Katherine Fendle, his fiancée | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1922 | Manslaughter | Evans - Lydia's Maid | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. A copy is held at the George Eastman Museum and the Paul Killiam Collection |
| 1922 | Without Compromise | Jean Ainsworth | Fox Film Corporation | Lost |
| 1922 | Broad Daylight | Nora Fay | Universal Film Manufacturing Company | Lost |
| 1923 | The Covered Wagon | Molly Wingate | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant |
| 1923 | Bella Donna | Patricia | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. A copy is held at the Gosfilmofond archive |
| 1923 | Only 38 | Mrs. Stanley | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1923 | A Man's Man | Lois Wilson | W. W. Hodkinson Corporation | Lost |
| 1923 | To the Last Man | Ellen Jorth | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. A copy is held at the Gosfilmofond archive |
| 1923 | Ruggles of Red Gap | Kate Kenner | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1923 | The Call of the Canyon | Carley Burch | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. A copy is held at the Library of Congress |
| 1924 | Pied Piper Malone | Patty Thomas | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. A print is held at the Gosfilmofond archive |
| 1924 | Icebound | Jane Crosby | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1924 | Another Scandal | Beatrice Vanderdyke | W. W. Hodkinson Corporation Producers Distributing Corporation | Lost |
| 1924 | The Man Who Fights Alone | Marion | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1924 | Monsieur Beaucaire | Queen Marie of France | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant |
| 1924 | North of 36 | Taisie Lockheart | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant |
| 1925 | Contraband | Carmel Lee | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1925 | The Thundering Herd | Milly Fayre | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1925 | Welcome Home | Nettie Prouty | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. Preserved at the Library of Congress |
| 1925 | Marry Me | | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost Uncredited |
| 1925 | Rugged Water | Norma Bartlett | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1925 | The Vanishing American | Marion Warner | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant |
| 1925 | The King on Main Street | Hotel guest in lobby (cameo appearance) ( uncredited) | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant |
| 1925 | Irish Luck | Lady Gwendolyn | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. A copy is held at the George Eastman Museum |
| 1925 | Bluebeard's Seven Wives | Mary Kelly | First National Pictures | Lost |
| 1926 | Let's Get Married | Mary Corbin | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant. A copy is held at the Library of Congress |
| 1926 | Fascinating Youth | Lois Wilson | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1926 | The Show-Off | Amy Fisher | Famous Players-Lasky | Extant |
| 1926 | The Great Gatsby | Daisy Buchanan | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1927 | New York | Marjorie Church | Famous Players-Lasky | Lost |
| 1927 | Broadway Nights | Fanny Franchette | First National Pictures | Lost |
| 1927 | The Gingham Girl | Mary Thompson | Film Booking Offices of America | Extant. A copy is held at the Cinematheque Royale de Belgique |
| 1927 | Alias the Lone Wolf | Eve de Montalais | Columbia Pictures | Lost |
| 1927 | French Dressing | Cynthia Grey | First National Pictures | Lost |
| 1928 | Coney Island | Joan Wellman | Film Booking Offices of America | Lost |
| 1928 | Miss Information | The Public Stenographer | | Lost |
| 1928 | Ransom | Lois Brewster | Columbia Pictures | Lost |
| 1928 | Sally's Shoulders | Sally | Film Booking Offices of America | Lost |

### Sound films

| Release date | Title | Role | Studio(s) / Distributor(s) | Notes |
| 1928 | On Trial | May Strickland | Warner Bros. | Lost. Trailer and soundtrack survives. |
| 1928 | Object: Alimony | Ruth Rutledge | Columbia Pictures | Lost |
| 1928 | Conquest | Diane Holden | | Lost |
| 1929 | A Bird in the Hand | The Wife | | Incomplete |
| 1929 | Kid Gloves | Ruth | | Lost |
| 1929 | The Gamblers | Catherine Darwin | Warner Bros. | Lost |
| 1929 | Her Husband's Women | The Painter's Jealous Wife | | Short |
| 1929 | The Show of Shows | Performer in 'Bicycle Built for Two' Number | Warner Bros. | Extant |
| 1929 | Wedding Rings | Cornelia Quinn | Warner Bros. | Lost |
| 1930 | For Love or Money | | | Extant Short |
| 1930 | The Furies | Fifi Sands | First National Pictures | Lost |
| 1930 | Lovin' the Ladies | Joan Bently | RKO Radio Pictures | Extant |
| 1930 | Temptation | Julie | | Extant |
| 1930 | Once a Gentleman | Mrs. Mallin | Sono Art-World Wide Pictures | Lost |
| 1931 | Seed | Peggy Carter | Universal Pictures | Extant |
| 1931 | The Age for Love | Sylvia Pearson | United Artists | Lost |
| 1932 | The Expert | Nettie Minick | Warner Bros. | Extant |
| 1932 | The Rider of Death Valley | Helen Joyce | Universal Pictures | Extant |
| 1932 | Drifting Souls | Linda Lawrence | Capitol Film Exchange | Extant |
| 1932 | Divorce in the Family | Mrs. Shumaker | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | |
| 1932 | The Crash | Marcia Peterson | Warner Bros. | |
| 1932 | The Devil Is Driving | Nancy Evans | Paramount Pictures | |
| 1932 | The Secrets of Wu Sin | Nona Gould | Chesterfield Pictures | |
| 1932 | Law and Order | | Universal Pictures | |
| 1933 | Obey the Law | Grace Chester | Columbia Pictures | |
| 1933 | Laughing at Life | Mrs. McHale | Mascot Pictures | |
| 1933 | Deluge | Helen Webster | RKO Radio Pictures | |
| 1933 | In the Money | Mary 'Lambie' Higginbottom | Chesterfield Pictures | |
| 1933 | Female | Harriet | Warner Bros. | |
| 1934 | The Show-Off | Clara Harling | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | |
| 1934 | No Greater Glory | Nemeecsek's Mother | Columbia Pictures | |
| 1934 | School for Girls | Miss Cartwright | Liberty Pictures | |
| 1934 | There's Always Tomorrow | Sophie White | Universal Pictures | |
| 1934 | Ticket to a Crime | Elaine Purdy | Beacon Productions | |
| 1934 | Bright Eyes | Mary Blake | Fox Film | |
| 1935 | Life Returns | Dr. Louise Stone | Universal Pictures | |
| 1935 | Public Opinion | Mona Trevor / Anne Trevor | Chesterfield Pictures | |
| 1935 | Society Fever | Portia Prouty | Chesterfield Pictures | |
| 1935 | Born to Gamble | Paula Mathews | Republic Pictures | |
| 1935 | Cappy Ricks Returns | Florry Peasley | Republic Pictures | |
| 1935 | Your Uncle Dudley | Christine Saunders | 20th Century Fox | |
| 1936 | The Return of Jimmy Valentine | Mary Davis | Republic Pictures | |
| 1936 | Wedding Present | Laura Dodacker | Paramount Pictures | |
| 1936 | Laughing at Trouble | Alice Mathews | 20th Century Fox | |
| 1939 | Bad Little Angel | Mrs. Ellen Creighton | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | |
| 1940 | Nobody's Children | Miss Jamieson | Columbia Pictures | |
| 1941 | For Beauty's Sake | Mrs. Lloyd Kennar | 20th Century Fox | |
| 1949 | The Girl from Jones Beach | Mrs. Wilson | Warner Bros. | |