Mary Thurman
Mary Thurman (née Christiansen, April 27, 1895 – December 22, 1925) was an American actress of the silent film era. Early life. Mary Christiansen was born in Richfield, Utah on April 27, 1895, one of seven children raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her parents were Christian Christiansen and Mary Sophia Nielsen Christiansen, who were both Danish, her father having been born in Denmark. She attended the University of Utah and became a teacher before turning to acting. Thurman married her namesake Victor E. Thurman, son of Utah Supreme Court justice Samuel R. Thurman , in 1915. They divorced in 1919. Career. Thurman's film career began with roles in the comedies of Mack Sennett, as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties, and featured appearances in "Bombs!" (1916) and "The Fool" (1925). Her greatest success came when she started working with director Allan Dwan. They collaborated on several critically acclaimed films including "The Sin of Martha Queed" (1921) and "A Broken Doll" (1921). In Dwan's still extant 1923 film "Zaza" Thurman is the actress Gloria Swanson fights with. Off screen Thurman and Dwan were engaged for several years. She appeared in nearly sixty Hollywood  films from 1915 up until her death in 1925, frequently in those made by Pathé Studios. Death. In 1924 while working on the movie "Down Upon The Suwanee River" in Florida she came down with a serious case of pneumonia. She suffered from the illness and was hospitalized for nearly a year. Thurman died of pneumonia in New York City on December 22, 1925, in Flower Hospital. Her best friend, actress Juanita Hansen, was at her side when she died. She was buried in Richfield City Cemetery in her hometown of Richfield, Utah.