Emma Dunn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Emma Dunn (26 February 1875 – 14 December 1966) was an English character actress on the stage and in motion pictures. Emma Dunn appeared onstage in her early teens, graduating to the London stage for several years and later became a noted Broadway actress. She appeared in the first American production of Ibsen's Peer Gynt (1906) with Richard Mansfield as Peer. She played Peer's mother, Ase, even though she was, in real life, 20 years younger than Mansfield. She appeared in three productions for theatre impresario David Belasco: The Warrens of Virginia (1907), The Easiest Way (1909) and The Governor's Lady (1912). In The Easiest Way, Dunn portrayed Annie, who was black, in blackface. In 1913 Dunn appeared in vaudeville. Dunn made her first film in 1914, a silent film of her 1910 stage success, Mother, directed by Maurice Tourneur. This was Tourneur's first American film. Dunn's second film was 1920's Old Lady 31, reprising the role she played in the 1916 Broadway play of the same name. One more silent film followed in 1924, Pied Piper Malone, before she made her talkie debut in Side Street, co-starring the Moore brothers, Matt, Owen and Tom as her sons. Dunn wrote two books on elocution and speech: Thought Quality in the Voice (1933) and You Can Do It (1947). Emma Dunn was born 26 February 1875, in Birkenhead, England, although she sometimes gave her year of birth as 1883. Dunn married Harry Beresford, an actor who was then known professionally as Harry J. Morgan, in Chicago on 4 October 1897. They divorced on 10 February 1909, in New York City. She was awarded sole custody of their young daughter, Dorothy. On 19 May 1909, Dunn married John W. Stokes (John W. S. Sullivan), an actor, playwright and theatrical manager. They subsequently adopted a second daughter, Helen. The couple divorced sometime between 1923 and Stokes' death in 1931. After suffering a heart attack some months before, Dunn died 14 December 1966, in Los Angeles, California, aged 91.
Known For
Credits
- 1965 · The Son of Frankenstein as Amelia the housekeeper (archive footage)
- 1948 · The Woman in White as Mrs. Vesey
- 1947 · Mourning Becomes Electra as Mrs. Borden
- 1947 · Life with Father as Margaret
- 1946 · The Hoodlum Saint as Maggie
- 1944 · My Buddy as Mary Ballinger
- 1944 · Are These Our Parents? as Ma Henderson
- 1944 · It Happened Tomorrow as Mrs. Keaver (uncredited)
- 1944 · The Bridge of San Luis Rey as Doña Mercedes
- 1943 · Minesweeper as Mom Smith
- 1943 · Hoosier Holiday as Molly Baker
- 1942 · I Married a Witch as Wife of Justice of the Peace (uncredited)
- 1942 · The Talk of the Town as Mrs. Shelley
- 1942 · The Postman Didn't Ring as Martha Carter
- 1942 · The Mad Martindales as Agnes
- 1941 · Babes on Broadway as Mrs. Williams
- 1941 · Rise and Shine as Mrs. Murray
- 1941 · Ladies in Retirement as Sister Theresa
- 1941 · Dr. Kildare's Wedding Day as Mrs. Martha Kildare
- 1941 · Scattergood Meets Broadway as Mirandy Baines
- 1941 · Scattergood Pulls the Strings as Mirandy Baines
- 1941 · The Penalty as 'Ma' McCormick
- 1941 · The Monster and the Girl as Aunt Della (uncredited)
- 1941 · Scattergood Baines as Mirandy Baines
- 1941 · Mr. & Mrs. Smith as Martha
- 1940 · The Great Dictator as Mrs. Jaeckel
- 1940 · Dr. Kildare Goes Home as Mrs. Martha Kildare
- 1940 · Dance, Girl, Dance as Mrs. Simpson
- 1940 · One Crowded Night as Ma Matthews
- 1940 · You Can't Fool Your Wife as Mother Fields
- 1940 · Dr. Kildare's Strange Case as Mrs. Martha Kildare
- 1940 · Half a Sinner as Granny Gladden
- 1940 · Little Orvie as Mrs. Welty
- 1940 · High School as Mrs. O'Neill
- 1939 · The Llano Kid as Doña Teresa
- 1939 · The Secret of Dr. Kildare as Mrs. Martha Kildare
- 1939 · Hero for a Day as Emmy "Moms" Higgins
- 1939 · Each Dawn I Die as Mrs. Ross
- 1939 · Calling Dr. Kildare as Mrs. Martha Kildare
- 1939 · Son of Frankenstein as Amelia
- 1938 · The Duke of West Point as Jack's Mother
- 1938 · The Cowboy and the Lady as Ma Hawkins
- 1938 · Thanks for the Memory as Mrs. Platt
- 1938 · Young Dr. Kildare as Mrs. Martha Kildare
- 1938 · Three Loves Has Nancy as Mrs. Briggs
- 1938 · Cowboy from Brooklyn as Ma Hardy
- 1938 · Lord Jeff as Mrs. Briggs
- 1937 · Madame X as Rose, Fleuriot's Houskeeper
- 1937 · Varsity Show as Mrs. Smith
- 1937 · Hideaway as Emma Peterson
- 1937 · The Emperor's Candlesticks as Anna - Olga's Housekeeper
- 1937 · Waikiki Wedding as Mother
- 1937 · Circus Girl as Molly
- 1937 · When You're in Love as Mrs. Hamilton
- 1936 · Second Wife as Mrs. Brown
- 1936 · The Harvester as Granny Moreland
- 1936 · Mr. Deeds Goes to Town as Mrs. Meredith (uncredited)
- 1935 · Another Face as Sheila's Mother (uncredited)
- 1935 · Seven Keys to Baldpate as Mrs. Quimby
- 1935 · This Is the Life as Mrs. Davis
- 1935 · Little Big Shot as Orphanage Matron
- 1935 · The Keeper of the Bees as Margaret Campbell
- 1935 · Ladies Crave Excitement as Mrs. Phelan
- 1935 · The Glass Key as 'Mom' Madvig
- 1935 · George White's 1935 Scandals as Aunt Jane
- 1934 · Flirtation as Mrs. Poole
- 1934 · Dr. Monica as Mrs. Monahan
- 1934 · The Quitter as Cordelia Tilford
- 1934 · Dark Hazard as Mrs. Mayhew
- 1933 · A Man of Sentiment as Mrs. John Russell Sr.
- 1933 · It's Great to Be Alive as Mrs. Wilton
- 1933 · Elmer, the Great as Mrs. Kane
- 1933 · Private Jones as Mrs. Jones
- 1933 · Grand Slam as Reporter
- 1933 · Hard to Handle as Mrs. Hawks (uncredited)
- 1932 · Blessed Event as Mrs. Roberts
- 1932 · Letty Lynton as Mrs. Darrow
- 1932 · It's Tough to Be Famous as 'Moms' McClenahan
- 1932 · The Cohens and Kellys in Hollywood as Mrs. Sarah Cohen
- 1932 · The Wet Parade as Mrs. Chilcote
- 1932 · Hell's House as Emma Clark
- 1932 · Broken Lullaby as Frau Miller
- 1932 · Under Eighteen as Mrs. Evans (uncredited)
- 1931 · The Guilty Generation as Nina Palmero
- 1931 · Compromised as Mrs. Squires
- 1931 · Morals for Women as Mrs. Hutson
- 1931 · Bad Company as Emma
- 1931 · This Modern Age as Margaret Blake
- 1931 · Too Young to Marry as Mrs. Bumpstead
- 1931 · The Bad Sister as Mrs. Madison
- 1931 · The Prodigal as Mrs. Farraday
- 1930 · Manslaughter as Miss Bennett
- 1930 · The Texan as Señora Doña Marguerita Ibarra
- 1929 · Side Street as Nora O'Farrell
- 1924 · Pied Piper Malone as Mother Malone