Shirley Mason was born Leonie Flugrath on June 6, 1900, in Brooklyn,
NY. The youngest of three acting sisters (the others were
Edna Flugrath and
Viola Dana), Shirley made her debut in
At the Threshold of Life (1911) at age 11. As a child actress she wasn't
in much demand until she grew older, then she began to take on more
roles. Her second film was
Vanity Fair (1915). It wasn't until 1917
that film executives began to take the young actress more seriously,
as they cast her in 13 films that year alone, which also saw her gain the title role in
The Awakening of Ruth (1917). By the time the 1920s
rolled around she was making fewer films, but taking on more
substantial parts in films such as
Love's Harvest (1920),
The Lamplighter (1921) and
Very Truly Yours (1922). Her final film
was
The Flying Marine (1929), after which she retired.
She died on July 27, 1979.