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1-6 of 6
- Actress
- Soundtrack
In 'Some Day We'll Laugh: An Autobiography', she says, "In 1902 the family moved to Bar Harbor, Maine. (...) At 9 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17, 1902, I was born at No. 1 Eden St. and Papa immediately dubbed me, 'Maid of Bar Harbor!'"
The child "born in a trunk" of parents who graced the carnival and vaudeville circuits, was christened Esther Worth, but at age 2 she became part of the family act (with her four brothers and her parents) with the billing now extended to "The Ralston Family with Baby Esther, America's Youngest Juliet."
The wholesome but fun-loving teen Esther broke into silent films in several uncredited roles. Her first appearance in a motion picture was in The Deep Purple (1915), filmed at the World Studios, New Jersey. She also appeared in the serial Phantom Fortunes (1916). Afterwards, she appeared with her family in live theatre productions at the smaller venues, eventually crossing the continent and finding themselves in Los Angeles. As early as 1918 she and her brothers began finding extra work at Universal City.
At her peak, she she became one of the industry's highest-paid silent stars in scores of dramas, comedies and westerns, notably opposite Hoot Gibson and Tom Mix. Her more familiar earlier silent roles were as Mrs. Darling in the silent classic Peter Pan (1924), as the Fairy Godmother in A Kiss for Cinderella (1925), and as Mary Jane Wilks in the film version of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn (1920). She was publicized as "The American Venus" by none other than showman Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. after appearing as a dazzling beauty queen in the film of the same name (The American Venus (1926)).
Appearing in close to 100 films over a 30-year period, she made several for Paramount and MGM come the advent of sound, including her first talkie The Sawdust Paradise (1928); the title role in The Case of Lena Smith (1929) a "lost" film directed by Josef von Sternberg; Betrayal (1929) starring Emil Jannings and Gary Cooper, and the romantic musical The Prodigal (1931) opposite Metropolitan opera star Lawrence Tibbett.
In England, she appeared opposite Basil Rathbone in After the Ball (1932) and Conrad Veidt in Rome Express (1932). Esther wanted Paramount Studios to up her contract to $100,000 when talkies came in; the company did not agree, and let her go. She went free lance in small productions. After supporting roles in Tin Pan Alley (1940) and San Francisco Docks (1940), and 7th billing in a B film in 1940 (San Francisco Docks (1940)), she retired from the screen at 38.
She earned a fortune from investments but eventually lost it due to the stock market crash of 1929. Forced to find work outside of the world of entertainment in the 1950s and 1960s she appeared on radio shows and TV commercials. In the ensuing years she was employed as a department store salesperson and talent executive.
Esther Ralston was married and divorced three times, and had three children - one from the first marriage, and two from the third.
She was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her film work.- Actor
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nubar Terziyan was born in 1909 in Istanbul, Turkey. He was an actor and assistant director, known for Karate Girl (1973), Kanun Adami (1985) and Birkaç Güzel Gün Için (1984). He died on 14 January 1994 in Istanbul, Turkey.- Martha Mason was born on 23 February 1908 in Covington, Ohio, USA. She was an actress, known for Secret File: Hollywood (1962). She was married to Sydney Mason and Thomas L. Webb. She died on 14 January 1994 in Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Set Decorator
John McCarthy Jr. was born on 1 June 1912 in California, USA. He was a set decorator, known for The Quiet Man (1952), Gambit (1966) and The Crimson Ghost (1946). He died on 14 January 1994 in San Bernardino, California, USA.- Myron Fohr was born on 17 June 1912 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. He died on 14 January 1994 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
- Federica Montseny was born on 12 February 1905 in Madrid, Spain. She was married to Germinal Esgleas. She died on 14 January 1994 in Toulouse, Haute-Garonne, France.