Bertha Mann

Bertha Mann
Mann c.1914
Born(1893-10-21)October 21, 1893
Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
DiedDecember 20, 1967(1967-12-20) (aged 74)
Los Ángeles, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1914–1932
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1928; died 1957)​
Children2

Bertha Mann (October 21, 1893 – December 20, 1967) was an American stage and film actress.

Early life

Mann was born in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] She trained as a dancer in childhood, but soon found that drama was a better fit for her talents.[2]

Career

A still from the silent film The Blindness of Divorce (1918), showing Mann, Charles Clary, and Nancy Caswell

Mann started touring with stock companies as a young actress.[3] Broadway appearances by Mann included roles in When Claudia Smiles (1914),[4] When the Young Vine Blooms (1915), The Weavers (1915-1916), One of Us (1918),[5] The Crimson Alibi (1919),[6] The Man with the Load of Mischief (1925),[7] and The Virgin (1926).[5] Films featuring Bertha Mann include The Blindness of Divorce (1918),[8] All Quiet on the Western Front (1930),[9] The Little Accident (1930), Free Love (1930), Caught Cheating (1931), Father's Son (1931), A Woman of Experience (1931), The Final Edition (1932), and Behind the Mask (1932).[10]

During World War I Mann learned to knit to make "mufflers" for American troops, took a basic nursing course, and was active with the Stage Women's War Relief organization.[11] She suggested that the young film industry in Los Angeles might follow the example of the theatre community in New York in supporting the war effort.[12]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1918 The Blindness of Divorce Claire Langdon
1930 All Quiet on the Western Front Sister Libertine Uncredited
The Little Accident Miss Hemingway
Free Love Helena
1931 Caught Cheating Lena Harris
Father's Son Mrs. Stewart
A Woman of Experience Red Cross Nurse
1932 The Final Edition Jane Conroy
Behind the Mask Nurse Edwards (final film role)

Personal life

Mann married fellow actor Raymond Griffith in 1928.[1] They lived in Los Angeles[13] and raised two children together.[14] She was widowed when Griffith died in 1957. She died ten years later, aged 74 years, in Los Angeles.

References

  1. ^ a b "Raymond Griffith to Wed Actress" New York Times (January 4, 1928): 31. via ProQuest
  2. ^ "Her Miss a Hit" Evening Public Ledger (February 7, 1920): 12. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  3. ^ Johnson Briscoe, "New Blood in Theatreland" Green Book (January 1914): 24.
  4. ^ "When Blanche Ring Smiles and Sings" New York Times (February 4, 1914): 9. via ProQuest
  5. ^ a b Gerald Bordman, American Theatre: A Chronicle of Comedy and Drama 1914-1930 (Oxford University Press 1995): 87, 285. ISBN 9780195090789
  6. ^ "The Crimson Alibi" Theatre Magazine (September 1919): 151.
  7. ^ Thomas S. Hischak, Broadway Plays and Musicals (McFarland 2012): 283. ISBN 9780786453092
  8. ^ "'The Blindness of Divorce' Has Remarkably Good Cast" Motography (May 4, 1918): 849.
  9. ^ John Howard Reid, Silent Films & Early Talkies on DVD: A Classic Movie Fan's Guide (2008): 5. ISBN 9781435710733
  10. ^ "On Broadway's Screens" New York Times (February 28, 1932): X5. via ProQuest
  11. ^ "Busy Bertha Mann" Los Angeles Times (August 9, 1918): 13. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  12. ^ Paul Hubert Conlon, "Bertha Mann's Idea; Favorite Actress Works to Aid our Soldiers" Los Angeles Times (October 6, 1917): 13. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  13. ^ Alma Whitaker, "Bertha Mann Here to Stay" Los Angeles Times (September 30, 1928): 55. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon
  14. ^ "Stork Visit to Actress Scheduled" Los Angeles Times (February 15, 1929): 44. via Newspapers.comOpen access icon