Biography
Florence Turner (January 6, 1885 – August 28, 1946) was an American actress who became known as the "Vitagraph Girl" in early silent films. Born in New York City, Turner was pushed into appearing on the stage at age three by her ambitious mother. Turner became a regular performer in a variety of productions. In 1906, she joined the fledgling motion picture business, signing with the pioneering Vitagraph Studios and making her film debut in How to Cure a Cold (June 8, 1907).
At the time there were no stars per se, unless an already famous stage star made a movie. Performers were not even mentioned by name. Long, drawn-out screen credits were non-existent. There was nothing but the name of the company and the picture. As the content of movies evolved from simple incidents or situations into definite stories, some of the heroes and heroines were conceded a vague identity, such as the "Edison Girl", or "The Girl from Sheepshead Bay."
Though she was known only as the "Vitagraph Girl" in the early motion picture shorts, Turner became the most popular American actress to appear on screen (which at that time was still dominated by French pictures, especially from the Pathe and Gaumont companies). Her worth to the studio, as its biggest box-office draw, was recognised in 1907 when her pay was upped to $22 a week, as proto-star plus part-time seamstress. It was somewhat less than the male leading players, especially those with stage experience, particularly the super-popular Maurice Costello. In March 1910, she and Florence Lawrence became the first screen actors not already famous in another medium to be publicized by name by their studios to the general public.Later that year, Florence was paired several times with heartthrob Wallace Reid, who was on his way to stardom. But with the rise of more stars such as Gene Gauntier and Marin Sais at Kalem Studios, Marion Leonard and Mary Pickford at Biograph Studios, and Florence Lawrence (Biograph, moving to IMP in 1910), Florence Turner was no longer quite as special. By 1913 she was looking for new pastures and left the United States accompanied by longtime friend Laurence Trimble, who directed her in a number of movies. They moved to England, where she and Larry began performing together in London music halls.
Turner sometimes wrote screenplays and directed her own movies, including a number of comedies. She also organized her own production company, Turner Films, for which she made more than thirty shorts. These were shot at the Walton Studios of Cecil Hepworth, west of London.
Turner entertained Allied troops during World War I. She returned to the U.S. after the Armistice, but was not as successful as before. In 1920, she again went to England, where she remained until moving to Hollywood, virtually forgotten, in 1924.By then she was thirty-nine years of age, and her starring days were long behind her. She continued to act in supporting roles into the 1930s.
In 1928, she acted in a minor role on Broadway in Sign of the Leopard, which ran for 39 performances.Turner was placed on the payroll at MGM by Louis B. Mayer in the 1930s, but was limited in the assignments offered. She mostly played bit or small parts and worked as an extra.
Filmography
all 84
Movies 84
Writer 1
self 1
A Night at the Cinema in 1914 (2014)
One Rainy Afternoon (1936)
Taxi! (1931)
The Ridin' Fool (1931)
The Rampant Age (1930)
The Pace That Kills (1928)
Jazzland (1928)
Walking Back (1928)
The Road to Ruin (1928)
The Law and the Man (1928)
The Chinese Parrot (1927)
College (1927)
Sally in Our Alley (1927)
Stranded (1927)
The Broken Gate (1927)
The Overland Stage (1927)
Padlocked (1926)
The Last Alarm (1926)
The Gilded Highway (1926)
The Dark Angel (1925)
Never the Twain Shall Meet (1925)
The Mad Marriage (1925)
Janice Meredith (1924)
Women and Diamonds (1924)
The Boatswain's Mate (1924)
Sally Bishop (1923)
All Dolled Up (1921)
Passion Fruit (1921)
The Old Wives' Tale (1921)
East Is East (1916)
My Old Dutch (1915)
For Her People (1914)
Daisy Doodad's Dial (1914)
The Hero (1914)
Pumps (1913)
The Deerslayer (1913)
The Skull (1913)
A Window on Washington Park (1913)
The One Good Turn (1913)
Stenographer Troubles (1913)
Everybody's Doing It (1913)
What a Change of Clothes Did (1913)
The Signal of Distress (1912)
The Anarchist's Wife (1912)
Una of the Sierras (1912)
When Persistency and Obstinacy Meet (1912)
She Cried (1912)
The Irony of Fate (1912)
A Vitagraph Romance (1912)
The Loyalty of Sylvia (1912)
Wanted... a Grandmother (1912)
Aunty's Romance (1912)
Indian Romeo and Juliet (1912)
Jean Intervenes (1912)
The Path of True Love (1912)
A Red Cross Martyr; or, on the Firing Lines of Tripoli (1912)
Hypnotizing the Hypnotist (1911)
Auld Lang Syne (1911)
Cherry Blossoms (1911)
The Stumbling block (1911)
Proving His Love; or, The Ruse of a Beautiful Woman (1911)
The Sacrifice (1911)
The Show Girl (1911)
A Tale of Two Cities (1911)
A Dixie Mother (1910)
A Tin-Type Romance (1910)
Auld Robin Gray (1910)
Jean the Match-Maker (1910)
Rose Leaves (1910)
The Men Haters Club (1910)
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1910)
Hako's Sacrifice (1910)
Over the Garden Wall (1910)
Twelfth Night (1910)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1909)
King Lear (1909)
Miss Sherlock Holmes (1908)
Richard III (1908)
Macbeth, Shakespeare’s Sublime Tragedy (1908)
Tale the Autumn Leaves Told (1908)
The Last Cartridge, An Incident of the Sepoy Rebellion in India (1908)
Francesca di Rimini; or, The Two Brothers (1908)
The Gipsy's Warning (1907)
The Mill Girl (1907)
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Information
Known ForActing
GenderFemale
Birthday1887-01-06
Deathday1946-08-28 (59 years old)
Birth PlaceNew York City, United States of America
CitizenshipsUnited States of America
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