Viola Dana, sometimes credited as Viola Flugrath, (born June 28, 1897 in Brooklyn, New York; died July 3, 1987 in Woodland Hills, California) was an American film actress who was successful during the era of silent movies.
Career
Born Virginia Flugrath,Dana was a child star, appearing on the stage at the age of three. She read Shakespeare and particularly identified with the teenage Juliet. She enjoyed a long run at the Hudson Theater in New York City. A particular favorite of audiences was her performance in David Belasco's Poor Little Rich Girl, when she was 16. She went into vaudeville with Dustin Farnum in The Little Rebel and played a bit part in The Model by Augustus Thomas. Dana entered films in 1910. Her first motion picture was made for the Edison Company at a former Manhattan (New York) riding academy on West 61st Street. The stalls had been transformed to dressing rooms. Dana became a star with Biograph Studios, and by the time she made her final film appearance in 1929, she had appeared in almost 100 films. Dana became engaged to Ormer Locklear, a daring aviator and military veteran. Locklear died when his plane crashed on August 2, 1920. (Dana witnessed the crash. She would not fly again for 25 years.) Locklear was the prototype for the Robert Redford movie, The Great Waldo Pepper (1975). and was an honored guest for the premiere of The Great Waldo Pepper. She retired from the screen in 1929. Her final screen credits are roles in Two Sisters (1929), One Splendid Hour (1929), and (with her sister Shirley Mason, nee Leonie Flugrath) The Show of Shows (1929). More than 50 years after her retirement from the screen she appeared in the documentary Hollywood (1980), discussing her career as a silent film star during the 1920s. Footage from the interview sessions was used in the 1987 documentary Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow. Viola Dana died in 1987 from heart failure, aged 90. She is interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery under her original name of Virginia Flugrath. Viola Dana has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to motion pictures. It is located at 6541 Hollywood Boulevard.
References
- Greeley, Colorado Daily Tribune, Viola Dana Loved the Real Waldo Pepper, April 28, 1975, Page 23.
- Indianapolis Star, Little Viola Dana Ambitious to Become Grown-Up Actress, January 15, 1914, Page 13.
- Lima, Ohio News, Viola Dana In Person at Faurot, March 23, 1930, Page 24.
- Ogden, Utah Standard, From the Movies to Stardom, January 10, 1914, Page 27.
