Mildred Considine (1887–1933) was an American screenwriter and actress active during Hollywood's silent era.

Mildred Considine
In the Dramatic Mirror, February 9, 1918
Born
Agnes Mildred Considine

(1887-06-16)June 16, 1887
Chicago, Illinois, US
DiedNovember 15, 1933(1933-11-15) (aged 46)
Chicago, Illinois, US
OccupationScreenwriter
SpouseArchie Cherrill
ParentJohn Considine
RelativesJohn Considine Jr. (half-brother)
Tim Considine (nephew)
John Considine (nephew)

Biography

edit

Origins

edit

Mildred was born in Chicago to John Considine (a big-time vaudeville promoter and theater manager who attracted a fair amount of controversies in his day) and Julia Nussbaumer.[1]

Her parents divorced when she was young after her mother found out that her father—who spent a good deal of time working in Seattle—had taken up with another woman.[2] She spent most of her childhood with her mother and stepfather in Chicago, where she later attended the Academy of Fine Arts.[3]

Theatrical career

edit

Given her family's vaudeville background, it was not surprising Mildred was writing and performing at venues in Chicago and around the country from a young age. Her work began to attract notice, and in 1913, she sued her father for US$100,000, alleging that he was interfering with booking agents at theaters around the country to prevent her from being booked.[4]

Hollywood ambitions

edit

Mildred been writing scenarios since she was 15, and had acted in a number of Essanay shorts as a teenager. By 1917, she had been hired by Constance Talmadge as a scenario editor. That same year, her first scripts, Panthea and Framing Framers, were produced and released.[5][6] She later wrote for Anita Stewart[7] and Mary Pickford,[8] although her relationship with the latter star would turn sour in 1921 when Mildred alleged that Pickford had ripped off one of her scripts in Through the Back Door and not given proper credit.[9] She would also sue Zelda Sears on similar grounds.

Death

edit

She died in Chicago, Illinois on November 15, 1933, aged 46.[1]

Relatives

edit

Her half brother, John Considine Jr., would end up being a film producer; his sons, Tim and John, forged successful careers for themselves as actors.

Selected filmography

edit

References

edit
  1. ^ a b "Mrs. Mildred Considine Cherrell". Illinois, U.S., Deaths and Stillbirths Index, 1916–1947. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Ancestry.com.
  2. ^ "Done in the Courts". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. October 6, 1892. p. 5. Retrieved July 25, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Are Hollywood Scenario Writers Lucky?" (PDF). Screenland.
  4. ^ "Daughter Sues Her Father for $100,000, Charging Conspiracy". St. Louis Star. Chicago. April 11, 1913. p. 2. Retrieved August 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Stage and Screen". The Mansfield News. October 22, 1917. p. 11. Retrieved August 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ Irvine, Edna (October 29, 1917). "Stage and Screen". The Oregon Daily Journal. Portland. p. 6. Retrieved August 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Mildred Considine, Seattle Girl, Now Writing Scenarios". The Seattle Star. March 8, 1919. p. 3. Retrieved August 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Mildred Constantine". The Wichita Daily Eagle. May 23, 1919. p. 8. Retrieved August 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Point in Suit Lost by Mrs. Fairbanks". Los Angeles Times. September 9, 1921. p. 26. Retrieved August 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
edit