Abigail Kane Ottmann (1885 - 1966)

Actress. discovered in 1910 by Playwright Augustus Thomas while she worked as a court stenographer, she burst upon Broadway to become one of its biggest and brightest stars. She was featured in dozens of feature articles including NewYork Times, Vanity Fair, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar Magazine.  (bio by: Laurie)  Family links:  Parents:  Abigail Twomey Kane […]

Rafaela Ottiano (1888 - 1942)

Actress. The severe-looking character actress from stage and film, will probably best be remembered as Greta Garbo’s overly protective caretaker, Suzette, in the 1932 classic ‘Grand Hotel’. Ottiano established herself as a stage actress in Europe before appearing on Broadway in ‘Sweeney Todd’ (1924), ‘Diamond Lil’ (1928), and the play version of ‘Grand Hotel’ (1930). […]

Ossi Oswalda (1897 - 1947)

Actress. Dubbed the “German Mary Pickford”, she won the hearts of many with the comical characters she portrayed during the silent film era. Her movie credits include “The Doll”, “The Oyster Princess”, “The Merry Jail”, “A Night of Horror”, “I Don’t Want to Be a Man”, “My Lady Margarine”, and “Amor am Steuer” among many […]

Muriel Ostriche (1896 - 1989)

Actress. Born Muriel Henrietta Oestrich in New York City, she was invited for a screen test at the American Biograph studios in 1911, was an extra in several films and made her major leading screen debut in “Miss Mischief” (1913). She appeared in over a 130 motion pictures during the silent era to include “The […]

Vivienne Osborne (1896 - 1961)

Actress. Appeared in motion pictures from the 1920s through the 1940s. Appeared with Gene Tierney and Walter Huston in the 1946 drama “Dragonwyck.” (bio by: A.J. Marik)

Marie “Baby Marie” Osborne (1911 - 2010)

Actress. Appearing in around two dozen Hollywood features, she was silent film’s first major child star. Born Helen Alice Myers, she was placed at age three months with a foster family named Osborn who changed her name to Marie and later added an “e” to their surname. The Osborns moved to Long Beach, California, in […]

Kasia Orzazewski (1888 - 1956)

American film actress of the 1940s and 50s. Died of rheumatic heart disease in 1956. Her grave does not have a marker. (bio by: A.J. Marik)  Family links:  Spouse:  George Orzazewski (1892 – 1946)* *Calculated relationship

Tote Ortega (1970 - 1998)

Stage, Television and Screen Actress. Her name was Margarita García Ortega. She appeared on stage in plays such as “Eloísa Está Debajo de un Almendro,” “El Burlador o el Ángel del Demonio” and “Los Caciques.” But she obtained a big triumph in Comedic Tv serie “Hostal Royal Manzanares” (1996) as Filo. She also appeared in […]

Lyubov Orlova (1902 - 1975)

Actress. The Soviet Union’s most popular movie star of the 1930s. She shot to fame in a series of glossy, escapist musical-comedies, typically playing humble working girls who climb the ladder of Soviet society through talent and ideological correctness. Her biggest hits included “Circus” (1936), “Volga-Volga” (1938),  and “Bright Road” (1940),  all directed by her […]

Elaine Cancilla Orbach (1940 - 2009)

Dancer, Actress. Best known for her work in theatre, she appeared in numerous on and off-Broadway musicals during the 1960s and 1970s. She was married to actor Jerry Orbach from 1979 until his death in 2004. She was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and studied dance as a child at the Community School of Pittsfield. While […]

Dorothy Olson (1917 - 1951)

Entertainer. Married to agent Fred Elswit, Dorothy was a member of the “Hollywood Blondes,” a comedy skating team who all appeared in the  1943 film “It Ain’t Hay.” She and her husband perished in a plane crash outside of Las Vegas in 1951. (bio by: TLS)  Family links:  Spouse:  Fred Elswit (1915 – 1951)* *Calculated […]

Gertrude Olmsted (1897 - 1975)

Actress. She appeared in roughly 56 feature films during the 1920s. Raised in Chicago, she went to Hollywood at a young age, and found work in the low budget westerns that were popular at the time. She made her silver screen debut with the 1920 “Tipped Off”, which starred Hoot Gibson, though her first “credited” […]

Sabina Olmos (1913 - 1999)

Actress and singer. Born Rosa Herminia Gómez, she had a long and successful career, but in the last years she lived forgotten and in oblivion. (bio by: 380W) Cause of death: Suicide

Ilean Oliver (1896 - 1978)

Ilean Oliver Silent film actress. Worked for Mack Sennett and also the Biograph Studios.

Edna May Oliver (1883 - 1942)

Actress.  Born Edna May Nutter at Boston, Mass., she was one of the most recognizable character actresses of the 1930s.  Early in life she had musical aspirations and planned to study in Italy, however, family and financial difficulties led her to the Boston stage in 1911.  Between acting jobs she found work as a dressmaker […]

Huguette Oligny (1922 - 2013)

Actress. A star of the Canadian stage and screen for more than half a century, she is remembered for her countless performances in both French and English. The child of a French family that settled in Quebec after World War I, she took to show business early and made her professional debut in 1939. After […]

Yoshiko Okada (1902 - 1992)

Actress. Born in Hiroshima prefecture, Okada was described as 5 feet tall, weighed 95 pounds and had both black eyes and hair. After training at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, she joined the Butai Kyokai (Stage Show Association). She was accepted by “Shukke to sono deshi”. In 1922,she made her debut as a movie […]

Pascale Ogier (1958 - 1984)

Actress. Born Pascale Marguerite Cécile Claude Colette Nicolas in Paris, France, she was the daughter actress Bulle Ogier. She began performing first on the stage, made her film debut in “Perceval le Gallois” (1978) and with her mother co-wrote the screenplay and starred in “Le pont du Nord” (1981). For her performance in “Full Moon […]

Rita Oehman (1917 - 1995)

Actress. Born in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career as a child paired with her brother Edward performing in a Vaudville show billed as the “Oehmen Twins”. At age of 20 she was discovered by RKO Studios and made several short reel films. Her feature films included “The Jam Session” (1937), “Go Chase Yourself” (1938), […]

Laura Oakley (1879 - 1957)

Actress of the silent era. Oakley appeared in the films, “The Vanishing Dagger” (1920), “The Rise And Fall of Officer 13” (1915), “Sally Scraggs Housemaid” (1914), “Hawkeye And The Cheese Mystery” (1914), “The Deuce And Two Pair” (1914), “Under The Black Flag” (1913), “The Buccaneers” (1913), “Memories” (1913), “The Girl Ranchers” (1913) and “When His […]

Florence Oakley (1881 - 1956)

Actress. Born Florence McKim, in Pennsylvania, she began her career at age 10 and was best known as brilliant stage performer. As a part of the Carlton Macy stock company of Cleveland, Ohio, she worked on stages from New York City to San Francisco. At age 20, she relocated to California as a member of […]

Mayrata O’Wisiedo (1930 - 1998)

Actress. On screen she appeared in “Lola, Espejo Oscuro” (1966), “El Crack” (1981), “Tacones Lejanos” (1991), “Una Mujer Bajo la Lluvia” (1991) and “El Juego de los Mensajes Invisibles” (1992). On stage she began her career in the 50s appearing on “Las Criadas,” “Salomé,” “Hijos de un Dios Menor” and “Antígona entre Muros.” She also […]

Heather Michele O’Rourke (1975 - 1988)

Child actress, she is best remembered for her roles of Carol Anne Freeling in the three “Poltergeist” movies (1982, 1986, and 1988). Born in San Diego, California, she was discovered in 1980 by director Steven Spielberg, while eating lunch with her mother in the MGM Studio Commissary. Spielberg was looking for a six-year-old to play […]

Rosemary O’Reilly (1924 - 2003)

Broadway Actress. She was one of the stars of “New Faces of ’52” on Broadway. (bio by: Laurie)

Peggy O’Neill (1924 - 1945)

Actress. A shapely brunette starlet, the San Francisco-born O’Neill was typically cast as showgirls and models in such films as “All American Co-Ed” (1941), “Song of the Open Road” (1944), “It’s a Pleasure” (1945), and “The Hoodlum Saint” (1946). Her most notable credit is “The Razor’s Edge” (1946), released after her death. She died a […]

Nance O’Neil (1874 - 1965)

Actress. Born Gertrude Lamson, Nance O’Neil’s religious father, an auctioneer, denounced his daughter in church for going on the stage, and asked the congregation to pray for her. She became a major stage star, however, who played Lady Macbeth, Hedda Gabler and Camille. Beautiful and tall (nearly six feet), Nance O’Neil was rumored to be […]

Barbara O’Neil (1910 - 1980)

Actress. She appeared in several motion pictures of the 1930s through 1950s. Best remembered as Scarlett O’Hara’s mother ‘Ellen O’Hara’ in the 1939 classic drama, “Gone With The Wind.” She was actually only three years older than Scarlett actress Vivien Leigh. (bio by: The Perplexed Historian)  Family links:  Parents:  Barbara Blackman O’Neil (1880 – 1963) […]

Anne O’Neal (1893 - 1971)

Actress. She was born Patsy Ann Epperson in Saint Louis, Missouri. A prolific character actress, best remembered for portraying roles as landladies, teachers, and secretaries, many of her over one hundred film roles were uncredited. She worked in the 1930s with the Columbia Pictures short-subject unit, serving as the foil for such comics as Andy […]

Erin O’Kelly (1917 - 1997)

She was a supporting player in several films, including ‘The Harvey Girls’ and ‘Andy Hardy Goes to College’. (bio by:  Doeadear) Cause of death: cancer

Eileen O’Hearn (1913 - 1992)

Eileen O’Hearn was originally a pianist. She turned Film Star in Hollywood. She made ten Films in Hollywood. (bio by: Rudi Polt)