About

Known credits:
100
Birthday:
1893-08-31
Place of birth:
Los Angeles, California, USA
Website:
N/A

Betty Blythe

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Betty Blythe (born Elizabeth Blythe Slaughter, September 1, 1893 – April 7, 1972) was an American actress best known for her dramatic roles in exotic silent films such as The Queen of Sheba (1921). She appeared in 63 silent films and 56 talking pictures (known as talkies) over the course of her career.

She is famous for being one of the first actresses to appear on film in the nude, or nearly so, during the Roaring Twenties.

She is reported to have said, "A director is the only man besides your husband who can tell you how much of your clothes to take off."

Blythe began her stage work in such theatrical pieces as So Long Letty and The Peacock Princess. She worked in vaudeville as the "California Nightingale" singing songs such as "Love Tales from Hoffman".

After touring Europe and the States, she entered films in 1918 at the Vitagraph Studios in Brooklyn, then she was brought to Hollywood's Fox studio as a replacement for actress Theda Bara.

As famous for her revealing costumes as for her dramatic skills, she became a star in such exotic films as The Queen of Sheba (1921) (in which she wore nothing above the waist except a string of beads), Chu-Chin-Chow (made in 1923; released by MGM in the US 1925) and She (1925).

She was also seen to good advantage in less revealing films like Nomads of the North (1920) with Lon Chaney and In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter (1924), produced by Samuel Goldwyn.

Other roles were as an opera star, unbilled in Garbo's The Mysterious Lady. She continued to work as a character actress. One of her last roles was a small uncredited role in a crowd scene in 1964's My Fair Lady.

Betty Blythe's name lives on through the Betty Blythe Vintage TeaRoom in West Kensington.

Known for

Acting
1964 My Fair Lady Actor Lady at Ball (uncredited) 70
Good
1956 Runaway Daughters Actor Party Guest (uncredited) 58
Average
1951 Hollywood Story Actor Herself 59
Average
1948 Luxury Liner Actor Miss Fenmoor (uncredited) 58
Average
1948 Shed No Tears Actor Mrs. Peet (Uncredited) 58
Average
1948 Letter from an Unknown Woman Actor Frau Kohner (uncredited) 66
Fair
1948 Madonna of the Desert Actor Mrs. Brown 59
Average
1947 Jiggs and Maggie in Society Actor Mrs. Vacuum N/A
N/A
1947 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Actor Floor Manager (uncredited) 60
Fair
1947 Something in the Wind Actor Society Matron (uncredited) 59
Average
1946 Undercurrent Actor Saleslady (uncredited) 58
Average
1946 Joe Palooka, Champ Actor Mrs. Stafford N/A
N/A
1946 The Postman Always Rings Twice Actor Customer (uncredited) 63
Fair
1946 The Undercover Woman Actor Cissy Van Horn 58
Average
1945 Adventure Actor Mrs. Buckley (uncredited) 59
Average
1945 They Were Expendable Actor Officer's Wife (uncredited) 60
Fair
1945 Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood Actor Mrs. Murdock (uncredited) 58
Average
1945 Docks of New York Actor Mrs. Darcy 59
Average
1944 A Fig Leaf for Eve Actor Lavinia Sardham 58
Average
1944 Charlie Chan in The Chinese Cat Actor Mrs. Manning 59
Average
1943 Mr. Muggs Steps Out Actor N/A
N/A
1943 Bar 20 Actor Mrs. Stevens 58
Average
1943 Spotlight Scandals Actor Mrs. Baker N/A
N/A
1943 Crime Doctor Actor Mrs. Harrington 59
Average
1943 Sarong Girl Actor Miss Ellsworth N/A
N/A
1943 Girls in Chains Actor Mrs. Grey 58
Average
1943 Presenting Lily Mars Actor Dowager 59
Average
1942 Dawn on the Great Divide Actor Mrs. Elmira Corkle 58
Average
1942 Piano Mooner Actor Society Woman N/A
N/A
1942 House of Errors Actor Mrs. Martha Randall N/A
N/A
1942 Freckles Comes Home Actor Minerva Potter 59
Average
1942 Inflation Actor Next Door Neighbor Who Begins Hoarding (uncredited) 59
Average
1941 Tuxedo Junction Actor Miss Hornblower N/A
N/A
1941 The Miracle Kid Actor Madame Gloria 58
Average
1941 Top Sergeant Mulligan Actor Mrs. Lewis 58
Average
1941 Honky Tonk Actor Mrs. Wilson 59
Average
1941 Our Wife Actor Minor Role (uncredited) 59
Average
1941 Puddin' Head Actor Mrs. Bowser 59
Average
1941 Sis Hopkins Actor Mrs. Farnsworth 59
Average
1941 Federal Fugitives Actor Marcia 59
Average
1940 Misbehaving Husbands Actor Effie Butler 59
Average
1940 Earl of Puddlestone Actor Millicent Potter-Potter N/A
N/A
1939 The Women Actor Mrs. South (uncredited) 61
Fair
1938 Gangster's Boy Actor Mrs. Davis N/A
N/A
1938 Delinquent Parents Actor Mrs. Wharton 59
Average
1938 Romance of the Limberlost Actor Mrs. Parker N/A
N/A
1938 Hold That Kiss Actor Wedding Guest at Piermont's 59
Average
1938 Life in Sometown, U.S.A. Actor Mrs. Himber (uncredited) 58
Average
1937 What Do You Think? (Number Two) Actor N/A
N/A
1937 Topper Actor Mrs. Goodrich (uncredited) 60
Fair
1937 Espionage Actor Train Passenger 59
Average
1936 Rainbow on the River Actor Flower Buyer (uncredited) 59
Average
1936 The Gorgeous Hussy Actor Mrs. Wainwright 58
Average
1936 Yours for the Asking Actor May 58
Average
1936 Murder at Glen Athol Actor Ann Randel 59
Average
1935 Western Courage Actor Mrs. Hanley N/A
N/A
1935 The Spanish Cape Mystery Actor Mrs. Godfrey 58
Average
1935 Cheers of the Crowd Actor Lil Langdon Walton 58
Average
1935 The Perfect Clue Actor Ursula Chesebrough 59
Average
1935 I've Been Around Actor 58
Average
1934 Night Alarm Actor Mrs. Elizabeth Van Dusen 58
Average
1934 A Girl of the Limberlost Actor Mrs. Parker 58
Average
1934 Two Heads on a Pillow Actor Mrs. Agnes Walker N/A
N/A
1934 The Scarlet Letter Actor Innkeeper 58
Average
1934 Money Means Nothing Actor Mrs. Ferris 59
Average
1934 Badge of Honor Actor Mrs. Claire van Alstyne N/A
N/A
1934 Ever Since Eve Actor Mrs. Vandergrift N/A
N/A
1933 Before Midnight Actor Mavis Fry 58
Average
1933 Only Yesterday Actor Mrs. Vincent (Uncredited) 59
Average
1933 Pilgrimage Actor Janet Prescot 59
Average
1932 Back Street Actor Gossip (uncredited) 59
Average
1932 Tom Brown of Culver Actor Dolores Delight 58
Average
1932 Lena Rivers Actor Mathilda Nichols 59
Average
1931 Stars of Yesterday Actor Self N/A
N/A
1928 Stolen Love Actor Modiste N/A
N/A
1928 Sisters of Eve Actor Mrs. Wenham Gardner N/A
N/A
1928 Glorious Betsy Actor Princess Fredericka 59
Average
1928 Domestic Troubles Actor Carrie N/A
N/A
1927 The Girl from Gay Paree Actor Mademoiselle Fanchon N/A
N/A
1927 A Million Bid Actor Mrs. Gordon N/A
N/A
1927 Snowbound Actor Julia Barry N/A
N/A
1925 She Actor Ayesha 59
Average
1925 Percy Actor Lolita N/A
N/A
1925 Folly of Vanity Actor Mrs. Ridgeway (modern sequence) N/A
N/A
1924 In Hollywood with Potash and Perlmutter Actor Rita Sismondi N/A
N/A
1924 Chu-Chin-Chow Actor Zahrat N/A
N/A
1924 Southern Love Actor N/A
N/A
1923 The Truth About Wives Actor Helen Frazer N/A
N/A
1922 How Women Love Actor Rosa Roma N/A
N/A
1922 Fair Lady Actor Countess Margherita N/A
N/A
1921 Disraeli Actor N/A
N/A
1921 Charge It Actor Mille Garreth N/A
N/A
1921 The Queen of Sheba Actor Queen of Sheba N/A
N/A
1920 Nomads of the North Actor Nanette 58
Average
1920 The Silver Horde Actor Mildred Wayland N/A
N/A
1920 Burnt Wings Actor Helen N/A
N/A
1919 The Undercurrent Actor Mariska N/A
N/A
1919 Beating the Odds Actor Hebe Norse N/A
N/A
1918 Over the Top Actor Madame Arnot N/A
N/A
1916 Slander Actor 58
Average