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Alma Tell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alma Tell
Tell c. 1920
Born(1898-03-27)March 27, 1898
New York City, U.S.
DiedDecember 29, 1937(1937-12-29) (aged 39)
Resting placeValhalla Memorial Park Cemetery
OccupationActress
Years active1915–1934
Spouse
(m. 1932)
RelativesOlive Tell (sister)

Alma Tell (March 27, 1898 – December 29, 1937)[1] was an American stage and motion picture actress whose career in cinema began in 1915 and lasted into the sound films of the early 1930s.

Early years

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Tell was born in New York City,[1] the younger sister of stage and film actress Olive Tell. She attended schools in London and Paris[2] and, with her sister, Olive, graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1915.[3]

Career

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Tell began her career as an actress in Syracuse, working for 12 weeks in stock theater. She acted in Boston and headed a stock company in Newark.[3]

She made her screen debut in the Edward José-directed drama Simon, the Jester, released in September 1915. Tell's career never paralleled that of her older sister, and she often was cast in films as the second leading lady.[4]

Throughout the 1920s, Tell appeared opposite such leading silent film actresses as Mae Murray, Corinne Griffith and Madge Kennedy and then achieved leading lady status in 1923's The Silent Command, opposite actors Edmund Lowe, Martha Mansfield and Béla Lugosi, in his first American film role.[citation needed]

Tell made her last film appearance in the 1934 romantic-drama Imitation of Life, which starred Claudette Colbert.[citation needed]

Personal life and death

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Tell was married to actor Stanley Blystone[1] from 1932[5] until her death. She died in 1937 and was buried at Pierce Brothers Valhalla Memorial Park Cemetery, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California.[6]

Selected filmography

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Theater appearances

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 208. ISBN 9780786409839. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  2. ^ "Alma Don't Tell Anything but Her Stage Cognomen". The Washington Herald. D.C, Washington. January 4, 1920. p. 15. Retrieved July 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Credit to American Academy of Dramatic Arts". The Musical Leader. 36 (3): 52. July 18, 1918. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  4. ^ Alma Tell profile, AllMovie.com; accessed March 27, 2016.
  5. ^ "Alma Tell Wed by Film Actor". Star Tribune. Minnesota, Minneapolis. Associated Press. December 19, 1932. p. 9. Retrieved July 23, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Funeral Services Slated for Actor". Valley News. July 19, 1956. p. 53. Retrieved May 4, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ "'Squab Farm' teems with movie thrills". The Evening Journal. Delaware, Wilmington. March 6, 1918. p. 7. Retrieved April 21, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
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