Sally Blane (1910 - 1997)

Actress. Born in Salida, Colorado, she was the sister of actresses Polly Ann Young, Loretta Young and half-sister to Georgiana Young. She began her career at age 7, making her debut in “Sirens of the Sea” (1917). A veteran of over a 100 films, her credits included “Once a Sinner” (1930), ” Arabian Nights” (1931), […]

Hedwig Biebtreu (1868 - 1958)

Actress. Born in Linz, Austria, she made her stage debut in 1886 at the Theater of Augsburg in Germany. In 1891 she moved to Vienna, where she became the doyenne of the National Theatre. She later appeared in the silent films “Die Herrin der Welt” (1919) and “Die Kurtisane von Venedig” (1924). Her most famous […]

Mari Blanchard (1927 - 1970)

Actress. A beautiful blue-eyed brunet (later a blonde), she is remembered for her B movie roles as alluring harem girls and saloon dancers in American films of the 1950s and early 1960s. The daughter of an oil executive and a psychotherapist, she suffered from severe polio from the age of nine, which denied her a […]

Clara Blandick (1881 - 1962)

Actress. She is best remembered for her role of Auntie Em in the 1939 film classic, “The Wizard of Oz.” Born Clara Dickey, she was the daughter of Isaac B. and Hattie Mudgett Dickey. Her father was Captain of a small American merchant ship, the “Willard Mudgett,” and she was born aboard her father’s ship […]

Anita Blanch (1910 - 1983)

Actress. She was born in Valencia (Comunidad Valenciana, Spain) and died in México D.F. (México). She and her sister founded a stage company, touring for Argentina, Venezuela and finally Mexico, where they stablished. She also appeared in cinema and television. She is best remembered in works such as El Conde de Montecristo (1942), La Virgen […]

Whitney Blake (1925 - 2002)

Blake was born in Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, California. She was the first child of Martha Mae Whitney (née Wilkerson) and Harry C. Whitney, a United States Secret Service agent who had guarded President Woodrow Wilson, his wife, and other political officials. Blake and her younger brother traveled around the country extensively, during which time […]

Olive Blakeney (1894 - 1959)

Olive Blakeney Brown-haired, articulate American character actress who became a prolific performer on both sides of the Atlantic. Schooled in her native Kentucky she subsequently attended drama classes. Having relocated to London, she soon found steady employment in repertory theatre and eventually made her motion picture debut in the comedy Her Imaginary Lover (1933). Along with her […]

Patricia Blair (1933 - 2013)

Actress. She will be best remembered for playing Rebecca Boone opposite Fess Parker in the TV series “Daniel Boone” (1964 to 1970). Born Patsy Lou Blake, she was raised in Dallas, Texas. Her radiant beauty enabled her to launch a career in modeling while a teenager. The experience created opportunities for her to try acting […]

Vivian Blaine (1921 - 1995)

Actress and Singer. Best remembered as ‘Miss Adelaide,’ the young woman with a heart of gold in the 1955 Musical “Guys and Dolls,” opposite Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, and Jean Simmons. Vivian Blaine worked in every aspect of show business from movies to nightclubs. She was already an accomplished nightclub performer and band singer by […]

Paula Blackton (1881 - 1930)

Actress and Film Director. Most remembered for the role of ‘Paula Wyngate’ in “The Littlest Scout.” Other credits include: “The Diary of a Puppy,” “The Little Strategist” and “The Fairy Godfather.” Married for a time to filmmaker J. Stuart Blackton, she was the mother of actress Violet Virginia Blackton and actor Charles Stuart Blackton.

Lujza Blaha (1850 - 1926)

Singer and actress, ‘The Hungarian Nightingale.’

Karen Black (1939 - 2013)

Karen Black Actress. She is best remembered for her appearances in the notable films “Easy Rider” (1969), “Five Easy Pieces” (1970), “The Great Gatsby” (1974). “Rhinoceros” (1974), “Airport 1975” (1974), “The Day of the Locust” (1975), “Nashville” (1975), and Alfred Hitchcock’s final film, “Family Plot’ (1976). Born Karen Blanche Ziegler, her mother wrote children’s novels […]

Clarice Blackburn (1921 - 1995)

Actress. She played various roles on the daytime television series “Dark Shadows.”

Mary Blackford (1914 - 1937)

American stage and motion picture actress of the 1930s. She appeared in the 1934 romantic drama “Love Time.” Her promising career ended early after an auto accident in 1934 left her paralyzed from the neck down.

Billie Bird (1908 - 2002)

American stage, motion picture, and television actress of the 1920s thru 1990s. She appeared in many top films, such as “Home Alone” (1990), and several classic TV series. She is remembered by the modern television audience for her role as ‘Mrs Philbert’ on the 1980s series “Dear John.” Married to songwriter Edwin Sellen.

Tala Birell (1907 - 1958)

Actress. Her most memorable film performances include “Let’s Live Tonight,” supporting Lilian Harvey; opposite Ralph Bellamy in “Air Hawk,” “Crime and Punishment” with Peter Lorre; “Women in Bondage” and “One Dangerous Night” with Warren William.

Georgia Bitner (1926 - 2012)

Film and Television Actress. She was an African American film and television actress whose career expanded over a period of seven decades. Born Georgia Rose Bitner, in honor of the state in which she was born, “Georgia”. During her younger years she adored such actors as Hattie McDanial and Josephine Baker so much until her […]

Francelia Billington (1895 - 1934)

Actress, Cinematographer. Blonde, slender star of silent films. Born and raised on a ranch near Dallas, Texas, she entered films in 1912 with the Kalem Company and was quickly promoted to leads after the departure of their star, Alice Joyce. Her expertise in horse riding made her a natural for westerns though she was versatile […]

Zina Bethune (1945 - 2012)

Actress, Disability Advocate. Perhaps best remembered for playing Gail Lucas in the TV series “The Nurses” (1962 to 1965). The daughter of an actress, her father died when she was five years old. She followed her mother’s path to the entertainment industry and at the age of six began taking lessons at George Balanchine’s School […]

Regina Bianchi (1921 - 2013)

Actress. She will perhaps be best remembered for her leading role in the successful play “Filomena Marturano”. Born to parents of French origin, she was cast at young age in Raffaele Viviani’s company theater and then in that of Eduardo De Filippo becoming one of the most popular actresses of the Neapolitan theater. Regina was […]

Eugenie Besserer (1868 - 1934)

Actress. She is best-remembered for playing Al Jolson’s doting mother in the landmark talkie “The Jazz Singer” (1927). In the film’s most famous scene, Jolson serenades her with Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” and then utters the immortal phrase, “You ain’t heard nothing yet!” Besserer was born in Watertown, New York. She married at 15 and […]

Bibi Besch (1940 - 1996)

Actress. She is best remembered for her role of ‘Dr. Carol Marcus’ in the motion picture “Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan” (1982). Born Bibiana Huber in Vienna, Austria, her mother was actress Gusti Huber. She came to the USA after World War II as a child, and grew up in Chappaqua, New York. […]

Mary Bertrand (1871 - 1955)

Actress. Born Mary Bertrand Steenbergen in Illinois, she began her career in the early 1900s, performing at the Liberty Theatre New York and on Broadway. For feature films she appeared in “The Wife Takes A Flyer” (1942) and “Tahiti Honey” (1943).

Margeurite Bertrandias (1891 - 1968)

Actress. Appearing in more than 60 Westerns melodramas, she was ‘Margaret Fowler’ in “A Daughter of the City,” (1915) ‘Mary Lawton’ in “The Man of Bronze,” (1918) ‘Eileen Arden’ in “Forbidden Lover” (1923) and ‘Julia’ in “The Palm Beach Girl”(1926). She died for injuries from road accident.

Francesca Bertini (1892 - 1985)

Actress. Born Elena Seracini Vitiello. Described as one of the first divas of cinema. She made her film debut in 1907 with “La Dea del Mare”. With the movies “Lucrezia Borgia,” “Giulietta e Romeo,” and “L’arrivista,” Her popularity obtained gigantic dimensions as they are hardly imaginable today. In 1921 she married the Swiss banker Paul […]

Flo Bert (1898 - 1981)

Actress. She appeared in the films, “I’m From Arkansas” (1944), and “The She-Creature” (1956). Also a stage actress she appeared as ‘Cinderella’ on Broadway in the play, “Cinderella On Broadway: A Fantasy Of The Great White Way” which opened on June 24, 1920, and it ran for 126 performances. She also played ‘Miss Moffet’ in […]

Simone Berriau (1896 - 1984)

Actress, Theater Producer. Raised in France, she moved to Morocco at 15, and soon married her first husband, a French Army colonel whose name she took. She made her theatrical debut at the Opera-Comique in a production of “Pelleas et Melisande” under the name Simone Berry. Thru the 1930s, she appeared in a dozen movies, […]

Sarah Bernhardt (1844 - 1923)

French Classical Actress.

Nora Bernard (1890 - 1955)

Actress in 84 silent films from 1908 – 1941 including: “Ramona,” “The Failure,” “A Chance Deception,” “Princess Romanoff,” “Little Women” and “The Great Shadow.”

Barbara Berjer (1920 - 2002)

Actress. She was born Barbara Berger but changed her last name to Berjer for the proper pronunciation. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from DePaul University in 1943. She moved to New York City and pursued a successful acting career in daytime television. She played Bridget Connell on “Another World” from 1985 to […]