Claire Adams

Claire Adams

1898-09-24

Biography

From Wikipedia Claire Adams (September 24, 1898 – September 25, 1978) was a Canadian silent film actress and benefactor. She was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, as the daughter of Stanley Wells Adams, a Welsh-born accountant, and his Canadian wife, Lillian Adams (née Kennedy). Educated in Canada and England, Claire Adams worked briefly as a nurse with the Red Cross during World War I. In 1920 Adams signed a five-year contract with Benjamin Bowles Hampton, a Hollywood producer and her future husband. She later moved to California where she acted in more than forty silent films, including melodramas, comedies and westerns. Described as "patricianly beautiful", Adams worked with many of Hollywood's leading actors, including Adolphe Menjou, Tom Mix, Wallace Beery, and Lon Chaney. In 1923 she was Rin Tin Tin's leading lady in Where the North Begins, which was a huge success and is often credited with saving Warner Bros. from bankruptcy. She later maintained that Rin Tin Tin was her "favourite leading man". Her best known film was The Big Parade, the second largest grossing silent film in cinematic history. It was directed by King Vidor and Adams starred alongside John Gilbert. Perhaps her most memorable role came in 1920 as Barbara, the artist who helps humanize the crippled crime boss played by Lon Chaney in The Penalty. She married film producer Benjamin B. Hampton in Hollywood on September 18, 1924. They had no children. He died in 1932 leaving her very wealthy. Later that year Adams met Scobie Mackinnon, the second son of L.K.S. Mackinnon, at a party in London and three weeks later they married on April 1 in Mayfair. They remained childless. After a protracted honeymoon, in March 1938, Mackinnon brought Adams to Victoria, Australia. On his death in 1974, Scobie Mackinnon's estate was worth A$2,111, 729, which was left entirely to Adams. She died on September 25, 1978, in Windsor, Victoria and was cremated.

Also appears in

The Big Parade

The Big Parade

7.6

The Penalty

The Penalty

6.8

Married Alive

Married Alive

Not yet rated

Brass Commandments

Brass Commandments

Not yet rated

The End of the Road

The End of the Road

Not yet rated

The Sea Wolf

The Sea Wolf

3.0

Barnaby Lee

Barnaby Lee

Not yet rated

Revenge Is Sweet

Revenge Is Sweet

4.5

Chris and His Wonderful Lamp

Chris and His Wonderful Lamp

Not yet rated

Where the North Begins

Where the North Begins

5.0

The Killer

The Killer

Not yet rated

Men and Women

Men and Women

Not yet rated

The Girl in the Limousine

The Girl in the Limousine

6.0

The Mysterious Rider

The Mysterious Rider

Not yet rated

The Night Hawk

The Night Hawk

Not yet rated

The Great Lover

The Great Lover

Not yet rated

Stepping Fast

Stepping Fast

Not yet rated

The Man Of The Forest

The Man Of The Forest

Not yet rated

Daddies

Daddies

5.0

Riders of the Dawn

Riders of the Dawn

Not yet rated