Juliette Crosby

Juliette Crosby (September 14, 1895 – May 1, 1969) was an American actress and debutante. She is perhaps best remembered for originating the role of Velma Kelly in Chicago in 1926.

Juliette Crosby
A young white woman wearing a dark cloche hat with a white diamond pattern on the band
Juliette Crosby, from a 1924 publication
BornSeptember 14, 1895
Washington, D.C.
DiedMay 1, 1969
Plainville, Connecticut
OccupationActress
SpouseArthur Hornblow Jr.
RelativesArthur Hornblow (father-in-law)
Miriam Caracciolo di Melito (sister)

Early life

Crosby was born in Washington, D.C., the daughter of explorer and politician Oscar Terry Crosby and Jeanne Maria Bouligny Crosby[1] (granddaughter of Charles Dominique Joseph Bouligny, US Senator from Louisiana). Her parents were both from Louisiana; her father was an author and traveler and served as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury in the Woodrow Wilson administration.[2] She graduated from Holton-Arms School.[3] She was presented as a debutante in Washington, D.C.[1] Her older sister Miriam, also an actress, married Italian aristocrat Mario Carillo.[4][5]

Career

During World War I, Crosby went to France as a Red Cross nurse,[6] while her father was director of the Commission for Relief in Belgium. Her Broadway credits included roles in Martinique (1920),[7] The Nest (1922),[8] The Love Child (1922 –1923), Home Fires (1923),[9] The Show-Off (1924 –1925),[10] Nirvana (1926), Chicago (1926–1927), and Charley's Aunt (1941).[3] In the original production of Chicago, she was the first actress to play Velma Kelly.[11][12] She appeared in two films, Paris Bound (1929) and Charming Sinners (1929). In 1935 and 1936, she toured in a production of Dodsworth with Walter Huston.[13][14]

Crosby was considered stylish, and her dresses were photographed and described in detail in newspapers.[15]

Personal life

Crosby married playwright, theatre critic, and film producer Arthur Hornblow Jr. in 1923.[16] They had a son, John Terry Hornblow.[17] They divorced in 1936,[18] a month before Hornblow married actress Myrna Loy.[19] She died in Plainville, Connecticut in 1969, aged 73 years.[3]

References
  1. Wade, Margaret (1914-09-20). "Season Bound to be Brilliant". The Washington Herald. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-08-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Oscar T. Crosby Daring Explorer". The Washington Times. 1913-07-28. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-08-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Mrs. Hornblow, 73, A Former Actress". The New York Times. 1969-05-03. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-08-18.
  4. "Five O'Clock Tidings". The Spur. 29: 47. June 15, 1922.
  5. Eliot, Jean (1919-12-14). "Washington Society Girls on Stage". The Washington Times. p. 19. Retrieved 2022-08-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Reed, Vivian (2020-11-23). An American in Europe at War and Peace: Hugh S. Gibson's Chronicles, 1918-1919. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 978-3-11-067238-1.
  7. "Mr. Hornblow Goes to the Play". Theatre Magazine. 31: 526–527. June 1920.
  8. "The Young Idea". Vanity Fair. Vol. 17. May 1922. p. 51.
  9. "In Other Novelties of the New York Season". The Spur. 32: 59. October 1, 1923.
  10. Kelly, George (May 1924). "'The Show-Off'". Current Opinion. 76: 673–674.
  11. Bloom, Ken (2013-10-18). Routledge Guide to Broadway. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-87116-1.
  12. Erickson, Hal (2017-12-11). Any Resemblance to Actual Persons: The Real People Behind 400+ Fictional Movie Characters. McFarland. p. 23. ISBN 978-1-4766-6605-1.
  13. "Walter Huston Coming in Person". Deseret News. 1935-12-21. p. 15. Retrieved 2022-08-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Great Cast With Walter Huston in Appearance Here". Nashville Banner. 1936-03-01. p. 27. Retrieved 2022-08-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Actress Dons Gown Done in Batik by Jaap; Juliette Crosby, One of the Manhattans, Wears Novelty". Democrat and Chronicle. 1922-07-02. p. 43. Retrieved 2022-08-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Juliette Crosby to Wed a Playwright". The News-Herald. 1923-08-21. p. 15. Retrieved 2022-08-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. Carl Van Vechten (November 22, 1937), "Juliette Crosby and John Terry Hornblow in Central Park, New York City" (a series of photographs), Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Yale University.
  18. "Player Gets Reno Decree". The Los Angeles Times. 1936-05-26. p. 24. Retrieved 2022-08-18 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. Leider, Emily W. (2012-07-09). Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood. Univ of California Press. p. 92. ISBN 978-0-520-27450-1.
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