Barbara Bedford (real name Violet Mae Rose) is an American actress who began her career in the 1920s during the heyday of a bit of cinema. After the sound appeared, Barbara was rarely invited to shoot because of a low, hoarse voice that did not match her appearance. But she continued to appear on screen in bit parts until 1945.
The creative biography of the actress began in 1920 with a small role in the American silent drama film "The Cradle of Courage" by Lambert Hill, which the famous actor, screenwriter, director and producer William Surrey Hart helped her get.
In total, during her cinematic career, Barbara has played in 191 films. After the appearance of the sound, the artist practically ceased to be invited to new projects, but occasionally she still appeared on the screen, however, mainly in short films. Bedford performed her last guest roles in 1945 in Girls of the Big House and The Clock.
Biography facts
The future star of a little movie was born in the United States in the summer of 1903. Her real name is Violet Mae Rose. Only after starting her career in cinema, the girl took a stage name for herself - Barbara Bedford.
The girl's exact place of birth is unknown. According to some sources, she was born in the city of Eastman, according to other sources - in Prairie du Chien.
She received her primary education at Lake View High School, a four-year public school located in the North Chicago area. After leaving school, the girl worked for some time as an accountant in a small local firm.
Then, having good sports and dance training, she was able to get a job as a swimming, gymnastics and dance teacher. But she didn't stay in this profession for a long time. She wanted to make a career in Hollywood and become a screen star.
Over the course of several years, Barbara wrote letters to William Surrey Hart, the famous actor and director of some cinema in those years, and achieved a meeting with him in Los Angeles. Later, it was he who helped the girl get the first role in one of his paintings. In the future, the artist has worked more than once in Hart's projects. Their last joint work was the 1925 western film “Tumbleweed”.
Film career
Bedford decided to fulfill her dream of becoming a screen star. She went to Los Angeles to meet her idol W. Hart and conquer Hollywood.
The girl got her first small role in the drama "The Cradle of Courage", directed, written, produced and starred by William Hart. It was on the set of this film that director Maurice Turner noticed her. Maurice really liked the beautiful and talented brunette, and he invited her to shoot the adventure drama The Last of the Mohicans, which became the first screen version of F. Cooper's novel.
Bedford played the main character Cora, this role made her a real star of silent cinema. In the same year, she received another leading role in the drama of M. Turner "Deep Waters".
In 1921, she starred in John Ford's Western "The Big Punch" and in Howard M. Mitchell's drama Cinderella of the Hills.
A year later, Barbara appeared on the screen in several films at once: "Ray of Dawn", "Arab Love", "Out of the Silent North", "The Man Undercover", "Arabia", "Step on It!"
Bedford has been at the peak of popularity for several years and has starred in many films, including: "Romantic Land", "Fraudsters", "Affordable Women", "Taskmaster's Whip", "Percy", "A Case of Love", "Acquittal", " Tumbleweed "," Mad Whirlwind "," The Life of an Actress "," Parody "," Knights of Manhattan "," Haunted House "," Lash "," Kiss of Death "," Condemned to Life ".
With the arrival of sound in cinema, Barbara had to pursue an acting career, but unexpectedly her low, husky voice became a big obstacle to getting new roles.
Her image, created over the years of working in silent films, did not match her voice at all. As a result, the star's career began to decline. She was less and less invited to the shooting, and the proposals were limited only to episodic roles.
The last time Bedford appeared on the screen was in 1945. After that, she decided to stop filming and forget about Hollywood forever.
Personal life
The first husband of Barbara was the famous American silent film director Irwin W. Willard. She met him on the set, and in 1921 the young people got married. But the marriage was short-lived. A year later, the couple divorced.
A year later, the actress remarried. Theater and film actor Alan Roscoe (real name Albert Roscoe) became her new chosen one. The former high school teacher has made an excellent career in cinema, collaborating with renowned American directors and producers. He starred a lot with the star of a little movie and the sex symbol of the late 1910s Teda Bara.
Barbara and Alan met while working on The Last of the Mohicans. And they got married on August 26, 1922. But soon their relationship began to deteriorate, the couple decided to leave in 1928.
However, after 2 years, they got married again and lived together for several more years. Finally, the husband and wife parted in 1933. In this union in 1924, Barbara's only daughter, Edith, was born.
The third husband was the actor Terry Spencer (real name Rudolph Edgecomb Carvosso Spencer). They got married in 1940 and lived together for 14 years. On October 3, 1954, Terry died at the Los Angeles clinic at the age of 60.
After the death of her husband, Barbara moved to Jacksonville and lived there with her daughter under her real name, working in the trade. After leaving the cinema in 1945, she no longer tried to pursue an acting career.
Little movie star Barbara Bedford died in the fall of 1981 in Florida at the age of 78.
