Actress. She is remembered for her various matronly roles in early talking films. Born Jessie Ralph Chambers, she made her acting debut with a stock company in 1880. In 1906 she made her stage bow on Broadway in "The Kreutzer Sonata" and was cast by playwright George M. Cohan in a number of his Broadway musicals. In 1916 she appeared in her first silent film "New York", however, she didn't become a Hollywood regular until 1933, when she appeared in "Child of Manhattan" (with Nancy Carroll and John Boles) and "Cocktail Hour" (with Randolph Scott and Bebe Daniels). By that time, she was 70 years old, and her roles were limited primarily to helpful but sometimes eccentric old ladies that were endearing to the audiences of the time. Probably her best-known roles were as Greta Garbo's maid 'Nanine' in "Camille" (1936), Myrna Loy's 'Aunt Katherine Forrest' in "After the Thin Man" (1936), and W.C. Fields' mother-in-law 'Mrs. Hermisillo Brunch' in "The Bank Dick" (1940). During her career, which spanned seven decades, she appeared in over 50 films. Her other notable films include "David Copperfield" (1935), "San Francisco" (1936), "The Good Earth" (1936), "Hold That Kiss" (1938), "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939), and "The Blue Bird" (1940). Her final picture was "They Met in Bombay" (1941) after which she retired from acting following an amputation to remove one of her legs, and she died three years later at the age of 79.
Actress. She is remembered for her various matronly roles in early talking films. Born Jessie Ralph Chambers, she made her acting debut with a stock company in 1880. In 1906 she made her stage bow on Broadway in "The Kreutzer Sonata" and was cast by playwright George M. Cohan in a number of his Broadway musicals. In 1916 she appeared in her first silent film "New York", however, she didn't become a Hollywood regular until 1933, when she appeared in "Child of Manhattan" (with Nancy Carroll and John Boles) and "Cocktail Hour" (with Randolph Scott and Bebe Daniels). By that time, she was 70 years old, and her roles were limited primarily to helpful but sometimes eccentric old ladies that were endearing to the audiences of the time. Probably her best-known roles were as Greta Garbo's maid 'Nanine' in "Camille" (1936), Myrna Loy's 'Aunt Katherine Forrest' in "After the Thin Man" (1936), and W.C. Fields' mother-in-law 'Mrs. Hermisillo Brunch' in "The Bank Dick" (1940). During her career, which spanned seven decades, she appeared in over 50 films. Her other notable films include "David Copperfield" (1935), "San Francisco" (1936), "The Good Earth" (1936), "Hold That Kiss" (1938), "Drums Along the Mohawk" (1939), and "The Blue Bird" (1940). Her final picture was "They Met in Bombay" (1941) after which she retired from acting following an amputation to remove one of her legs, and she died three years later at the age of 79.
Bio by: William Bjornstad
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