Actress and Director. An early motion picture pioneer. She began her career in a theatrical company when Universal Studios contracted her at a show in Santa Barbara, California in 1910. Soon she was on every director's list as a versatile and beautiful actress. She came into prominence through her daring and convincing work in the Universal serial, "Trey of Hearts" in 1914. She occupied the dual positions of star and director for some time filling both with honor. She had her own stage manager company known as "The Cleo Madison Stock Company" producing one, and two reel and two five-reel features. She eventually became a victim of her own success, suffering a nervous breakdown in 1922, but returned in 1924, making several more films. For reasons never explained, she simply left the business. Her more then a hundred silent films include, "The Romance of Tarzan" 1918, "Ladies Must Live" 1921, "The Dangerous Age" 1922, "Gold Madness" 1923, "The Roughneck" and "The Lullaby" 1924, to name a few. Cause of death heart attack.
Actress and Director. An early motion picture pioneer. She began her career in a theatrical company when Universal Studios contracted her at a show in Santa Barbara, California in 1910. Soon she was on every director's list as a versatile and beautiful actress. She came into prominence through her daring and convincing work in the Universal serial, "Trey of Hearts" in 1914. She occupied the dual positions of star and director for some time filling both with honor. She had her own stage manager company known as "The Cleo Madison Stock Company" producing one, and two reel and two five-reel features. She eventually became a victim of her own success, suffering a nervous breakdown in 1922, but returned in 1924, making several more films. For reasons never explained, she simply left the business. Her more then a hundred silent films include, "The Romance of Tarzan" 1918, "Ladies Must Live" 1921, "The Dangerous Age" 1922, "Gold Madness" 1923, "The Roughneck" and "The Lullaby" 1924, to name a few. Cause of death heart attack.
Bio by: John "J-Cat" Griffith
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