Edna Hunter (April 9, 1876 – February 5, 1920) was an American stage and film actress of the silent film era, who appeared in more than a dozen films between 1915 and 1918.

Edna Hunter
A portrait of a white woman with blond curly hair
Edna Hunter, from a 1917 publication
Born(1876-04-09)April 9, 1876
Attica, Indiana
DiedFebruary 5, 1920(1920-02-05) (aged 43)
New York City
Other namesEdna Hunter Wood
OccupationActress

Early life

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Hunter was born in Attica, Indiana[1] and raised in Toledo, Ohio, the daughter of Samuel Hunter and Emma Hunter (later Brownlee). Her stepfather Charles Brownlee was a railroad conductor.[2]

Career

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Hunter performed on Broadway from 1898 to 1914, with parts in the shows The Runaway Girl (1898), Chris and the Wonderful Lamp (1900), Foxy Quiller (In Corsica) (1900), The Strollers (1901), The Liberty Belles (1901), Florodora (1902),[3] Tom, Dick and Harry (1905), Girlies (1910),[4] The Girl in the Train (1910), Over the River (1912), and Papa's Darling (1914).[5]

Hunter appeared in more than a dozen full-length silent films and many short films, including A Witch of Salem Town (1915), You Can't Always Tell (1915), A Strange Disappearance (1915),[6] The Marble Heart (1915), Crime's Triangle (1915),[7]The Woman Who Lied (1915), The Reward (1915), Man or Money? (1915),[8] Almost a Papa (1915), The Law of Life (1916),[9] The Hoax House (1916), Patterson of the News (1916),[10] The Haunted Bell (1916), Through Flames to Love (1916), Won with a Make-Up (1916), Half a Rogue (1916),[11][12] Jim Slocum No. 46393 (1916), The Fool (1916), The Head of the Family (1916), The Man Across the Street (1916), The Circular Room (1916), A Lucky Gold Piece (1916), The Captain of the Typhoon (1916), The Laugh of Scorn (1916), The Lie Sublime (1916), In the Heart of New York (1916), The Common Law (1916), A Prince in a Pawnshop (1916), Are You an Elk? (1916), A Wife's Folly (1917), Jimmie Dale Alias the Grey Seal (1917),[6][13] Two Little Imps (1917),[14] The Co-respondent (1917), The Naulahka (1918),[15] De Luxe Annie (1918),[16] and The Unchastened Woman (1918). She co-starred with King Baggot in several movies.[6][11]

Hunter was often described as a "beauty"[3][17] and as athletic, skilled in swimming, riding, ice skating, tennis, and golf.[18] In 1916 she was selected as "Miss Personal Beauty" by delegates from 35 motion picture companies, to star in a special film marking the Shakespeare tercentenary.[19] During World War I, she was active in the Motion Picture Players division of Stage Women's War Relief.[20]

Personal life

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Hunter married "nautical artist" Worden G. Wood in 1903.[21] They had two children, Emily and Hunter,[22] before they divorced in 1912.[23] She died in the Spanish flu pandemic in 1920, aged 43 years.[24][25][26] Her son Hunter Wood became an artist best known for seascapes and nautical scenes, like his father.[27]

References

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  1. ^ "Personal Tribute to Memory of Edna Hunter Wood". Attica Daily Tribune. February 10, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved April 9, 2022 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  2. ^ "Conductor Passes Away". The Daily Times. 1914-07-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b "Miss Edna Hunter, Stage Beauty". The Journal. 1906-09-11. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Dietz, Dan (2021-06-15). The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 26. ISBN 978-1-5381-5028-3.
  5. ^ Dietz, Dan (2021-06-15). The Complete Book of 1910s Broadway Musicals. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 26, 132–133. ISBN 978-1-5381-5028-3.
  6. ^ a b c Wlaschin, Ken (2009-10-21). Silent Mystery and Detective Movies: A Comprehensive Filmography. McFarland. pp. 118, 213. ISBN 978-0-7864-5429-7.
  7. ^ "Imp.: Crime's Triangle". The Moving Picture World. 25: 1903. September 11, 1915.
  8. ^ "'Man or Money'--Tuesday". The Columbia Record. 1915-11-28. p. 20. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Neil Theatre Tomorrow". The Champaign Daily Gazette. 1916-02-18. p. 2. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Hippodrome". The Leavenworth Post. 1916-03-25. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ a b Goble, Alan (2011-09-08). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. p. 299. ISBN 978-3-11-095194-3.
  12. ^ Langman, Larry (2015-07-11). The Media in the Movies: A Catalog of American Journalism Films, 1900-1996. McFarland. p. 114. ISBN 978-1-4766-0925-6.
  13. ^ "'Jimmie' Stirs in Chicago". Motography. 16: 1390. December 23, 1916.
  14. ^ Solomon, Aubrey (2014-01-10). The Fox Film Corporation, 1915-1935: A History and Filmography. McFarland. p. 240. ISBN 978-0-7864-8610-6.
  15. ^ Curtis, James (2015-11-17). William Cameron Menzies: The Shape of Films to Come. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-101-87067-9.
  16. ^ Soister, John T.; Nicolella, Henry; Joyce, Steve (2014-01-10). American Silent Horror, Science Fiction and Fantasy Feature Films, 1913-1929. McFarland. pp. 130–131. ISBN 978-0-7864-8790-5.
  17. ^ "Metuchen Woman Wins Moving Picture Prize". The Courier-News. 1916-03-02. p. 15. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Film Facts". The Salt Lake Herald-Republican. 1917-03-25. p. 45. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "'Miss Personal Beauty', Chosen From Among One Thousand Blondes". Green Book. 15: 624. April 1916.
  20. ^ "Picture Actresses Give Tableaux for Kit Fund". The Dramatic Mirror. 77: 33. June 2, 1917.
  21. ^ "Things Theatrical". The Charlotte News. 1903-07-08. p. 9. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Vaudeville News: Actress Estate Up". New York Clipper. June 29, 1921. p. 28. Retrieved April 8, 2022 – via Illinois Digital Newspaper Collections.
  23. ^ King, Judy (1947-09-14). "Nautical artist". The Miami News. p. 55. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Offer Will of Edna Hunter Wood". The Central New Jersey Home News. 1920-02-12. p. 5. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Cousins Are Named General Guardians of Metuchen Children". The Central New Jersey Home News. 1920-04-14. p. 7. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ "Death Claims Mrs. Edna Hunter Wood". Attica Ledger. February 13, 1920. p. 1. Retrieved April 9, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ "Works from Experience". Hartford Courant. 1943-11-28. p. 63. Retrieved 2022-04-09 – via Newspapers.com.
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