Evelyn Brent - Actress (Hollywood Silent Era)

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Wednesdays 02, July 2025, 21:00.

Brent photographed in 1929 by Russell Ball

About:

Evelyn Brent: Born - Mary Elizabeth Riggs, October 20, 1895, Tampa, Florida, U.S.

Died - June 4, 1975 (aged 79), Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Other names Betty Riggs

Occupation Actress

Years active 1915–1960

Spouses

1.B. P. Fineman (m. 1922; div. 1927)​

2.Harry D. Edwards (m. 1928; div. 1947)​

3.Harry Fox  (m. 1948; died 1959)​

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Introduction:

Evelyn Brent (born Mary Elizabeth Riggs; October 20, 1895 – June 4, 1975) was an American film and stage actress.

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Early life:

Brent was born in Tampa, Florida and known as "Betty." When she was 10 years old, her mother Eleanor (née Warner) died, leaving her father, Arthur, to raise her alone. She moved to New York City as a teenager, and her good looks brought modeling jobs that led to an opportunity to become involved in movies.

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Career:

She began her film career working under her own name at a New Jersey film studio, then made her major debut in the 1915 silent film production of the Robert W. Service poem "The Shooting of Dan McGrew".

After World War I, she traveled to Europe, where she visited France before settling in London, England. She had a role in The Ruined Lady, where her co-stars in the play were future Hollywood stars C. Aubrey Smith and Nigel Bruce.

She remained in England for four years, performing on stage and in films, then she moved to Hollywood in 1922.

Her career received a major boost the following year when she was chosen as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, alongside Eleanor Boardman and Laura La Plante. Douglas Fairbanks Sr. signed her as his leading lady for a film that was eventually abandoned and his next films, The Thief of Bagdad and The Black Pirate, were unsuitable for her. When the press attempted to create a scandal that Fairbanks was cheating on his wife, Mary Pickford with her, Brent left his company to join Associated Authors.[6]

After a year-long contract that resulted mostly in minor westerns and melodramas, Evelyn signed with Film Booking Office (FBO), which immediately launched her as the "Queen of the Underworld" with a series of crook dramas including Silk Stocking Sal (directed by the master of macabre, Tod Browning), Midnight Molly, Alias Mary Flynn, Smooth as Satin, Lady Robinhood, and Queen o'Diamonds. The minor stardom that Evelyn received from these popular films brought her to the attention of Paramount Pictures, which signed her to a long-term contract.

Mid-1920s promotional image issued by Film Booking Offices, later acquired by RKO

Paramount launched her tenure at the company with the lead in the popular shopgirl comedy Love 'Em and Leave 'Em, where her screen impact overshadowed by the appearance of Louise Brooks as Brent's younger sister.

Josef Von Sternberg, an acquaintance from her time in British films and a fan of her FBO series of crook pictures, cast her as "Feathers" (over the objections of Paramount executives, who preferred Estelle Taylor for the role) in the gangster epic Underworld (1927).

Brent appeared in Von Sternberg's The Last Command (1928), an epic war drama starring Emil Jannings and William Powell. Von Sternberg worked with her for the third (and last) time in The Drag Net (1928), which reunited her with her Underworld co-star George Bancroft.

In-between and after her series of films with Von Sternberg, Paramount cast Brent in a string of pictures that sustained her popularity, including a sequel to 1926's hit Beau Geste called Beau Sabreur, the melodrama His Tiger Wife, and her last silent film The Mating Call for director James Cruze.

Brent was later cast as the female lead in Paramount's first all-talking picture Interference. She was then loaned out to Universal Pictures for the musical-drama Broadway, which ran for two years. Her Paramount contract had about a year left to run, and she appeared in Paramount on Parade.

Brent played major roles in several features, most notably The Silver Horde.

By the early part of the 1930s, she was working in secondary roles in a variety of films as well as touring with vaudeville shows. In 1936, she played William Boyd's love interest/femme fatale in Hopalong Cassidy Returns. However, by 1941, she was no longer in demand by major studios, and she found work at smaller, low-budget studios.

Evelyn Brent photographed attractively opposite leading men who were also at advanced ages and later stages in their careers: Jack Holt in the Columbia serial Holt of the Secret Service, Neil Hamilton in PRC's production Dangerous Lady, and Lee Tracy in the same studio's The Payoff. In the early 1940s, she worked in action features for Paramount, produced by Pine-Thomas Productions. Veteran director William Beaudine cast her in many productions as well, including Emergency Landing (1941), Bowery Champs (1944), The Golden Eye (1948), and Again Pioneers (1950). After performing in more than 120 films, she retired from acting in 1950 and worked for a number of years as an actor's agent.

She returned to acting in television's Wagon Train for one episode in 1960, "The Lita Foladaire Story", starring Ward Bond and Diane Brewster. Brent played a housekeeper and her appearance had changed radically.

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Personal life and death:

Evelyn Brent was married three times: to movie executive Bernard P. Fineman, to producer Harry D. Edwards, and finally to the vaudeville actor Harry Fox. They were married until he died in 1959.

Brent died of a heart attack in 1975 at age 79 in her Los Angeles home. She is interred in the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, California.

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Legacy:

In 1960, Brent was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a motion pictures star for her contributions to the film industry. Her star is located at 6548 Hollywood Boulevard.

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Filmography:

Evelyn Brent in 1929

Evelyn Brent in 1931

Evelyn Brent in Stars of the Photoplay

Lobby card for A Night of Mystery (1928)

Lobby card for Slightly Scarlet (1930)

Magazine ad for Silk Stocking Sal (1924)

With Boris Karloff in Forbidden Cargo (1925)

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Silent features:

Year Title Role Notes

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1914 A Gentleman from Mississippi Hope Langdon Lost film

1915 The Heart of a Painted Woman Lost film

The Shooting of Dan McGrew Nell (adult) Lost film

Credited as Betty Riggs

When Love Laughs Bessie Lost film

Short film:

The Shooting of Dan McGrew (1915 film)

1916 The Lure of Heart's Desire Little Snowbird Lost film

The Iron Will Lost film

Short film

Uncredited

The Soul Market Vivian Austin Lost film

Playing with Fire Lucille Vane Lost film

The Spell of the Yukon Dorothy Temple Lost film

The Weakness of Strength Bessie Alden Lost film

The Iron Woman Nannie Maitland Lost film

1917 The Millionaire's Double Constance Brent Lost film

To the Death Rosa Lost film

Who's Your Neighbor? Betty Hamlin Lost film

Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman Ethel - Lord Amersteth's Daughter

1918 Daybreak Det. Alma Peterson Lost film

1919 Border River Marie Dubuque Short film

Help! Help! Police! Marian Trevor Lost film

Fool's Gold Nancy Smith

The Other Man's Wife Becky Simon Lost film

The Glorious Lady Lady Eileen

1920 The Shuttle of Life Miriam Grey Lost film

The Law Divine Daphne Grey Lost film

1921 Demos Emma Vine Lost film

The Door That Has No Key Violet Melton Lost film

Sybil Sybil Gerard Lost film

Sonia Sonia Dainton Lost film

Laughter and Tears Pierette

1922 Trapped by the Mormons Nora Prescott

The Spanish Jade Mañuela Lost film

Married to a Mormon Beryl Fane Lost film

The Experiment Doris Fielding Lost film

Pages of Life Mitzi / Dolores Lost film

1923 Held to Answer Bessie Burbeck Lost film

1924 Loving Lies Ellen Craig Lost film

The Shadow of the Desert Lolaire Lost film

Arizona Express Lola Nichols

The Plunderer The Lily Lost film

The Lone Chance Margaret West Lost film

The Desert Outlaw May Halloway

The Cyclone Rider Weeping Wanda

The Dangerous Flirt Sheila Fairfax Lost film

My Husband's Wives Marie Wynn Lost film

Silk Stocking Sal 'Stormy' Martin Lost film

1925 Midnight Molly Margaret Warren / Midnight Molly

Forbidden Cargo Polly O'Day Lost film

Alias Mary Flynn Mary Flynn Lost film

Smooth as Satin Gertie Jones Lost film

Lady Robinhood Señorita Catalina / La Ortiga Lost film

Trailer survives

Three Wise Crooks Molly Lost film

Broadway Lady Rosalie Ryan

1926 Queen o'Diamonds Jeanette Durant / Jerry Lyon Lost film

Secret Orders Janet Graaham Lost film

The Impostor Judith Gilbert Lost film

The Jade Cup Peggy Allen Lost film

Flame of the Argentine Inez Remírez Lost film

Love 'Em and Leave 'Em Mame Walsh

1927 Love's Greatest Mistake Jane Lost film

Blind Alleys Sally Ray Lost film

Underworld 'Feathers' McCoy

Women's Wares Dolly Morton

1928 Beau Sabreur Mary Vanbrugh Lost film

The Last Command Natalie Dabrova

The Showdown Sibyl Shelton

A Night of Mystery Gilberte Boismartel Lost film

His Tiger Lady Tiger Lady Lost film

The Drag Net The Magpie Lost film

The Mating Call Rose Henderson

Sound features:

Year Title Role Notes

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1928 Interference Deborah Kane

1929 Broadway Pearl Released as both silent and talking versions; Talking version is incomplete

Fast Company Evelyn Corey An incomplete copy is held at the UCLA Film and Television Archive

Woman Trap Kitty Evans

Why Bring That Up? Betty

Darkened Rooms Ellen

1930 Slightly Scarlet Lucy Stavrin

Framed Rose Manning

Paramount on Parade Episode 'Origin of the Apache'

The Silver Horde Cherry Malotte

Madonna of the Streets May

1931 Traveling Husbands Ruby Smith

The Pagan Lady Dorothy 'Dot' Hunter

The Mad Parade Monica Dale

1932 High Pressure Francine Dale

Attorney for the Defense Val Lorraine

The Crusader Tess Brandon

1933 The World Gone Mad Carlotta Lamont

1935 Symphony of Living Paula Greig Rupert

Home on the Range Georgia

Without Children Shirley Ross Cole

The Nitwits Mrs. Alice Lake

Speed Limited Natalie

1936 Song of the Trail Myra

It Couldn't Have Happened - But It Did Beverly Drake

The President's Mystery Ilka Blake

Hopalong Cassidy Returns Lilli Marsh

1937 Jungle Jim Shanghai Lil, one of four main characters Serial

King of Gamblers Cora

The Last Train from Madrid Soldier uncredited

Night Club Scandal Julia Reed

Sudden Bill Dorn Diana Viargas

Daughter of Shanghai Olga Derey

1938 Tip-Off Girls Rena Terry

Mr. Wong, Detective Olga aka Countess Dubois

The Law West of Tombstone Clara 'Clary' Martinez

1939 Panama Lady Lenore

Daughter of the Tong The Illustrious One

The Mad Empress Empress Eugenie

1941 Emergency Landing Maude Lambert

Forced Landing Doctor Vidalek's Housekeeper

Wide Open Town Belle Langtry

Dangerous Lady Hester Engle

Ellery Queen and the Murder Ring Nurse holding microscope uncredited

Holt of the Secret Service Kay Drew

1942 Westward Ho Mrs. Healey

Wrecking Crew Martha Poska

The Payoff Alma Dorn

Silent Witness Mrs. Roos / Anna Barnes

1943 Spy Train Frieda Molte

The Seventh Victim Natalie Cortez

1944 Bowery Champs Gypsy Carmen

1947 Raiders of the South Belle Chambers

Robin Hood of Monterey Maria Belmonte Sanchez

1948 Stage Struck Miss Lloyd

The Golden Eye Sister Teresa

1949 Life of St. Paul Series Jailer's Wife

1950 Again Pioneers Alice Keeler

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