Dorothy Sebastian
Born: 1903-04-26 in Birmingham, Alabama, USA
Died: 1957-04-08
Known For: Acting
Biography
From Wikipedia Dorothy Sebastian (April 26, 1903 – April 8, 1957) was an American film and stage actress. Sebastian was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama. In her youth, she aspired to be a dancer and a film actress. Her family frowned on both ambitions, however, so she fled to New York at the age of 15. Upon her arrival in New York City, Sebastian's southern drawl was thick enough to "cut with a knife". She followed around theatrical agents before returning at night to a $12-a-month room, after being consistently rejected. Sebastian's first contact in Hollywood was Robert Kane, who gave her a film test at United Studios. She performed in George White's Scandals and later co-starred with Joan Crawford and Anita Page for a popular series of MGM romantic dramas including Our Dancing Daughters (1928) and Our Blushing Brides (1930). Sebastian also appeared in 1929's Spite Marriage, wherein she was cast opposite her then-lover Buster Keaton. By the mid-1930s, Sebastian was semi-retired from acting after marrying Hopalong Cassidy star William Boyd. After their 1936 divorce, she returned to acting appearing in mostly bit parts. Her last onscreen appearance was in the 1948 film The Miracle of the Bells. Sebastian married actor William Boyd in December 1930 in Las Vegas, Nevada. They began a relationship after meeting on the set of His First Command in 1929. They divorced in 1936. In 1947, Sebastian married Miami Beach businessman Harold Shapiro to whom she remained married until her death. On April 8, 1957, Sebastian died of cancer at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Dorothy Sebastian has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6655 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
1948
- The Miracle of the Bells as Miss Katie Orwin (uncredited)
1941
- Among the Living as Woman in Cafe
- Kansas Cyclone as Helen King
1939
- The Women as Saleswoman Pat (uncredited)
- Days of Jesse James as Zerilda James (uncredited)
- Rough Riders' Round-up as Rose
- The Arizona Kid as Bess Warren
1937
- The Mysterious Pilot as Jean McNain
1934
- The Life of Vergie Winters as Lulu
- Allez Oop as Paula Stevens
- No Sleep on the Deep as June Davis
1933
- Ship of Wanted Men as Irene Reynolds
1932
- They Never Come Back as Adele Landon
- Contrabando
1931
- The Big Gamble as Beverly Ames Beckwith
- The Wide Open Spaces as Rose
- The Deceiver as Ina Fontanne
- The Lightning Flyer as Rose Rogers
- Ships of Hate as Grace Walsh
1930
- Officer O'Brien as Ruth Dale
- Our Blushing Brides as Francine 'Franky' Daniels
- Free and Easy as Cave Scene
- Hell's Island as Marie
- Brothers as Norma Moore
- The Utah Kid as Jennie Lee
- Montana Moon as Elizabeth
- Screen Snapshots Series 10, No. 5 as Dorothy Sebastian
- The Rounder as Ethel Dalton
- Ladies Must Play as Norma
1929
- Spite Marriage as Trilby Drew
- The Unholy Night as Lady Efra
- Morgan's Last Raid as Judith Rogers
- His First Command as Judy Gaylord
- The Single Standard as Mercedes
- The Rainbow as Lola
- The Spirit of Youth as Betty Grant
- The Devil's Apple Tree as Dorothy Ryan
1928
- Show People as Self (uncredited)
- Our Dancing Daughters as Beatrice 'Bea'
- A Woman of Affairs as Constance
- The Adventurer as Dolores de Silva
- Wyoming as Samantrha Jerusha Farrell
- Their Hour as Cora
- The House of Scandal as Ann Rourke
1927
- Love as Spectator at Race (uncredited)
- On Ze Boulevard as Gaby de Sylva
- The Show as Salvation Army Worker (uncredited)
- The Haunted Ship as Goldie Kane
- Twelve Miles Out as Chiquita
- The Demi-Bride as Lola
- The Arizona Wildcat as Regina Schyler
- Tea For Three as Annette
- California as Carlotta del Rey
- The Isle of Forgotten Women as Marua
1926
- Torrent as Woman in Audience (uncredited)
- You'd Be Surprised as Dorothy
- Bluebeard's Seven Wives as Gilda La Bray
- Beauty à la Mud
1925
- Winds of Chance as Laura
- Sackcloth and Scarlet as Polly Freeman
- Why Women Love as Pearl