Maude Eburne

Maude Eburne (born Maud Eburne Riggs, November 10, 1875 – October 15, 1960) was a Canadian character actress of stage and screen, known for playing eccentric roles.

Maude Eburne
Eburne in Theatre Magazine, 1914
Born	Maud Eburne Riggs (1875-11-10)November 10, 1875 Bronte-on-the-Lake, Ontario, Canada
Died	October 15, 1960(1960-10-15) (aged 84) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Years active	1915-1951
Spouse	Eugene J. Hall ​ ​ (m. 1905; died 1932)​
Children	1

Early years

Eburne was born the daughter of John and Mary Riggs,^[1] in Bronte-on-the-Lake, Ontario. She studied elocution in Toronto.

The death of Eburne's father in 1901 was a catalyst for her entry into acting as a profession. She said that he would not have approved a stage career for her and added, "If my father knew I was on the stage, he would not rest in peace."^[1]

Career

Lobby card with Louise Fazenda and Maude Eburne (right) in Doughnuts and Society (1936)

Eburne began her career in stock theater in Buffalo, New York.^[2] Her early theater work was in Ontario^{[citation needed]} and New York City, debuting on Broadway to great acclaim as "Coddles" in the 1914 farce A Pair of Sixes.^[3] "When I first came to New York... I said I didn't want to be beautiful young girls or stately leading women, but wanted parts that had something queer in them, especially if there were dialect."^[4]

She continued to play mainly humorous domestic roles on stage, appearing in productions such as The Half Moon (1920), Lady Butterfly (1923), Three Cheers (1928) and Many a Slip (1930),^[5] before her first significant film role — and first sound film role —^[1] in The Bat Whispers (1930), director Roland West's sound remake of his 1926 silent feature The Bat.

Personal life

Eugene J. Hall married Eburne "in about 1905". They had a daughter, Marion Birdseye Hall, in 1907.^[1] He died in 1932.^[6]

Eburne retired in 1951.

Death

Eburne died on October 15, 1960, in Hollywood, California,^[1] at age 84.

Partial filmography

Eburne's more than 100 films include:

• A Pair of Sixes (1918)
• Lonely Wives (1931)
• The Man in Possession (1931)
• Bought! (1931)
• The Guardsman (1931)
• Her Majesty, Love (1931)
• This Reckless Age (1932)
• Panama Flo (1932)
• The Passionate Plumber (1932)
• Polly of the Circus (1932)
• Faithless (1932)
• Robbers' Roost (1933)
• The Vampire Bat (1933)
• East of Fifth Avenue (1933)
• Ladies They Talk About (1933)
• Ladies Must Love (1933)
• Fog (1933)
• Shanghai Madness (1933)
• Lazy River (1934)
• Love Birds (1934)
• Ruggles of Red Gap (1935)
• Happiness C.O.D. (1935)
• The Leavenworth Case (1936)
• Doughnuts and Society (1936)
• Poppy (1936)
• Hollywood Cowboy (1937)
• Champagne Waltz (1937)
• Convict's Code (1939)
• Undercover Agent (1939)
• Exile Express (1939)
• Mountain Rhythm (1939)
• The Covered Trailer (1939)
• Dr. Christian Meets the Women (1940)
• Colorado (1940)
• Remedy for Riches (1940)
• The Border Legion (1940)
• Melody for Three (1941)
• West Point Widow (1941)
• Among the Living (1941)
• To Be or Not to Be (1942)
• Almost Married (1942)
• Henry and Dizzy (1942)
• The Boogie Man Will Get You (1942) (uncredited)
• Lady Bodyguard (1943)
• The Man from Oklahoma (1945)
• Hitchhike to Happiness (1945)
• Mother Wore Tights (1947)