Phyllis Haver

Phyllis Maude Haver (January 6, 1899 – November 19, 1960) was an American actress of the silent film era.

Phyllis Haver
Haver in 1922
Born	Phyllis Maude Haver (1899-01-06)January 6, 1899 Douglass, Kansas, U.S.
Died	November 19, 1960(1960-11-19) (aged 61) Sharon, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1915–1930
Spouse	William Seeman ​ ​ (m. 1929; div. 1945)​

Early life

Haver was born in Douglass, Kansas to James Hiram Haver and Minnie Shanks Malone. When she was young, her family moved to Los Angeles, California. Haver attended Los Angeles Polytechnic High. After graduating, she played piano to accompany the new silent films in local theaters.^[1]

Career

Picture Play, Jun 1928, Phyllis Haver on the cover

Haver auditioned for comedy producer Mack Sennett on a whim. Sennett hired her as one of his original Sennett Bathing Beauties.^[2] Within a few years, she appeared as a leading lady in two-reelers for Sennett Studios. In 1923, Buster Keaton cast her as the female lead in his short The Balloonatic.

Later, while signed with DeMille-Pathé, Haver played the part of murderess Roxie Hart in the first film adaptation of Chicago in 1927, opposite Hungarian film actor Victor Varconi. One reviewer called her performance "astoundingly fine," and added that Haver "makes this combination of tragedy and comedy a most entertaining piece of work."^[3]

She performed in the comedy film The Battle of the Sexes (1928), directed by D. W. Griffith, and appeared with Lon Chaney in his last silent film, Thunder (1929). Haver retired from the industry with two sound films to her credit.

Personal life

In 1929, she married millionaire William Seeman with a service performed by New York Mayor James J. Walker^[4] at the home of Rube Goldberg, the cartoonist. The couple divorced in 1945. Haver had no children.

Death

Haver retired in Sharon, Connecticut. She died at age 61 from an overdose of barbiturates in 1960.^[5]

Selected filmography

Haver as a "beach beauty", photographed by Mack Sennett in 1917

• Whose Baby? (1917)
• The Sultan's Wife (1917)
• The Pullman Bride (1917)
• '49–'17 (1917)
• Are Waitresses Safe? (1917)
• Salome vs. Shenandoah (1919)
• Love, Honor and Behave (1920)
• A Small Town Idol (1921)
• The Bolted Door (1923)
• The Balloonatic (1923 short)
• The Common Law (1923)
• Lilies of the Field (1924)
• The Fighting Coward (1924)
• Single Wives (1924)
• The Breath of Scandal (1924)
• One Glorious Night (1924)
• The Foolish Virgin (1924) *lost film
• The Snob (1924) *lost film
• New Brooms (1925) *lost film
• After Business Hours (1925)
• I Want My Man (1925)
• Her Husband's Secret (1925) *lost film
• A Fight to the Finish (1925)
• The Caveman (1926) *partially lost, one reel is missing
• Up in Mabel's Room (1926)
• Don Juan (Uncredited, 1926)
• Other Women's Husbands (1926) *lost film
• Hard Boiled (1926)
• The Nervous Wreck (1926)
• 3 Bad Men (1926)
• Fig Leaves (1926)
• What Price Glory (1926)
• The Way of All Flesh (1927) *lost film
• The Rejuvenation of Aunt Mary (1927) *lost film
• The Fighting Eagle (1927)
• No Control (1927)
• Your Wife and Mine (1927)
• The Wise Wife (1927)
• Chicago (1927)
• Nobody's Widow (1927)
• The Little Adventuress (1927)
• The Shady Lady (1928)
• The Battle of the Sexes (1928)
• Sal of Singapore (1928)
• Tenth Avenue (1928)
• Thunder (1929) *lost film, only half a reel survives
• The Office Scandal (1929)
• She Couldn't Say No (1930) *lost film, only soundtrack survives