Virginia True Boardman

Virginia True Boardman (born Margaret Shields,^[1][2][3][4] May 23, 1889 – June 10, 1971) was an American actress of the silent era.

Virginia True Boardman
Boardman in Motion Picture Story Magazine (August 1913)
Born	Margaret Shields (1889-05-23)May 23, 1889 Fort Davis, Texas, U.S.
Died	June 10, 1971(1971-06-10) (aged 82) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Other names	Virginia Eames
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1911–1936
Spouse	True Boardman ​ ​ (m. 1909; died 1918)​
Children	True Boardman Jr.
Relatives	Lisa Gerritsen (great-granddaughter)

Biography

Born in Fort Davis, Texas as Margaret Shields,^[5] Boardman acted with the Streeter-Bryan company in 1908.^[6]

She went on to appear in 52 films between 1911 and 1936. Although her career started off strong, like many actresses of the silent film era she failed to make a successful transition to talking films, and by the mid-1930s her career was at its end for all practical purposes.^{[citation needed]}

On January 16, 1909, she married actor True Boardman,^[7] and they remained wed until his death in 1918. The couple performed together in stock theater companies and in vaudeville.^[7] They had one child, True Eames Boardman, who after a brief acting career had a long career as a script writer for radio, film and television. He was also the grandfather of actress Lisa Gerritsen.^[8]

She died in Hollywood, California, aged 82, from a heart attack.^[9]

Partial filmography

Lobby card featuring Boardman as the mother in Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight? (1922)

Boardman and Raymond McKee in A Blind Bargain (1922)

• The Tomboy on Bar Z (1912)
• The Light of Western Stars (1918)
• The Railroader (1919)
• The Village Blacksmith (1922)
• A Blind Bargain (1922)
• The Third Alarm (1922)
• Three Jumps Ahead (1923)
• Pioneer Trails (1923)
• The Barefoot Boy (1923)
• The Gunfighter (1923)
• The Mailman (1923)
• The Tomboy (1924)
• The Test of Donald Norton (1926)
• King of the Jungle (1927)
• Down the Stretch (1927)
• Speedy Smith (1927)
• The Lady Lies (1929)
• Scareheads (1931)
• The Penal Code (1932)
• Sister to Judas (1932)
• The Big Chance (1933)
• Pardon My Pups (1934)
• The Road to Ruin (1934)
• The Crime Patrol (1936)
• Brand of the Outlaws (1936)
• The Fugitive Sheriff (1936)