Laura Bayley
| Laura Bayley | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1864 |
| Died | 1938 (aged 73–74) |
| Nationality | British |
| Other names |
|
| Occupation | Actor, filmmaker |
| Spouse(s) | George Albert Smith |
Laura Eugenia Bayley (1864 – 1938) was a British actor and filmmaker.
Early life
Bayley was born in the English seaside town of Ramsgate. She and her sisters Blanche, Florence, and Eva joined J. D. Hunter's Theatre Company, performing at the Brighton Aquarium.[1] At the age of twenty-four, she married George Albert Smith. The couple had two children, Harold Norman and Dorothy Eugenie, in 1889 and 1890, respectively (both would later appear in Smith's films).[1]
Stage and film career
Bayley, a professional actress, was experienced in comic acting for pantomime and revues.[2] When Smith went into the filmmaking business in 1897, he drew extensively on her knowledge of visual humor and audience tastes, and starred her in many of his most significant films.[2]
The British Film Institute's Screenonline database ranks Bayley as "the most prolific British actress" in turn-of-the-century cinema.[3] Bayley also appeared in some of Smith's 1906 and 1908 tests of the color-film process Kinemacolor.[1]
During her acting career, Bayley also worked on her own as a filmmaker, making numerous short films that were designed and marketed for a home projector, the Biokam.[1]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1897 | Hanging out the Clothes; or, Master, Mistress and Maid | The maid |
| 1897 | The X Rays | The young woman |
| 1897 | The Haunted Castle | |
| 1898 | Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother | Cinderella |
| 1898 | Santa Claus | The mother |
| 1899 | The Death of Poor Joe | Poor Joe |
| 1899 | The Kiss in the Tunnel | The young woman |
| 1900 | Let Me Dream Again | The young woman |
| 1900 | The Old Maid's Valentine | Miss Pimple |
| 1900 | Scandal over the Teacups | |
| 1901 | A Photograph Taken from Our Area Window | |
| 1902 | Robinson Crusoe | Robinson Crusoe |
| 1903 | Mary Jane's Mishap; or, Don't Fool with the Paraffin | Mary Jane |
| 1906 | Two Clowns |
References
- 1 2 3 4 Fletcher, Tony (2013), Gaines, Jane; Vatsal, Radha; Dall'Asta, Monica, eds., "Laura Bayley", Women Film Pioneers Project, Center for Digital Research and Scholarship, Columbia University Libraries, retrieved 20 October 2016
- 1 2 Gray, Frank, "Smith, G.A. (1864-1959)", Screenonline, British Film Institute, retrieved 20 October 2016
- ↑ Duguid, Mark, "Mary Jane's Mishap or, Don't Fool with the Paraffin (1903)", Screenonline, British Film Institute, retrieved 20 October 2016