On display at the Archives until Fall 2024.
Marie Prevost Signed Portrait.
Marie Prevost was born in Sarnia to Mary Bickford Dunn on November 6, 1896, to Arthur 'Teddy' and Hughina (McDonald) Dunn. In 1897, her father who was a railway conductor, was one of six men killed in a tragic accident in the St. Clair Rail Tunnel by fumes from a steam locomotive.
Wilbur Theatre Program for Marie Prevost in "Cornered".
Marie’s mother married Frank Prevost in 1899 and the family moved around the U.S. until settling in Los Angeles in around 1910 where Mary found work as a stenographer. Marie was discovered at the age of 18 when she was visiting a movie set, being mistaken for an actress and put into a scene. Mack Sennett spotted Marie’s natural comic ability and signed her up for $15 a week. She became one of his Bathing Beauties.
Motion Picture Classic - Marie Prevost.
One of her first publicly successful film roles came in the 1920 romantic film Love, Honor, and Behave, opposite another newcomer and Sennett protegé, George O’Hara. Initially cast in numerous minor comedic roles as the beautiful and innocent young girl, she worked in several films for Sennett’s studio until 1921 when she signed with Universal.
To view the full exhibit, visit the Archives.
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