Mary Thurman (née Christiansen; April 27, 1895 – December 22, 1925) was an American actress of the silent film era.
Early life
Mary Christiansen was born in Richfield, Utah on April 27, 1895, one of seven children raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her parents were Christian Christiansen and Mary Sophia Nielsen Christiansen, who were both Danish, her father having been born in
Denmark.
She attended the University of Utah and became a teacher before turning to acting.
Thurman married Victor E. Thurman, son of Utah Supreme Court justice Samuel R. Thurman, in 1915. They divorced in 1919.
Career
Thurman's film career began with roles in the comedies of
Mack Sennett, as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties, and featured appearances in
Bombs! (1916) and
The Fool (1925). Her greatest success came when she started working with director
Allan Dwan. They collaborated on several critically acclaimed films including
The Sin of Martha Queed (1921) and
A Broken Doll (1921). In Dwan's still extant 1923 film
Zaza Thurman is the actress Gloria Swanson fights with. Off screen Thurman and Dwan were engaged for several years. She appeared in nearly sixty Hollywood films from 1915 up until her death in 1925, frequently in those made by Pathé Studios.
Death
In 1924 while working on the film
Down Upon the Suwanee River in
Florida, she came down with a serious case of pneumonia. She suffered from the illness and was hospitalized for nearly a year.
Thurman died of
pneumonia in New York City on December 22, 1925, in Flower Hospital. Her best friend, actress
Juanita Hansen, was at her side when she died.
She was buried in Richfield City Cemetery in her hometown of Richfield, Utah.
Selected filmography
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The Lamb (1915)
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Watch Your Neighbor (1918)
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The Poor Boob (1919)
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This Hero Stuff (1919)
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Spotlight Sadie (1919)
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The Prince and Betty (1919)
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The Scoffer (1920)
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Sand! (1920)
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The Valley of Tomorrow (1920)
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In the Heart of a Fool (1920)
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Leap Year (1921)
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Bare Knuckles (1921)
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A Broken Doll (1921)
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The Lady from Longacre (1921)
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The Sin of Martha Queed (1921)
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The Green Temptation (1922)
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The Bond Boy (1922)
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Zaza (1923)
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The Tents of Allah (1923)
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Wife in Name Only (1923)
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Does It Pay? (1923)
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Those Who Judge (1924)
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The Truth About Women (1924)
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Trouping with Ellen (1924)
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The Law and the Lady (1924)
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Greater Than Marriage (1924)
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Love of Women (1924)
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For Another Woman (1924)
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Playthings of Desire (1924)
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The Mad Marriage (1925)
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Back to Life (1925)
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The Fool (1925)
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The Necessary Evil (1925)
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A Little Girl in a Big City (1925)
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Down Upon the Suwanee River (1925)
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The Wives of the Prophet (1926)
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The New York Times, "Mary Thurman Dead", December 24, 1925, Page 13.
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Oakland, California Tribune, "From Film Fun To Film Drama", September 19, 1920, Page 53.
-
Oakland Tribune, "Cupid Captures Mary Thurman", Tuesday Evening, December 26, 1922, Page 8.
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