Viola Dana

 ( 1897 Births ) 

She began performing in vaudeville with Dustin Farnum in The Little Rebel and played a bit part in The Model by Augustus Thomas.Stone, Tammy. "Viola Dana." The Silent Collection; retrieved October 22, 2014.

Dana remained in California acting for Metro throughout the 1920s, but her popularity gradually waned. One of her latter roles was in Frank Capra's first film for Columbia Pictures, That Certain Thing (1928). She retired from the screen in 1929. Her final screen credits are roles in Two Sisters (1929), One Splendid Hour (1929), and with her sister Leonie Flugrath, better known as Shirley Mason (years earlier she had appeared with her older sister, Edna Flugrath, in the 1923 film The Social Code), in The Show of Shows (1929). By the time she made her final film appearance in 1933, she had appeared in over 100 films. She briefly came out of retirement to appear in her first and only television role in a small part on Lux Video Theatre in 1956.Lussier, Tim. "The tragic Flugrath sisters: Hard to believe, But all three experienced the same loss." silentsaregolden.com, 1999. Retrieved: October 22, 2014.

More than 50 years after her retirement from the screen, Dana appeared in the Kevin Brownlow/David Gill documentary series Hollywood (1980), discussing her career as a silent film star during the 1920s. Footage from the interview was used in the later documentary series (1987) from the same team. "Viola Dana, 1897–1987." Golden Silents, 2014. Retrieved: October 22, 2014.

Locklear was reputed to be the prototype for the character of Waldo Pepper played by Robert Redford in The Great Waldo Pepper (1975). Dana was an honored guest at its premiere.Anderson, Nancy. "Viola Dana Loved the Real Waldo Pepper". Greeley Daily Tribune, April 28, 1975, p. 23. Retrieved: October 22, 2014.

Dana was married to Yale football star and actor Maurice "Lefty" Flynn in June 1925. "Viola Dana Marries Maurice "Lefty" Flynn." The Norwalk Hour, June 22, 1925, p. 5. Retrieved: May 1, 2013. They divorced in February 1929. "Viola Dana To Wed Professional Golfer." The Portsmouth Sunday Times, October 11, 1930, p. 2. Retrieved: May 1, 2013. Her third and final marriage was to golfer Jimmy Thomson from 1930 to March 1945. "Divorce Granted Viola Dana." St. Petersburg Times, March 31, 1945, p. 8. Retrieved: May 1, 2013. In later years, she volunteered at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital, and she moved there permanently in 1979. "Actress Viola Dana, 90, Star of 50 silent movies." Chicago Tribune, July 12, 1987. Retrieved: October 22, 2014. In 1986, one year before her death, she was the subject of a documentary short by Anthony Slide titled Vi: Portrait of a Silent Star, in which she talks of her life and career.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Dana has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located at 6541 Hollywood Boulevard.

• Farmer, James H. Celluloid Wings: The Impact of Movies on Aviation. Blue Ridge Summit, Pennsylvania: Tab Books Inc., 1984. .
• "From the Movies to Stardom". Ogden Standard, January 10, 1914, p. 27.
• "Little Viola Dana Ambitious to Become Grown-Up Actress". ''Indianapolis Star, January 15, 1914, p. 13.
• "Viola Dana In Person at Faurot". Lima News, March 23, 1930, p. 24.

• Viola Dana photo gallery
• Viola Dana at Virtual History