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Martha Mattox

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American actress

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Martha Mattox
Mattox in The Cat and the Canary (1927)
BornEleanor Perry Mellen
(1879-06-19)June 19, 1879
Natchez, Mississippi, U.S.
DiedMay 2, 1933(1933-05-02) (aged 53)
Sidney, New York, U.S.
Alma materEast Mississippi Female College
OccupationActress
Years active1913 - 1933
SpouseArchibald Junius Sneed
Children5

Martha Mattox (born Eleanor Perry Mellen; June 19, 1879 – May 2, 1933) was an American silent film actress most notable for her portrayal of Mammy Pleasant in the 1927 film The Cat and the Canary. She also played a role in Torrent (1926). She died from a heart ailment at age 53.

Early years

Born Eleanor Perry Mellen in Natchez, Mississippi, Mattox was the daughter of Thomas Lewis Mellen and Mary Eleanor Mellen. She attended East Mississippi College, where she studied dramatic art. (Another source gives the school's name as East Mississippi Female College, with graduation in 1892.) A 1923 article in the Calgary Herald newspaper described her as "a full-blooded Creole", of Spanish descent on her father's side and French on her mother's. She taught for several years at Holding Seminary.

Career

Her initial acting was on stage, including performances with the Marion Leonard Company. After working on stage, she began performing in films, initially in Westerns and action films and later in melodramas and comedies. Her film debut came in 1915, and she played a variety of roles in the silent-film era.

Personal life and death

Mattox married Arichbald J. Sneed Jr. on July 29, 1897, in Canton, Mississippi, and they had five children.

Activities in Mattox's personal life included donating prizes and selecting winners in the Better Baby Exposition.

On May 2, 1933, Mattox died of heart disease in Sidney, New York, at age 53.

Partial filmography

References

  1. ^ "Death clains actress sister of Enid women". The Enid Daily Eagle. May 3, 1933. p. 11. Retrieved January 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Katchmer, George A. (2009). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. pp. 236–237. ISBN 978-0-7864-4693-3. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  3. "Mississippi Female College". Birmingham Post-Herald. June 2, 1892. p. 1. Retrieved January 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Martha Mattox film pioneer". Calgary Herald. Canada, Alberta, Calgary. December 17, 1923. p. 16. Retrieved March 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Erickson, Hal. "Martha Mattox". AllMovie. Archived from the original on March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  6. "Sneed-Mellen". Evening Messenger. Texas, Marshall. August 5, 1897. p. 8. Retrieved January 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Actress Aids Better Baby Exposition". Los Angeles Evening Express. California, Los Angeles. September 26, 1929. p. 35. Retrieved March 23, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.

External links

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