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Marie Osborne Yeats | |
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 Osborne in 1918 | |
| Born | Helen Alice Myres (1911-11-05)November 5, 1911 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | November 11, 2010(2010-11-11) (aged 99) San Clemente, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1914–1977 |
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Marie Osborne Yeats (bornHelen Alice Myres; November 5, 1911 – November 11, 2010), credited asBaby Marie between 1914 and 1919, was an American actress who was the first majorchild star of Americansilent films. She was one of the three major American child stars of the Hollywood silent film era along withJackie Coogan andDiana Serra Cary. As an adult, from 1934 until 1950, and now billed asMarie Osborne, she continued in film productions, although she appeared only in uncredited roles. In the 1950s, after retiring from the acting profession, she carved out a second career as a costume designer forHollywood film.[1]
Osborne was born asHelen Alice Myres inDenver, Colorado, the daughter of Roy and Mary Myres. She soon became — under mysterious circumstances — the child of Leon and Edith Osborn, who called her Marie and added the "e" to the surname, apparently to obscure the adoption.[2] Her foster parents, the Osbornes, introduced their daughter to silent films when they left Colorado to work atBalboa Studios inLong Beach, California. Osborne made her debut credited asBaby Osbourne in 1914's short drama filmKidnapped in New York.
Osborne was signed to a lucrative contract with Balboa Films (and working with directorHenry King and writerClara Beranger), by the age of five she was starring in silent films, including her best-remembered movie,Little Mary Sunshine, from 1916,[3] one of her few surviving films. Some of her other films areMaid of the Wild (1915),Sunshine and Gold (1917),What Baby Forgot (1917),Daddy's Girl (1918),The Locked Heart (1918),Winning Grandma (1918),The Sawdust Doll (1919), andDaddy Number Two (1919).
At the age of eight, she completed her final film as a child star,Miss Gingersnap in 1919. In all, she was featured or starred in 29 films in a six-year period. Most of her films were produced at Diando Studios, the formerKalem Movie Studio inGlendale, California.
As an adult, she returned to motion pictures 15 years later in 1934 – at the request of director Henry King – to appear in his filmCarolina, starringJanet Gaynor andLionel Barrymore. This movie also featured future child starShirley Temple in a minor role. Over the next 16 years, Osborne worked as afilm extra, also serving as astand-in for actresses such asGinger Rogers,Deanna Durbin, andBetty Hutton. After appearing in more than a dozen films, she made her last on-screen appearance inBunco Squad (1950), starringRobert Sterling andJoan Dixon.
In the 1950s, she started a new career as a costumer forWestern Costume, a clothing supplier for the motion picture industry. Osborne worked on the wardrobes for such films asAround the World in 80 Days (1956),How to Murder Your Wife (1965),The Godfather: Part II (1974), andHarry and Walter Go to New York (1976). In 1963, Osborne worked as a special costumer forElizabeth Taylor in the big-budget filmCleopatra. Osborne retired in 1977, and moved toSan Clemente, California.
Marie Osborne married Frank J. Dempsey on May 2, 1931. Dempsey was the father of Osborne's only child, Joan (born May 13, 1932). They divorced in 1937. Osborne married 36-year-old actor Murray F. Yeats on June 14, 1945, and moved toSepulveda, California. They remained married until his death on January 27, 1975.
Marie Osborne Yeats died on November 11, 2010, inSan Clemente, California, shortly after she celebrated her 99th birthday with her family. Marie, her daughter Joan, and her son-in-law Donald were laid to rest at Mission San Luis Rey. Donald and Joan Young are survived by their five children: Mark, Gary, Brian, Joyce, and Karen.
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