Martha Sleeper
Sleeper in 1935
Born	(1910-06-24)June 24, 1910 Lake Bluff, Illinois, U.S.
Died	March 25, 1983(1983-03-25) (aged 72) Beaufort, South Carolina, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Actress; businesswoman
Years active	1923–1945 (Acting)
Spouses	Hardie Albright ​ ​ (m. 1934; div. 1940)​ Harry Deutschbein ​ ​ (m. 1944, divorced)​ Col. Howard C. Stelling ​ ​ (m. 1969)​

Martha Sleeper (June 24, 1910 – March 25, 1983) was a film actress of the 1920s–1930s and, later, a Broadway stage actress. She studied dancing for five years with Russian ballet master,Louis H. Chalif,^[1] at his New York dancing studio. Her first public exhibitions were atCarnegie Hall at his class exhibitions.

Sleeper reputedly spent her first years on a sheep ranch inWyoming. Her father, William B. Sleeper, was an official of theKeith-Albee-Orpheumvaudeville circuit in New York City. Her uncle was John J. Murdock, head of KAO and one of the most powerful men in the business. He had a major impact on her career. Her mother was Minnie Akass.^[2]

Her father retired toLos Angeles, California, in 1923 due to ill health. Martha was under contract toHal Roach studios beginning in 1924, when she was 14 years old. Her father was found dead of heart disease on September 1, 1925, in bed at his home. Sleeper, then 15 years old, with her mother and sister, were away, having taken a short trip to New York City.^{[citation needed]}

Sleeper's film career began in 1923 and continued until 1945. Her first screen appearance, at the age of 12, was inThe Mailman (1923),^[3] an independent production. After appearing in several kiddie comedies at the Christie studio she was signed by theHal Roach studio for theOur Gang series but she quickly outgrew that role, leaving it shortly after her 14th birthday.^[4]

From 1925 to 1927 she appeared in comedies playing opposite the studio's most popular male stars. She developed into a very inventive comedienne, with an animated face of many comic expressions—especially in theCharley Chase shortThe Rat's Knuckles (Martha's a waitress, registering confusion when a customer pours an entire bottle of soda on his sandwich) and in theMax Davidson shortPass the Gravy (Martha, imitating a chicken, thinks she has laid an egg). Many of her early comedies were directed byLeo McCarey.

In 1927, Sleeper was one of 13 actresses selected as aWAMPAS Baby Star,^[5] whom exhibitors thought had a promising future in feature films. Late that year she left the Roach studios—which made only short-subject comedies—and signed with theFBO studio. FBO introduced Sleeper andBryant Washburn as a new comedy team.^[6] In 1928-29 she starred in six silent features. With the coming of sound she was signed byMGM and placed in their training program.

From 1930 to 1936 she played many supporting roles in melodramas, her role typically that of a well-bred and somewhat snobbish society woman who loses her man to the film's leading lady. Frustrated by the types of roles she was being offered, Sleeper began playing in local stage productions, at one point drawing raves asEliza Doolittle in a performance ofPygmalion in 1932.

After appearing in some low-budget melodramas forMonogram studio, Sleeper and her husband, actorHardie Albright, left Hollywood for New York in 1936^{[citation needed]} where Sleeper began a long run in both on- and off-Broadway plays. Her first Broadway play wasGood Men and True (1934).^[7]

In 1944 she spent a summer in the stock cast atElitch Theatre withRaymond Burr as the Leading Man. "Martha Sleeper was the leading lady and made her debut at Elitch in the 1944 season in Frederick Lonsdale's Another Love Story. She was encouraged to begin an acting career by Cecil B. De Mille. At the age of 13 Martha was consumed with the desire to become a film actress. Her parents were acquainted with Cecil B. De Mille and sent her to him in hopes that he would dissuade her from her childish ambition. But De Mille was impressed with the youngster's enthusiasm and believed she possessed talent. De Mille encouraged her to pursue work in Mack Sennett or Hal Roach comedies, which he considered the best school for beginners to learn timing and the ground work for a higher dramatic career." Aware of the pie-throwing antics of the Sennett studio, Martha chose to settle for a part with the Hal Roach comedy shorts.^[8]

In 1945, as a favor to her Hal Roach directorLeo McCarey, Sleeper played the role of Patsy's mother inThe Bells of St. Mary's. It was her last screen role. In 1945, after appearing inThe Bells of St, Mary's, Martha returned to New York and played Spencer Tracy's wife in the Broadway playThe Rugged Path.^[9]

While In New York, she turned a hobby into a thriving business, finding herself at the forefront of a fashion craze for "gadget jewelry" in the late 1930s.^[10] She had designed and manufactured whimsical pieces of costume jewelry for herself, but soon other women saw these pieces and wanted to know where they could obtain a copy. Martha found a company that would manufacture her designs, and they soon became available in department stores around the country, generating Martha a substantial sideline income in addition to her stage work. Many of these pieces were manufactured using Bakelite; these pieces are now considered valuable collectibles.

In 1949, she and her second husband were on an extended cruise in the Caribbean. Her destination was the Virgin Islands and a vacation with her husband; however, when she reached Puerto Rico, she fell in love with the island. Terminating the cruise, Martha and her husband took up permanent residence in San Juan. Looking for a new challenge, and no longer interested in jewelry design, she reinvented herself and began designing women's clothing and resort wear. She had her designs manufactured locally and sold them through a boutique that she established in a 300-year-old building in Old Town San Juan. She won many awards and commissions from large corporations for unique designs. She operated this business from 1950 until her retirement in 1969. In 1969, married her third husband and left San Juan forBeaufort, South Carolina, where she spent her remaining years.

Sleeper died of aheart attack, aged 72, in Beaufort, South Carolina, where she had lived with her third husband, Col. Howard C. Stelling, who survived her.^[7] She had no children.

Many sources had cited 1907 as Sleeper's year of birth, but she was actually born shortly after the 1910 census was taken in April 1910. Martha's true date of birth is June 24, 1910, as verified by a copy of her birth certificate.

No "Martha Sleeper" appears in the 1910 census records; however, a "Martha Sleeper" is listed as 9 years old in the 1920 census (April 1920) and 19 years old in the 1930 census (April 1930). An airline passenger list, flight CBA 611 from St. Maarten to Charlotte Amalie, VI, on 10 Sep 1962, gives a birthdate of 6-24-1910, in Illinois (ancestry.com). A U.K. Incoming Passenger list (ancestry.com) for the RMS Queen Elizabeth, from New York to Southamptom, arriving 19 Aug 1958, gives a birthdate of 24.6.10. The Social Security Death Index records the date of birth of a "Martha Stelling" (Sleeper's third husband's surname) who died in March 1983 inBeaufort County, South Carolina, as June 24, 1910.^[11] Sleeper's 1983New York Times obituary, as well, was titled "Martha Sleeper Is Dead At 72."^[12]

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMartha Sleeper.

Bibliography

• Hayward Daily Review,Silent Film Dream Gal Found in Puerto Rico, May 27, 1955, Page 24.
• Los Angeles Times,Her Youth No Bar To Mature Roles, May 10, 1925, Page 18.
• Los Angeles Times,Keith-Orpheum Former Official Succumbs Here, September 2, 1925, Page A3.
• Los Angeles Times,Here and There, October 29, 1926, Page A8.
• Oakland Tribune,Comedienne Writes, Sunday, October 31, 1926, p. W3.

• Martha Sleeper atIMDb 

• 1910 births
• 1983 deaths
• 20th-century American actresses
• Actresses from Illinois
• American silent film actresses
• American film actresses
• People from Lake Bluff, Illinois
• Actresses from San Juan, Puerto Rico
• 20th-century American businesspeople
• American stage actresses

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