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Nance O'Neil
Acting
Born: October 6, 1874
Oakland, California, USA
Biography
Nance O'Neil, born Gertrude Lamson, was an American stage and screen actress. When she decided to become an actress, her religious father, George Lamson, an auctioneer, denounced his daughter in church for going on the stage and asked the congregation to pray for her. O'Neil's first performance in a professional production was in the role of a nun in Sarah at the Alcazar Theatre in San Francisco on October 16, 1893. At the height of her career, she was promoted on theatre bills and in period trade publications and newspapers as the "American Sarah Bernhardt".
Known For
Cimarron
as Felice Venable
The Royal Bed
as Martha, the Queen
The Florodora Girl
as Mrs. Vibart
Ladies of Leisure
as Mrs. Strong
A Woman of Experience
as Countess Runyi
The Rogue Song
as Princess Alexandra
The Count of Monte Cristo
as Mercedes
False Faces
as Mrs. Finn
Westward Passage
as Mrs. von Stael (uncredited)
The Fall of the Romanoffs
as Czarina Alexandra
