Billie Rhodes

Biography

San Francisco-born comedienne of early silent cinema. Born Levita Axelrod in San Francisco, she was (according to Picture Show of July 19, 1919) of English parentage and named 'Billie' because a son had been expected. She trod the boards of vaudeville by the age of eleven and appeared in melodrama under heavy makeup playing adults by the age of thirteen. She also moonlighted in local cafes as a comic entertainer. In 1913, she was hired by the branch of the Kalem film company based in Glendale, California, to appear in several short subjects under her original name. After two years, she left Kalem to begin work for Al Christie at Nestor using her stage name Billie Rhodes for the first time. She was regularly paired with Jay Belasco in the series of situational 'Strand Comedies' and simultaneously worked for the National Film Company, whose owner, actor-producer William Parsons, she married in 1919. However, in September that year, Parsons died unexpectedly aged just 41. Billie's career subsequently took a downturn, though she had a brief run as co-star of several independently made two-reelers opposite Joe Rock. By 1925, she had forsaken the screen to become a vocalist in nightclubs and cabaret.