Claire Anderson

Biography

Claire Anderson was born Claire Mathes on May 8, 1895 in Detroit, Michigan. She moved to Hollywood and became one of Mack Sennett's first bathing beauties. Claire was five feet, five inches tall and 132 pounds. She started making movies with Keystone in 1914 (she also used the screen name Cora Anderson). Claire appeared in dozens of comedy shorts including His Baby Doll (1917) and A Clever Dummy (1917). While filming The Lion and the Girl (1916) she bravely got into a cage with an actual lion. Mack Sennett signed her to a long term contract for $675 a week. In 1918 Claire was given starring roles in Mlle. Paulette (1918), The Mask (1918), and Mile. After leaving Keystone she worked for Fox. She co-starred with Tom Mix in The Road Demon (1921) and with John Gilbert in The Yellow Stain (1922). Claire married auto dealer Harry H. Anderson but they divorced in 1926. He had been having an affair with bathing beauty Florence Omley and Claire sued her for "alienation of affection". Florence responded to the lawsuit by challenging Claire to a fist fight. Claire retired from making movies and moved to Venice, California. She died on March 23, 1964 at the age of sixty-eight.