Eugenia Gilbert

Biography

Eugenia Gilbert was born Eugenia Knapp on November 18, 1902 in East Orange, New Jersey. She attended high school in New York City and went to Mallborough College in Los Angeles. When her father became ill she quit school and got a job as a dancer. She made her acting debut in the short film Paul's Peril (1920). Eugenia began entering beauty pageants and in 1923 she won the title of Miss Los Angeles. She became one of Mack Sennett's bathing beauties and he signed her to a long term film contract. Eugenia starred in dozens of comedies including A Rainy Knight (1925), Sinners in Silk (1924), and A Broadway Butterfly (1925) (where she was, as often, credited as Eugenie Gilbert). In 1927, she starred in the action serial The Crimson Flash (1927). She was also Leo D. Maloney's leading lady in three Westerns (Don Desperado (1927), The Long Loop on the Pecos (1927), and The Man from Hard Pan (1927)). Eugenia was considered one of the most versatile starlets in Hollywood. In her spare time she liked to go to a cabin she bought in the mountains. Although she made more than sixty films she never became a major star. At the age of twenty-seven Eugenia decided to quit making movies. Her final film was the comedy Courtin' Wildcats (1929). During the 1930s, she worked as a model in fashion shows. She eventually got married and changed her last name to Enders. Eugenia spent her final years living in Santa Monica. She died from heart failure on December 8, 1978 and was cremated.