Louise Closser Hale

Biography

An endearing veteran of the U.S. and London stages before entering films at the advent of sound, matronly Louise Closser Hale would also earn recognition as a novelist. Born Louise Closser in Chicago, Illinois on October 13, 1872, she was the daughter of a well-to-do grain dealer. She began her acting studies at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in NYC and Emerson College of Oratory in Boston. On stage from 1894 in a production of "In Old Kentucky," Louise thrived in stock companies for several years. In 1899, she married actor/writer/artist Walter Hale and added his surname to her moniker for the stage. She made her Broadway debut in "Arizona" at the Herald Square Theatre in 1900 which also featured her husband. Louise's first hit New York show was a few years later as Miss Garnett in George Bernard Shaw's "Candida" (1903), and thereafter continued at a fairly regular pace with sturdy performances in "Abigail" (1904), "It's All Your Fault" (1906), "Clothes" (1906) and "The Straight Road" (1907). In 1907, she made her London debut in one of her most identifiable roles, that of Miss Hazy in "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch." A writer of travel books, husband Walter collaborated and illustrated a number of them -- We Discover New England (1915), We Discover the Old Dominion (1916), and An American's London (1920). Both Louise and Walter also continued on the Broadway stage with some of Louise's credits including "The Sins of Society" (1909), "His Name on the Door" (1909), "Lulu's Husband" (1910), "The Blue Bird" (as a Fairy) (1910), "The Marriage of Columbine" (1914) and "Ruggles of Red Gap" (1915). Following Walter's death from cancer in 1917, Louise returned to Broadway in such shows as "For the Defense" (1919), "Miss Lulu Bett" (as Lulu's mother) (1920), "Peer Gynt" (as Aase) (1923), "Expressing Willie" (1924), "One of the Family" (1925), "The Ivory Door" (1927), "Paris" (1928) and "Lysistrata" (1930). Usually playing older than she was, Louise debuted on film in an isolated silent short Winning His Wife (1919). She would not return to the screen until a decade later with the mystery part-talkie The Hole in the Wall (1929) starring Claudette Colbert. Abandoning the theatre completely, the 57-year-old Louise would appear in a surprisingly large number of pre-Code films during her all-too-brief Hollywood stay -- less than a half decade to be exact. Playing everything from housekeepers to haughty blue bloods, most of her characters were readily equipped with a tart tongue and severe look of disapproval. Among the silver-haired actress's many films were the romantic musical Paris (1929) as an interfering mother who goes to great lengths to stop her son's (Jason Robards Sr.) marriage; the Helen Kane western comedy Dangerous Nan McGrew (1930) as the wealthy owner of a hunting lodge; the Al Jolson blackface musical comedy Big Boy (1930) as a plantation matriarch; the Constance Bennett romantic drama Born to Love (1931) as crusty Lady Ponsonby; the chic comedy Platinum Blonde (1931) as wealthy socialite Jean Harlow's snooty mother; the Marlene Dietrich/Josef von Sternberg classic adventure Shanghai Express (1932) as the prim, disdainful owner of a Shanghai boarding house; the George Arliss romance drama The Man Who Played God (1932) as the benevolent and supportive sister to pianist Arliss; the sudsy Joan Crawford drama Letty Lynton (1932) as Crawford's loyal maid and traveling companion; the pre-Code version of Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1932) starring Marian Nixon with Louise as acidulous Aunt Miranda; another Crawford vehicle, the war drama Today We Live (1933), as, again, Crawford's devoted servant; the Helen Hayes romantic weepy Another Language (1933) as a master manipulating mother; and the classic all-star dramedy Dinner at Eight (1933) as Billie Burke's blunt cousin. In addition to her travel books, Louise became quite well known in the literary field as an author. Her first novel, A Motor Car Divorce (1906), was followed by The Actress (1909); The Married Miss Worth (1911); Her Soul and Her Body (1912), which created a sensation and was later turned into a play; Home Talent (1926); and Canal Boat Fracas (1927). Louise also co-wrote Mother's Millions" (1931), which was later developed into a play. Following an unbilled role in The Marx Brothers zany comedy Duck Soup (1933), 60-year-old Louise Closser Hale suffered an apoplectic stroke on July 25, 1933, while shopping in Hollywood, California. Rushed to Monte Sano Hospital, she suffered a fatal second stroke the next day, robbing Hollywood too soon of a highly gifted character actress. The film was released posthumously later that year in November. The widowed Ms. Hale had no children and left her estate to relatives and various charities. Her body was cremated and her ashes interred in Hollywood Forever Cemetery.