Louiszita Valentine

Biography

Louiszita Valentine was born Louiszita Valentine Simons to parents Percival Fairfax Simons, a local carpenter, and Julia Valentine Steel (Sthiel), on Staten Island, New York. Louiszita began her acting career in summer stock as Louiszita Simons in 1911, and about the time she married Charles Henry McKinney (stage manager) in 1914, began using the name Louiszita Valentine. Predominantly a stage actress, she made 9 films in her career, what We call silent films today, but in her day called vitagraphs, beginning with The Test (short 1915), followed by The Lost Girl (1916), A Social Climber(short 1917), The Love of Princess Olga (short 1917) The Mystery of No. 47 (1917), The Sea Rider (1920), The Gauntlet (1920), Polly with a Past (1920), and Mr. Potter of Texas (1922). A famous actress in her time, and the leading lady of the Empire Stock Company, Pittsburgh for many years. Louiszita had done stock work in Troy, NY opening the play "The Sleeping City" and with husband Charles McKinney were the owners of the Amsterdam Theatre in NYC, in 1917. In 1920 the couple split, while McKinney moved on to marry twice more, Louisita married for the last time in 1927 to stock broker Theodore Hoffman Holman, and retired in Plainfield, New Jersey. After the death of her husband in 1958 she moved to Matewan, New Jersey, near her brother Robert Valentine Simons. Louiszita died there on February 3, 1969, and laid to rest beside her husband Theodore at Hillside Cemetery, Scotch Plains, Union County, New Jersey.