Priscilla Dean

Biography

Her parents were both stage actors, so Priscilla Dean began her career as an infant in their productions. She made her film debut at age 14 in a series of one-reelers for Biograph and several other studios. In 1911 she was hired by Universal Pictures and soon gained popularity as the female lead in the comedy series of Eddie Lyons and Lee Moran. Her appearance in the serial The Gray Ghost (1917) propelled her to stardom, and she began appearing in many of Universal's most prestigious productions. The coming of sound damaged her career, however, and by the early 1930s she was appearing in low-budget films for minor independent studios.