Cecil Cunningham Explained

Birth Date:2 August 1888
Birth Name:Edna Cecil Cunningham
Birth Place:St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Death Place:Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting Place:Chapel Of The Pines Crematory
Education:The Humboldt School, Central High School
Occupation:Stage and film actress, singer, dancer, comedian
Years Active:1906–1957
Spouse:Jean C. Havez (1915–1918) (divorced)

Edna Cecil Cunningham (August 2, 1888 – April 17, 1959)[1] was an American film and stage actress, singer, and comedienne.

Early years

A native of St. Louis, Missouri, Cunningham was one of at least six children born to Sarah Hunter and Patrick Henry Cunningham,[2] [3] onetime Major League outfielder for the original St. Louis Browns.[4] In St. Louis, she attended the Humboldt School and Central High School. [5] Cunningham's early experience in music came as a member of the choir in the Fifth Baptist Church.[6] In the fall of 1903, at the age of fifteen, Cunningham was also said to have "taken a deep interest in the prisoners at the city jail," performing for their benefit at religious services every Sunday. Moreover, reported the St. Louis Republic, these efforts had earned her an uncommon display of gratitude on the part of several inmates.

Cunningham [...] yesterday afternoon received from Edward Phiester and Joseph Spray a mimic ship on which they and several other inmates have been working for two weeks. The ship is constructed of cloth, tinsel and whalebones, in imitation of a transatlantic liner. On the masts, suspended by golden threads, are Miss Cunningham's initials in gold. At the close of services yesterday, Spray and Phiester presented the ship to Miss Cunningham, at the same time telling her that the miniature was a token of their appreciation for her efforts to enliven their existence by her singing.[7]

Career

Cunningham's first show business job was in the chorus line of Mlle. Modiste at the age of 18. She trained as a singer and appeared in opera. She worked as a vaudeville comedian at the Palace Theatre in New York City until the commencement of her movie career in 1929.

Cunningham's Broadway credits include Somewhere Else (1913), Iolanthe (1913), Oh, I Say! (1913), Maids of Athens (1914), Dancing Around (1914), Greenwich Village Follies (1919), The Rose of China (1919), and Dance With Your Gods (1934).[8] She also performed in Paris with the Boston Grand Opera Company, singing in Italian operas.[9]

Cunningham was a Hollywood character actress with whitish hair cut like a man's, often in roles as a general "know-it-all". She made more than 80 appearances in movies from 1929 to 1946, many of them uncredited.

Personal life

Cunningham was married to writer Jean C. Havez from 1915 to 1918.[10]

Death

On April 17, 1959, Cunningham died of heart disease at the Motion Picture Country Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She was 70 years old. Her remains are interred in Chapel of the Pines Crematory.[1]

Complete filmography

Notes and References

  1. Book: Wilson . Scott . Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons . 3d . August 19, 2016 . McFarland . 978-1476625997 . 170 . 20 October 2018 . en.
  2. "New York, New York City Marriage Records, 1829-1938",, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:24Q7-857 : Tue Feb 20 19:51:57 UTC 2024), Entry for Jean C. Havez and Edna Cecil Cunningham, 7 Jan 1915.
  3. "United States Census, 1900",, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M38P-1P9 : Thu Apr 11 20:25:02 UTC 2024), Entry for Patrick Cunningham and Sarah Cunningham, 1900.
  4. Wynn, Mary (March 16, 1937). "Helen Hayes Will Do 'Victoria Regina' Here in April, Next Year; Trumpet Blower". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 16. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  5. Nissen, Axel (2012). Mothers, Mammies and Old Maids: Twenty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 44. .
  6. News: Cecil Cunningham Was Choir Singer . . Pittsburgh . September 10, 1916 . 6; Sec. V . . October 20, 2018.
  7. https://www.newspapers.com/image/76514176/?clipping_id=145602726 "Prisoners Make Gift to Singer"
  8. Web site: Cecil Cunningham . . 20 October 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181020182733/https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/cecil-cunningham-36869 . 20 October 2018.
  9. News: Hobbies Suit Cecil Better Than Hubbies . . December 14, 1919 . 12 Sec. IV . Newspapers.com . October 20, 2018.
  10. Foote, Lisle (2014). Buster Keaton's Crew: The Team Behind His Silent Films. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 161. . "By August 1917, Havez filed suit for separation. They aired their mutual grievances in the newspapers: he charged that she had dumped him after she'd become a success and bragged about her earnings, and she said that he was lazy and she'd been supporting him for years. The divorce was finalized in 1918."

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