Genevieve Hamper Explained

Genevieve Hamper
Birth Date:8 September 1888
Birth Place:Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Death Place:New York City, U.S.
Occupation:actress
Spouse:Robert B. Mantell (1912-1928) (his death) (1 child)
John Alexander (1928-1971)[1]
Children:1

Genevieve Hamper (September 8, 1888 – February 13, 1971) was an American stage and screen actress.

Hamper began performing Shakespeare as a teenager. She often appeared in early silent films and on stage with her much older first husband Robert B. Mantell. They headed the Robert Mantell-Genevieve Hamper Shakespearean Repertoire Company,[2] and they had a son, Robert B. Mantell Jr. After Mantell's death, in October 1928 she married actor John Alexander, and she retired from the stage. He died in 1982.[3] [4]

Hamper worked for the Fox Film Corporation, including portraying Claire in The Green-Eyed Monster (1916).[5]

In 1929, Hamper directed her own Shakespearean company that presented plays in venues including the Metropolitan Theater in Minneapolis. She rehearsed actors at Woodcrest, her country estate in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. Her directing approach included reducing or eliminating "the ranting and sonorous mouthing treatment of characters" while still delivering the essence of each play to the audience.[6] She felt that the calmer approach would be favored by audiences that had become accustomed to films.[6]

Hamper died at the Sanger Nursing Home in New York City in 1971, aged 82.[7]

Selected filmography

Notes and References

  1. News: Genevieve Hamper, Stage Actress, 82. The New York Times. 20 February 1971.
  2. News: Caldwell . Lily May . Genevieve Hamper, great lady of theater, is in town this week . February 12, 2022 . The Birmingham News . February 14, 1956 . 6. Newspapers.com.
  3. Silent Film Necrology p.225 2ndEdition c.2001 by Eugene M. Vazzana
  4. Who Was Who on Screen, p.196 2ndEdition c.1977 by Evelyn Mack Truitt
  5. News: Princess . February 12, 2022 . Natchez Democrat . May 26, 1916 . 2. Newspapers.com.
  6. News: 'Natural Method' in Producing Plays Revives Interest in Shakespeare . February 12, 2022 . The Minneapolis Star . October 19, 1929 . 34. Newspapers.com.
  7. News: Genevieve Hamper, Stage Actress, 82 . February 12, 2022 . The New York Times . February 20, 1971 . 30. subscription.