| Lola May | |
| Birth Name: | May Purman |
| Birth Date: | March 15, 1889 |
| Birth Place: | North Dakota, U.S. |
| Death Date: | February 4, 1971 (aged 81) |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Actress |
| Yearsactive: | 1914–1918 (film) |
Lola May (born May Purman;[1] 1889–1971) was an American silent film and stage actress.
May was born in North Dakota. She was a stage actress and appeared in seven films during the silent era including the historical drama The Beggar of Cawnpore.[2] She appeared in the 1908-1909 Broadway hit A Gentleman from Mississippi. Her other Broadway plays included The Lure (1913), Just Like John (1912), and An Old New Yorker (1911).[3]
Beginning in November 1913, May faced a lawsuit from Marie Crandell, who said that her estranged husband, Derby Crandell, had bought gifts for May and had dined with her. Mrs. Crandell said "My husband was a model husband and we were very happy until this other woman came between us." The suit asked for $50,000 damages.[4] The suit was dismissed on March 21, 1914, after Mrs. Crandell "failed to file a bill of particulars".[5]
In 1916 she appeared in Thomas H. Ince's anti-war film Civilization as Queen Eugenie.[6] The film reputedly cost $1 million to make.