Irene Bentley (1869 or 1870[1] – June 3, 1940) was an American stage actress and vocalist.
Irene Bentley | |
|---|---|
 1908 | |
| Born | 1869 or 1870 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | June 3, 1940 Allenhurst, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1895-1910 |
| Spouses |
|
Biography
editBentley was born in Baltimore, Maryland, The daughter of William H. Bentley and Alexina Mabee Bentley.[1]
Bentley's stage debut came in April 1895 when she performed in Little Christopher in Palmer's Theatre in New York.[1] She went on to become "a major stage star in New York and London".[2]
She appeared in Sally in Our Alley with Marie Cahill and also in The Wild Rose, The Belle of Bohemia, The Belle of New York, The Strollers, It Happened in Nordland, and The Belle of Mayfair.[3]
Niece
editA niece of her second husband, Harry B. Smith, used Irene Bentley's name to become a film actress. Hence there are two actresses named Irene Bentley when perusing film or stage biographies. The younger Irene Bentley was born in 1904 and died in 1965, and appeared in films such as My Weakness (1933), Smoky (1933), and Frontier Marshal (1934).[citation needed]
Personal life and death
editBentley first married J. T. Sothoron. She later married librettist Harry B. Smith. This was her second marriage.[4] She died at her home in Allenhurst, New Jersey, on June 3, 1940, aged 70.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Irene Bentley, 70, Former Actress". The New York Times. June 4, 1940. p. 23. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ Mackin, Jim (November 24, 2020). Notable New Yorkers of Manhattan's Upper West Side: Bloomingdale–Morningside Heights. Fordham University Press. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-8232-8931-8. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
- ^ Who Was Who in The Theatre: 1912-1976 vol. 1 (A-C), p. 188 originally published annually by John Parker; this 1976 edition by Gale Research Company
- ^ "Irene Bentley Weds: Actress and Harry B. Smith, the Librettist, Married in Boston", New York Times, November 26, 1906.
External links
edit- Irene Bentley profile, IBDb.com. Accessed November 13, 2022.
- Portrait gallery (New York City Public Library, Billy Rose collection)
- Irene Bentley gallery (University of Washington, Sayre Collection)
- on the cover of THE THEATRE magazine; September 1903 (archived)
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