People active in the silent era and people who keep the silent era alive. Copyright © 1999-2024 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

Photograph by Fred Hartsook; Silent Era image collection.

Claire McDowell

Born 2 November 1877 in New York, New York, USA.
Died 23 October 1966 in Hollywood, California, USA.

Married actor Charles Hill Mailes, 23 January 1906; until Charles’ death, 17 February 1937; son, Robert Mailes; son, Eugene Mailes.

Claire McDowell began her motion picture career at Biograph Company in 1908 under the direction of D.W. Griffith, who was making his earliest films. In the 1920s, McDowell appeared as a supporting player in some of the decade’s greatest films: The Mark of Zorro (1920), Human Wreckage (1923), The Tower of Lies (1925), The Big Parade (1925), Ben-Hur (1925), 4 Devils (1928) and the Technicolor feature The Viking (1928).

When Claire ended her film career, in 1945, she had appeared in more than 350 films.

References: Website-IMDb.