Alta Allen
Alta Allen was born in 1904 in Oakland, Ca. Her mother
was born in Scotland, and her father was a well known "character
man" on the West Coast (it is not clear if this is in the
theatre or in film). She had her first professional acting job
as Beth in "Little Women" at age 10 at the Bishop's
(later Fulton) Theatre in Oakland. She later worked in ingenue
parts in the Fairmont Follies in San Francisco. She made one picture
for Universal, "A Shocking Night" with Eddie Lyons,
before signing a two-year contract with Fox; however, she only
made one picture for Fox, "Skirts' (1921), a slapstick farce
with Clyde Cook and Chester Conklin. She broke her contract with
Fox to freelance, and was picked up by Max Linder for the feminine
lead in "Seven Years Bad Luck." Later that same year,
she co-starred with him in "Be My Wife." She made one
picture for Hampton Del Ruth in 1922, "The Marriage Cheat"
opposite Milton Sills. Her next films didn't come until 1924 when
she made "A Self-Made Failure" for J.K. McDonald Productions
with Ben Alexander and Lloyd Hamilton, and a western, "Daring
Chances" for Universal with Jack Hoxie. Her final screen
appearance was in 1926 in Universal's "The Set-Up,"
a western starring Art Acord. Nothing more is known about her
life.
Selected films of this star available for viewing:
Be My Wife (1921)
Seven
Years Bad Luck (1921)
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