Nance O'Neil

Biography

Nance O'Neil, born Gertrude Lamson, was an American stage and screen actress. When she decided to become an actress, her religious father, George Lamson, an auctioneer, denounced his daughter in church for going on the stage and asked the congregation to pray for her. O'Neil's first performance in a professional production was in the role of a nun in Sarah at the Alcazar Theatre in San Francisco on October 16, 1893. At the height of her career, she was promoted on theatre bills and in period trade publications and newspapers as the "American Sarah Bernhardt".

Known For

Cimarron

as Felice Venable

Ladies of Leisure

as Mrs. Strong

The Lady of Scandal

as Lady Trench

The Royal Bed

as Martha, the Queen

The Florodora Girl

as Mrs. Vibart

Westward Passage

as Mrs. von Stael (uncredited)

Transgression

as Honora 'Nora' Maury

The Rogue Song

as Princess Alexandra

False Faces

as Mrs. Finn

The Count of Monte Cristo

as Mercedes