Mary Thurman(1895-1925)

Red-headed former schoolteacher, who was discovered by a Mack Sennett talent scout, while on vacation in California. She proved a very photogenic crowd extra and was signed to a contract in 1915, in short order becoming one of the 'Mack Sennett Bathing Beauties'. She made inroads into dramatic acting, but contracted malaria in the course of filming Down Upon the Suwanee River (1925) and died of bronchial pneumonia at the end of the year.

I shall always be grateful for the years I spent in comedy. I attained success and I made money but it wasn't the sort of work I liked.