Charlotte Mineau(1886-1979)

Tall, statuesque Parisian actress, trained at the Sorbonne. Brunette Charlotte Mineau, known locally as "Lottie", was the daughter of a police officer who tragically drowned when she was all of two months old. As a youngster, she displayed a free spirit and moved around a lot, finding employment variously as a stenographer, a department store clerk and a telephone operator before discovering her muse in show business. Charlotte was already a seasoned performer with Essanay by the time Charles Chaplin arrived from England. In her very first screen appearance in The Usual Way (1913) she co-starred with Wallace Beery. She later appeared in several of Chaplin's films, including an uncredited bit in his debut His New Job (1915). Charlotte subsequently joined Chaplin's move to Mutual, then had spells with Mack Sennett and Hal Roach where she supported Laurel & Hardy on several occasions (notably in Sugar Daddies (1927).

Not merely decorative, Charlotte provided poise and glamour to many a slapstick farce during her sojourn in silent pictures. At the height of her popularity, her salary amounted to a respectable $350 a week. More than once, she was woefully misused by producers who found her difficult to cast due to her unusual height. Cast in villainous or matronly supporting roles she would at times resort to adopting a severe or careworn look to avoid being rejected as "too attractive". Lottie's career wound down with the advent of sound and she was last glimpsed as 'Emily', a party guest, in The Marx Brothers feature Monkey Business (1931).