Clare Eames

Clare Eames (August 5, 1894 – November 8, 1930) was an American actress and stage director, and the first wife of playwright Sidney Howard.

Clare Eames
Clare Eames c. 1925
Born(1894-08-05)August 5, 1894
Hartford, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedNovember 8, 1930(1930-11-08) (aged 36)
Richmond, London, England
OccupationActress
Years active1918–1930
Spouse(s)Sidney Howard
(married 1922–1930)
ChildrenClare Eames Howard
Parent(s)Hayden Eames and Clare Hamilton Eames
RelativesEmma Eames (aunt)

Early years

Eames was born August 5, 1894 in Hartford, Connecticut, the daughter of Clare (Hamilton) and Hayden Eames.[1] Her maternal grandfather was Maryland governor and senator William Thomas Hamilton. Her aunt was American soprano Emma Eames.[2]

Eames' family moved to Cleveland, Ohio when she was 11 years old. From there, she went to Paris to live with her aunt and studied drama.[3] She attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[4]

Career
Clare Eames as Princess Elizabeth in Amélie Rives' stage adaptation of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper (1920)

In 1919, Eames joined the repertory theatre headed by Ethel Barrymore.[5]

After World War I, Eames was considered one of the leading new female lights of the Broadway stage, performing classical roles in plays by Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw.[6] She made her stage debut in 1918.[2] As a virtual unknown on Broadway, she won acclaim for her performance as the young Princess Elizabeth in a 1920 stage adaptation of Mark Twain's The Prince and the Pauper.[7] After her starring role in John Drinkwater's one-act play Mary Stuart (1921), Eames quickly rose to the top rank in the American theatre.[2]

Eames made a handful of silent pictures, but died before having the opportunity to appear in sound films.[8]

Personal life

Eames was engaged to Lieutenant Philip Livingston Rose, who was killed in action on October 6, 1918.[3]

In 1922 Eames married playwright Sidney Howard. He divorced her in March 1930 after she had moved to England. He was awarded custody of their young daughter Clare, later known as Jennifer Howard.[2]

Death

She died November 8, 1930 at a hospital in Richmond, London, England, following surgery.[2] She was 36.[6][8][9]

Theatre credits
Clare Eames in the Broadway production of John Drinkwater's Mary Stuart (1921)
Date Title Role Notes
April–May 1918 The Big Scene Greenwich Village Theatre, New York City[10]
October 6, 1919 – May 1920 Déclassée Lady Wildering Empire Theatre, New York City[10]
November 1, 1920 – March 1921 The Prince and the Pauper Princess Elizabeth Booth Theatre, New York City[10]
March 21 – April 1921 Mary Stuart Mary Stuart Ritz Theatre, New York City[10]
March 21 – April 1921 Man About Town Ritz Theatre, New York City[10]
September 1–?, 1921 Swords Fiamma National Theatre, New York City[10]
March 13 – April 1922 The First Fifty Years Ann Wells Princess Theatre, New York City[10]
November 1923 The Spook Sonata The Mummy Provincetown Playhouse, New York City[10]
February 3 – June 1924 Fashion Mrs. Tiffany Provincetown Playhouse, New York City[10]
March 15 – April 1924 Macbeth Lady Macbeth 48th Street Theatre, New York City[10]
May 16–?, 1924 Hedda Gabler Hedda Tesman 48th Street Theatre, New York City[10]
September 27 – November 1924 The Little Angel Sarah Bornemissza Frazee Theatre, New York City[10]
December 24, 1924 – April 1925 Candida Miss Proserpine Garnett 48th Street Theatre, New York City[10]
February 24 – May 1925 The Wild Duck Director (with Dudley Digges)
48th Street Theatre, New York City[10]
October 21 – November 14, 1925 Lucky Sam McCarver Carlotta Ashe Playhouse Theatre, New York City[10]
November 23, 1925 – January 1926 Androcles and the Lion Lavinia Klaw Theatre, New York City[10]
November 23, 1925 – January 1926 The Man of Destiny The Lady Klaw Theatre, New York City[10]
February 2–?, 1926 Little Eyolf Mrs. Rita Allmers Guild Theatre, New York City[10]
October 11 – November 1926 Juarez and Maximillian Carlotta Guild Theatre, New York City[10]
November 29, 1926 – April 1927 Ned McCobb's Daughter Carrie Callahan John Golden Theatre, New York City[10]
January 3 – February 1927 The Brother Karamozov Katerina Ivanova Verhovovtseva Guild Theatre, New York City[10]
September 13, 1927 – ? The Silver Cord Christina St Martin's Theatre, London[11]
January 22–23, 1928 The Unquiet Spirit Marceline Apollo Theatre, London[12]:563
November 19 – December 10, 1928 The Sacred Flame Nurse Wayland Henry Miller's Theatre, New York City[10]
January 28 – April 12, 1930 Milestones Gertrude Rhead Criterion Theatre, London[13]:6
July 2–6, 1930 The Procurator of Judea Producer
Little Theatre, London[13]:43
August 27–30, 1930 John o' Dreams Producer
Regent Theatre, London[13]:49

Filmography
Year Title Role Notes
1924 Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall Queen Elizabeth [14]
1925 The Swan Princess Dominica [14]
1925 The New Commandment Mrs. Parr [14]
1929 The Three Passions Lady Bellamont [15]

References
  1. "Chooses Stage Career". The Tampa Tribune. Florida, Tampa. May 20, 1917. p. 23. Retrieved May 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Clare Eames Dead; Brilliant Actress". The New York Times. November 9, 1930. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  3. "Clare Eames Brings More Local Color to 'Prince and the Pauper'". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. January 13, 1921. p. 37. Retrieved May 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Walter Abel of 'Parlor Story' Played at Old Provincetown". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. March 2, 1947. p. 29. Retrieved May 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Former Hartford Girl in Ethel Barrymore's Company". Hartford Courant. Connecticut, Hartford. September 30, 1919. p. 15. Retrieved May 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. Who Was Who in the Theatre: 1912–1976 a compilation of editions published annually by John Parker; 1976 version published by Gale Research Company
  7. "Frontispiece: Clare Eames as Princess Elizabeth". Theatre Magazine. January 1921. p. 5. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  8. Who Was Who on Screen 3rd Edit. by Evelyn Mack Truitt, p.212; c.1983
  9. Silent Film Necrology 2nd Edit. by Eugene Michael Vazzana, p. 150; c.2001
  10. "Clare Eames". Internet Broadway Database. Retrieved March 6, 2018.
  11. Howard, Sidney (1927). The Silver Cord. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. OCLC 654735252.
  12. Wearing, J. P. (2014). The London Stage 1920–1929: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108-9302-3.
  13. Wearing, J. P. (2014). The London Stage 1930–1939: A Calendar of Productions, Performers, and Personnel. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108-9304-7.
  14. "Clare Eames". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
  15. "The Three Passions". Silent Era. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
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