Dorothy Peterson

Peterson was born in Hector, Minnesota, of Swedish ancestry. She studied at a dramatic school, performing in adaptations of Greek plays, and then attended the Chicago Musical College.[1]

For two years, Peterson toured with Borgony Hammer's Ibsen Repertory Company. She left that troupe to go to New York, where she began performing in Broadway productions.[1] Broadway plays in which she acted included Subway Express (1929), Dracula (1927), God Loves Us (1926), Pomeroy's Past (1926), Find Daddy (1926), The Fall Guy (1925), All God's Chillun Got Wings (1924), and Cobra (1924).[2]

She made her screen debut in Mothers Cry (1930), a domestic drama that required the 29-year-old actress to age nearly three decades in the course of the film.[3]

Dorothy Peterson in Pursuit (1935)

Mothers Cry instantly typecast Peterson in careworn maternal roles, which she continued to assay for the rest of her career. Most of her subsequent film assignments were supporting roles like Mrs. Hawkins in Treasure Island. In 1942, she briefly replaced Olive Blakeney as Mrs. Aldrich in the comedy series entry Henry Aldrich for President.

Her last screen appearance was as the mother of Shirley Temple in That Hagen Girl (1947). Peterson remained active on the New York TV and theatrical scene until the early 1960s. She appeared in 83 films, and made several television appearances between 1930 and 1964.

She died in New York City, aged 81.{{Citation needed |date=February 2021}}

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dorothy Peterson.

• Dorothy Peterson at IMDb
• Dorothy Peterson at the Internet Broadway Database
• Dorothy Peterson at AllMovie