Esther Ralston

Esther Ralston
Born	September 17, 1902(1902-09-17) Bar Harbor, Maine, U.S.
Died	January 14, 1994 (aged 91) Ventura, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1915–1962
Spouse(s)	George Webb (1925–1933) (divorced) Will Morgan (1934–1938) (divorced) Ted Lloyd (1939–1954) (divorced)

Esther Ralston (September 17, 1902 – January 14, 1994) was an American movie actress whose greatest popularity came during the silent era.

Early life and career

Ralston started as a child actress in a family vaudeville act which was billed as "The Ralston Family with Baby Esther, America's Youngest Juliet." From this, she appeared in a few small silent film roles before gaining attention as Mrs. Darling in the 1924 version of Peter Pan.

In the late 1920s she appeared in many films for Paramount, at one point earning as much as $8000 a week, and garnering much popularity, especially in Britain. Displaying the sweet charm that credited her as "The Blonde Beauty of the Silent Screen", and by Florenz Ziegfeld, "The American Venus", She was among Hollywood's great silent film actresses. She appeared mainly in comedies, often portraying spirited society girls, but she also received good reviews for her forays into dramatic roles. In 1962, she had a leading role in the short-lived daytime drama, Our Five Daughters.

Retirement

Despite making a successful transition to sound, she was reduced to appearing in B-movies by the mid-1930s, leading to her retirement. By the time she settled down in 1941, she had made over 150 movies. During the mid 1950's as Mrs. Esther Lloyd, a grandmother, she worked in the Seventh Church of Christ Scientist in New York. Happy with her life, Ralston expressed no desire to make a comeback.

Esther Ralston died in Ventura, California on January 14, 1994.

She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (6664 Hollywood Boulevard) for her popular work in motion pictures.

Family relationships

She is of no known relation to fellow silent film actress Jobyna Ralston. She was the aunt of television/stage/radio/recording artist Bob Ralston and the great-great aunt of stage and television actor Field Cate.

Selected filmography

• The Kid (1921)
• The Lone Hand (1922)
• The Prisoner (1923)
• The Phantom Fortune (1923)
• Blinky (1923)
• The Marriage Circle (1924)
• Wolves of the North (1924)
• Peter Pan (1924)
• Old Ironsides (1926) with Wallace Beery and Charles Farrell
• The American Venus (1926)
• Children of Divorce (1927)
• The Case of Lena Smith (1929)
• Rome Express (1932; made in the UK)
• Sadie McKee (1934)
• Reunion (1936)
• Jungle Menace (1937)

References

• Drew, William H. Speaking of Silents: First Ladies of the Screen. Vestal: New York, 1989.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Esther Ralston

• Esther Ralston at the Internet Movie Database
• Esther Ralston at Find a Grave
• Photographs of Esther Ralston