La Badie, Florence |
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BORN 27 Apr 1888, New York City, New York - DIED 13 Oct 1917, Ossining, New York BIRTH NAME Russ, Florence CAUSE OF DEATH car accident (consequences of) GRAVE LOCATION New York City, New York: Greenwood Cemetery, Brooklyn (Section 113, Lot 17187) |
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Florence La Badie was possibly adopted by Joseph and Amanda La Badie from Montral, Quebec. In 1908 she started acting with a touring company. She also modelled for the artist Penrhyn Stanlaws and was a fashion model for covers of magazines. Mary Pickford introduced her to D.W. Griffith in 1909, but she was only given minor parts in some Biograph movies. In 1911 she moved on to Edwin Thanhouser, who gave her leading parts in "The Last of the Mohicans" (1911) and " Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hide" (1912). In 1914 "The Perils of Pauline" was a great success and it was followed by the serial "The Million Dollar Mystery". She liked adventure, drove a motorcycle and was able to fly airplanes. She was also a keen pianist and could play many parts from classical works from memory. She was engaged to Val Hush, a Cadillac salesman, when she met Daniel Carson Goodman, who wrote the "Zudora" serial for Thanhouser. He became her new fiancee. In 1917 she was driving in het car with Daniel as a passenger near Ossining, New York. Suddenly the brakes brakes failed as she drove down a hill. The car overturned and she was thrown out of it. Goodman had only a broken leg, but Florence was seriously wounded and died after two months in hospital. He loss was mourned by many. There were theories that she was murderd because she was pregnant by a politician, but no proof was found. In a statement dated a few days before her death a woman named Marie C. Russ had come forward who claimed to be her mother. She pointed to a Russ family burial plot at Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn with a free lot 17187 that was reserved for a Florence Russ. Florence was indeed buried at Greenwood Cemetery and sources state she was buried in lot 17187 that is shown on the photographs. If that is so it remains unclear why Marie C. Russ was believed, unless it was confirmed at the time that she was Florence's mother. |
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 The grave of Florence La Badie at Greenwood Cemetery, New York City. Picture by Androom (15 Apr 2010) |
 The grave of Florence La Badie at Greenwood Cemetery, New York City. Picture by Androom (15 Apr 2010) |
Sources • Find-A-Grave • Florence La Badie - Wikipedia (EN) • Thanhouser Company Film Preservation, Inc. |
