Phyllis Haver (January 6, 1899 – November 19, 1960) was an American actress of the silent film era.

Early life

She was born Phyllis Haver in Douglass, Kansas. When she was young, her family moved to Los Angeles, California, then a city of less than half a million people. Haver attended Los Angeles Polytechnic High. After graduating, she played piano to accompany the new silent films in local theaters.

Career

Haver auditioned for comedy producer Mack Sennett on a whim. Sennett hired her as one of his original Bathing Beauties Within a few years, she appeared as a leading lady in two-reelers for Sennett Studios.

At the Sennett Studios, Haver played the part of Roxie Hart in the first film adaptation of Chicago in 1927, opposite Hungarian film actor Victor Varconi. One reviewer called her performance "astoundingly fine", and added that Haver "makes this combination of tragedy and comedy a most entertaining piece of work."

She performed in the 1928 comedy film The Battle of the Sexes, directed by D. W. Griffith. The next year, she appeared with Lon Chaney, Sr. in his last silent film, Thunder.

Haver retired from the industry with two 'sound' films to her credit.

Personal life

She married millionaire William Seeman with a service performed by New York Mayor James J. Walker at the home of Rube Goldberg, the cartoonist. The couple divorced in 1945.

Death

Haver retired in Sharon, Connecticut. She died at age 61 from an overdose of barbiturates in 1960, a suspected suicide Haver left no survivors.

Selected filmography

Whose Baby? (1917)

The Sultan's Wife (1917)

The Pullman Bride (1917)

The Balloonatic (1923 short)

The Snob (1924)

The Caveman (1926)

Don Juan (Uncredited, 1926)

3 Bad Men (1926)

Fig Leaves (1926)

What Price Glory (1926)

The Way of All Flesh (1927)

Chicago (1927)

The Battle of the Sexes (1928)

Thunder (1929)

She Couldn't Say No (1930)