Personal Info
Birth date
1877-10-31 (147 Years)
Day of death
1966-10-23
Gender
Female
Known for
Acting
Place of birth
New York City, New York, USA
Also known as
Claire MacDowell
Clare Mc Dowell
Doris Carlton
Claire McDowell
Biography
Claire McDowell (2 November 1877 – 23 October 1966) was an American actress. She appeared in 360 films between 1908 and 1945. Still somewhat of a youthful beauty when she started in early silent films, McDowell appeared in numerous films, eventually graduating to playing character and mother types. She can be seen to good advantage in Douglas Fairbanks's 1920 The Mark of Zorro. McDowell appeared in two of the biggest films of the silent era, The Big Parade (1925) and Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925), both in which she played mothers. She was married to silent screen character actor Charles Hill Mailes from 1906 to his 1937 death. The couple appeared in numerous silent films together, including The Mark of Zorro. They had two sons, Robert Mailes and Eugene Mailes. Claire McDowell died, aged 88, in Hollywood, California. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Filmography
The Strange Love of Molly Louvain
5.9
Overview:
A fast-talking reporter befriends a young woman and her male companion who are wanted for a policeman's shooting.It Happened One Night
7.831
Overview:
A runaway heiress makes a deal with the rogue reporter trailing her but the mismatched pair end up stuck with each other when their bus leaves them behind.Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
7.305
Overview:
Erstwhile childhood friends, Judah Ben-Hur and Messala meet again as adults, this time with Roman officer Messala as conqueror and Judah as a wealthy, though conquered, Israelite. A slip of a brick during a Roman parade causes Judah to be sent off as a galley slave, his property confiscated and his mother and sister imprisoned. Years later, as a result of his determination to stay alive and his willingness to aid his Roman master, Judah returns to his homeland an exalted and wealthy Roman athlete. Unable to find his mother and sister, and believing them dead, he can think of nothing else than revenge against Messala.Hangmen Also Die!
6.935
Overview:
During the Nazi occupation of Czechoslovakia, surgeon Dr. Franticek Svoboda, a Czech patriot, assassinates the brutal "Hangman of Europe", Reichsprotektor Reinhard Heydrich, and is wounded in the process. In his attempt to escape, he is helped by history professor Stephen Novotny and his daughter Mascha.Boys Town
6.739
Overview:
Devout but iron-willed Father Flanagan leads a community called Boys Town, a different sort of juvenile detention facility where, instead of being treated as underage criminals, the boys are shepherded into making themselves better people. But hard-nosed petty thief and pool shark Whitey Marsh, the impulsive and violent younger brother of an imprisoned murderer, might be too much for the good father's tough-love system.Imitation of Life
7
Overview:
A struggling widow and her daughter take in a black housekeeper and her fair-skinned daughter. The two women start a successful business but face familial, identity, and racial issues along the way.The Mark of Zorro
7.147
Overview:
Don Diego Vega pretends to be an indolent fop as a cover for his true identity, the masked avenger Zorro. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.The Big Parade
7.561
Overview:
The story of an idle rich boy who joins the US Army's Rainbow Division and is sent to France to fight in World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl.Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble
5.833
Overview:
Andy is going to Wainwright College as did his father. He sees a pretty blonde on the train and he is alternately winked at or slapped every time he sees her. Andy is clueless. On the train Andy meets Kay and Dr. Standish who are both headed for Wainwright. Andy likes Kay, but Dr. Standish also seems to take an interest in her. Things are going well at College with Kay, but the blonde is nice one minute and ignores Andy the next. When Andy finds out that the blonde is really identical twins, he tries to help them out with their father but gets caught at their rooming house after midnight.Three Comrades
7.1
Overview:
A love story centered on the lives of three young German soldiers in the years following World War I. Their close friendship is strengthened by their shared love for the same woman who is dying of tuberculosis.This Land Is Mine
7.1
Overview:
Somewhere in Europe, in a city occupied by the Nazis, a gentle school teacher finds himself torn between collaboration and resistance, cowardice and courage.The Working Man
6.6
Overview:
A successful shoe manufacturer named John Reeves goes on vacation and meets the grown children of his recently deceased and much-respected competitor; they're on the verge of losing the family legacy through their careless behavior. Reeves takes it upon himself to save his rival's company by teaching the heirs a lesson in business.Du Barry Was a Lady
6.1
Overview:
Hat check man Louis Blore is in love with nightclub star May Daly. May, however, is in love with a poor dancer but wants to marry for money. When Louis wins the Irish Sweepstakes, he asks May to marry him and she accepts even though she doesn't love him. Soon after, Louis has an accident and gets knocked on the head, where he dreams that he's King Louis XV pursuing the infamous Madame Du Barry.The Big House
6.705
Overview:
Convicted of manslaughter for a drunken driving accident, Kent Marlowe is sent to prison, where he meets vicious incarcerated figures who are planning an escape from the brutal conditions.Idiot's Delight
6.1
Overview:
A group of disparate travelers are thrown together in a posh Alpine hotel when the borders are closed at the start of WWII.Keeper of the Flame
6.6
Overview:
Famed reporter Stephen O'Malley travels to a small town to investigate the death of a national hero.Test Pilot
6.5
Overview:
Jim is a test pilot. His wife Ann and best friend Gunner try their best to keep him sober. But the life of a test pilot is anything but safe.Miracles for Sale
6.4
Overview:
A maker of illusions for magicians protects an ingenue likely to be murdered.Brothers
NYR
Overview:
Bob Naughton and Eddie Connolly are identical-twin brothers that were separated in infancy. Bob is raised by a rich lawyer, has all the advantages, but is a drunk with no moral character. Eddie is a pianist in a speak-easy but a man of high character. Bob commits a murder and Eddie is blamed and faces life in prison.Young Tom Edison
5.6
Overview:
Inventor Thomas Edison's boyhood is chronicled and shows him as a lad whose early inventions and scientific experiments usually end up causing disastrous results. As a result, the towns folk all think Tom is crazy, and creating a strained relationship between Tom and his father. Tom's only solace is his understanding mother who believes he's headed to do great things.Presenting Lily Mars
6.3
Overview:
Starstruck Indiana small-town girl Lily is pestering theatrical producer John Thornway for a role but he is reluctant.Union Depot
6.1
Overview:
Among the travelers of varied backgrounds that meet and interact on one night at Union Depot, a metropolitan train station, are Chick and his friend Scrap Iron, both newly released from prison after serving time for vagrancy. Hungry and desperate for a break, Chick fortuitously comes across across a valise abandoned by a drunken traveler. In it he finds a shaving kit and a suit of clothes with a bankroll, which help transform the affable tramp into a dashing gent. After buying himself a meal, Chick seeks some female companionship among the many hustlers who walk the station. He propositions Ruth Collins, a stranded, out-of-work showgirl and takes her to the station's hotel.Under Eighteen
6.6
Overview:
Working girl Margie Evans has decided there are two kinds of opportunities for a slum kid during the Depression: Those you make and those you take. Determined to help her family out of its financial bind, she is ready to do both after she shows up at the penthouse pool bash of a wealthy playboy.Song of Revolt
6
Overview:
This MGM Tabloid Musical short tells the story of how France's national anthem, "La Marseillaise", came to be written during the French Revolution.Wild Boys of the Road
6.862
Overview:
At the height of the Great Depression, Tommy's mother has been out of work for months when Eddie's father loses his job. Eager not to burden their parents, the two high school sophomores decide to hop the freight trains and look for work.Thunder Afloat
5.9
Overview:
A tugboat captain serves under his rival as a U-boat chaser in World War I.Small Town Girl
5.9
Overview:
Kay is a girl living in a small rural town whose life is just too dull and repetitious to bear. One night, she meets young, handsome, and rich Bob Dakin, who asks her for directions while drunk and then proceeds to take her out on a night on the town. Kay likes the stranger, and when the drunken Bob decides that they should get married, Kay hesitates little before consenting. The morning after the affair, Bob, once sober, regrets his mistake. His strict and upright parents, however, insist that the young couple pretend marriage for 6 months before divorcing, in order to avoid bad publicity. Bob resents Kay for standing in the way of him and his fiancée, Priscilla, but Kay still hopes that he'd have a change of heart.Lawyer Man
5.818
Overview:
Idealistic attorney Anton Adam makes headlines when he successfully prosecutes a prominent New York City political party boss named Gilmurry. Adam's sudden renown attracts the attention of high-profile legal eagle Granville Bentley, who asks Adam to become a partner in his law firm. But Adam's rising career takes a nosedive when he's framed by corrupt Dr. Gresham and a sexy actress in a trumped-up breach of promise suit. The only constant in Adam's life is the loyalty and unrequited love of his secretary Olga.Acting
1945Adventure as Woman in Library (uncredited)
1944Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble as Dr. Standish's Servant (uncredited)
1944Men on Her Mind as Mother Goodwin
1943Du Barry Was a Lady as Subway Passenger
1943This Land Is Mine as Woman in Bathroom
1943Presenting Lily Mars as Dowager
1943Hangmen Also Die! as Counterwoman (uncredited)
1943Keeper of the Flame as Unknown
1941Lady Scarface as Mrs. Tuckerman
1941Whispers as Gossip (uncredited)
1940Dr. Kildare Goes Home as Nurse for Mr. Winslow (uncredited)
1940The Golden Fleecing as Pedestrian (uncredited)
1940A Failure at Fifty as Minor Role (uncredited)
1940Young Tom Edison as Woman at Station
1939Joe and Ethel Turp Call on the President as Gossiper
1939Thunder Afloat as Nurse (uncredited)
1939One Against the World as Jane Todd Crawford (uncredited)
1939Miracles for Sale as Jack of Diamonds Woman
1939Angel of Mercy as Mother (uncredited)
1939Idiot's Delight as Crying Mother
1939Stand Up and Fight as Woman
1938Boys Town as Nun (uncredited)
1938The Man on the Rock as Napoleon's Mother (uncredited)
1938They're Always Caught as Mrs. Fletcher (uncredited)
1938Three Comrades as Landlady Frau Zalewski (uncredited)
1938Test Pilot as Funeral Home Associate (uncredited)
1937A Night at the Movies as Movie Patron (uncredited)
1937Two-Fisted Sheriff as Miss Herrick - Molly's Aunt
1937Song of Revolt as Artistocratic Dowager (uncredited)
1936Small Town Girl as Woman in Bed (uncredited)
1936August Week End as Alma Washburne
1935Murder by Television as Mrs. Houghland
1934Imitation of Life as Teacher Outside Classroom (uncredited)
1934Two Heads on a Pillow as Mrs. Helen Gorman
1934British Agent as Woman Saying 'Lenin will Live' (uncredited)
1934Dr. Monica as Miss Bryerly (uncredited)
1934Journal of a Crime as Sister at Hospital (uncredited)
1934It Happened One Night as Mother on Bus (uncredited)
1934Bedside as Nurse
1933Wild Boys of the Road as Mrs. Smith
1933By Appointment Only as Mrs. Mary Carroll
1933The Working Man as Benjamin's Secretary
1933Central Airport as Mrs. Blaine
1932Lawyer Man as Gilmurry's Secretary (uncredited)
1932A Successful Calamity as Struthers' Secretary (uncredited)
1932The Phantom Express as Ma Nolan
1932Cornered as Jane's Aunt
1932The Strange Love of Molly Louvain as Ann Marie's Caregiver Mrs. Schiller (uncredited)
1932The Famous Ferguson Case as Brooks' Landlady (uncredited)
1932Union Depot as Little Boy's Mother (uncredited)
1932Under Eighteen as Seamstress (uncredited)
1931Manhattan Parade as Nancy - the Maid
1931An American Tragedy as Mrs. Samuel Griffiths
1930Mothers Cry as Mary's Mother
1930Brothers as Bess Naughton
1930Wild Company as Mrs. Laura Grayson
1930The Big House as Mrs. Marlowe
1930Young Desire as Mrs. Spencer
1930The Second Floor Mystery as Aunt Hattie
1930Redemption as Anna Pavlovna
1929The Quitter as Mrs. Abbott
1929Silks and Saddles as Mrs. Calhoun
1929The Flying Fleet as Mrs. Hastings (uncredited)
1928The Viking as Lady Editha (as Claire MacDowell)
1928Don't Marry as Aunt Abigail Bowen
1928The Tragedy of Youth as Mother
1927Almost Human as Mrs. Livingston
1927The Shield of Honor as Mrs. MacDowell
1927Winds of the Pampas as Doña Maria Casandos
1927Tillie the Toiler as Ma Jones
1927The Black Diamond Express as Martha Foster
1927The Taxi Dancer as Aunt Mary
1927The Auctioneer as Mrs. Tim Eagan
1927A Little Journey as Aunt Louise
1926The Flaming Forest as Mrs. McTavish
1926The Show Off as Mom Fisher
1926The Unknown Soldier as John Phillips' sister
1926The Shamrock Handicap as Molly O'Shea
1926The Dixie Merchant as Josephine Fippany
1926The Devil's Circus as Mrs. Peterson
1925Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ as Princess of Hur
1925The Midnight Flyer as Liza Slater
1925The Big Parade as Mrs. Apperson
1925The Tower of Lies as Katrina
1925The End of the World as Mrs. Joyce
1925The End of the World as Mrs. Joyce
1925Waking Up the Town as Mrs. Joyce
1925The Reckless Sex as Concha
1924Those Who Dare as Mrs. Rollins
1924Secrets as Elizabeth Channing
1924Thy Name Is Woman as Juan's Mother
1924Judgment of the Storm as Mrs. Heath
1923Enemies of Children as Godfrey sister
1923Ponjola as Mrs. Hope
1923Ashes of Vengeance as Margot's Aunt
1923Circus Days as Martha
1923Human Wreckage as Mrs. Brown
1923Michael O'Halloran as Nancy Harding
1923The West~Bound Limited as Mrs. Bill Buckley
1922Quincy Adams Sawyer as Mrs. Putnam
1922Heart's Haven as May Caroline
1922Nice People as Margaret Rainsford
1922Penrod as Mrs. Schofield
1922Rent Free as Countess de Mourney
1921Love Never Dies as Liz Trott
1921What Every Woman Knows as Comtesse de la Brière
1921Midsummer Madness as Mrs. Osborne
1921Prisoners of Love as Her Mother
1920The Mark of Zorro as Dona Catalina Pulido
1920Something to Think About as Housekeeper
1920The Jack-Knife Man as Lize Merdin
1920Through Eyes of Men as Mrs. Virginia All
1920The Gift Supreme as Lalia Graun
1920The Woman in the Suitcase as Mrs. James B. Moreland
1919The Feud as Mary Lynch
1919Heart o' the Hills as Martha Hawn
1919Prudence on Broadway as Miss Grayson
1919The Follies Girl as Nina
1919Rosalind at Redgate as Unknown
1918You Can't Believe Everything as Grace Dardley
1918Captain of His Soul as Annette
1917The Storm Woman as Unknown
1917The Empty Gun as Mary
1917The Clean-Up as Vera Vincent
1917The Bronze Bride as A-Che-Chee
1917The Gates of Doom as Indore / Agatha
1917Avarice as The Miserly Old Woman
1917The White Raven as Daisy
1916The Right to Be Happy as Mrs. Cratchit
1916Mixed Blood as Nita Valyez
1916A Stranger from Somewhere as Olga
1915As It Happened as The Ranchman's Daughter
1915Old Offenders as Joe's Wife
1915Her Convert as The Old Inventor's Daughter
1915The Way Out as The Young School Teacher
1915Her Dormant Love as The Discontented Wife
1915Truth Stranger Than Fiction as Crook
1915The Canceled Mortgage as The Widowed Mother
1915A Day's Adventure as Hogan's Moll
1915The Gambler's I.O.U. as Nell - Daddy Wilson's Daughter
1915The Miser's Legacy as The Crook's Wife
1915The Sheriff's Dilemma as Molly
1915The Heart of a Bandit as Claire
1914Men and Women as Mrs. Stephen Rodman
1914The Cracksman's Gratitude as Unknown
1914Her Hand as Olga
1914Her Father's Silent Partner as Unknown
1914A Nest Unfeathered as Kate
1914His Fireman's Conscience as Mrs. Daily
1914The Fatal Wedding as Unknown
1914Waifs as Unknown
1914Concentration as The Mother
1913The Abandoned Well as The Widow
1913For Her Government as Unknown
1913The House of Discord as The Sister-in-Law
1913All for Science as Detective
1913The Detective's Stratagem as Kate, the Bank Clerk's Sweetheart
1913The Stopped Clock as The Antique Dealer's Daughter
1913The Van Nostrand Tiara as Kate
1913A Tender-Hearted Crook as Edith
1913The Law and His Son as Marguerite, Manning's Sister
1913The Stolen Treaty as Olga
1913The Strong Man's Burden as Ida Glynn, The Nurse
1913The Crook and the Girl as The Uncle's Adopted Daughter
1913The Work Habit as The Daughter in the City
1913Under the Shadow of the Law as John Haywood's Sister
1913I Was Meant for You as Lavina
1913The Vengeance of Galora as Galora
1913A Misappropriated Turkey as Mrs. Fallon / Widow Logan
1913The Mirror as Daisy
1913A Gambler's Honor as Beth
1913A Gamble with Death as Kate
1913The Switchtower as The Switchman's Wife
1913The Well as The Farmer's Wife
1913The Enemy's Baby as Miller's Wife
1913The Ranchero's Revenge as The Schemer's Associate
1913Olaf—An Atom as A Parent
1913The Stolen Loaf as The Rich Woman
1913The House of Darkness as The Doctor's Wife
1913The Tenderfoot's Money as The Prospector's Wife
1913The Wanderer as The Female Lover
1913The Stolen Bride as The Wife
1913The Unwelcome Guest as The Wife
1913The Wrong Bottle as The Blind Sister
1913The Telephone Girl and the Lady as The Lady
1912The God Within as The Woodsman's Wife
1912A Cry for Help as The Thief's Wife - the Charity Patient
1912The Massacre as Stephen's Belle - In Prologue
1912The New York Hat as The Main Gossip
1912A Sailor’s Heart as The Sailor's Third Sweetheart
1912In the Aisles of the Wild as The Elder Daughter
1912So Near, Yet So Far as Rich Woman in Other Town
1912Two Daughters of Eve as The Mother
1912Man's Genesis as Cave Woman
1912The School Teacher and the Waif as The Street Fakir's Sweetheart
1912Lena and the Geese as Lena's Mother
1912A Temporary Truce as Mexican Jim's Wife
1912When the Fire-Bells Rang as An Actress
1912The Old Actor as At Audition
1912The Female of the Species as The Miner's Wife
1912A String of Pearls as The Italian Shoemaker's Wife
1912The Sunbeam as The Spinster
1912The Sands of Dee as Artist's fiancee
1912Under Burning Skies as The Friend
1912Billy's Stratagem as Billy's Mother
1912The Baby and the Stork as The Mother, The Workman
1911A Woman Scorned as The Doctor's Wife
1911The Long Road as Ned's Wife
1911The Adventures of Billy as Rich Woman
1911The Unveiling as Unknown
1911The Squaw's Love as Silver Fawn
1911Swords and Hearts as Irene Lambert
1911A Country Cupid as The Half-Wit's Mother
1911The Primal Call as The Woman
1911The Manicure Lady as Lunchroom Hostess
1911A Decree of Destiny as A Nun
1911Fisher Folks as At Fair
1911What Shall We Do with Our Old? as The Old Carpenter's Wife
1911Fate's Turning as At Hotel/At Wedding
1911His Trust Fulfilled as Mrs. Frazier
1911His Trust as Col. Frazier's wife
1910The Golden Supper as Lady-in-Waiting
1910His New Lid as Unknown
1910Waiter No. 5 as The Chief of Police's Wife
1910The Message of the Violin as The Other Woman's Servant
1910The Iconoclast as Unknown
1910Rose o' Salem Town as Unknown
1910The Oath and the Man as Rebel
1910A Mohawk's Way as Unknown
1910Muggsy Becomes a Hero as One of the Sisters Frost
1910Wilful Peggy as Housemaid
1910The Usurer as Despairing Mother / One of the Third Debtors
1910A Flash of Light as At First Party
1910Love Among the Roses as Unknown
1908The Call of the Wild as Party Guest
1908The Planter's Wife as Mrs. John Holland
1908The Devil as Unknown