Biography

Born Bessie Harrison in Santa Barbara in 1890. Her father Edgar Thomas Harrison was a musician. Bessie starred in at least 200 melodrama, action westerns and crime films. In the 1910 she was visiting the Selig Film studios with a party of friends, when a director saw and liked her red hair because he said it would photograph a beautiful black, so he offered her a minor role, she had no formal training on stage, as did many early film actors, she was talented and soon rose to be one of Selig's most popular stars. Her first major role as a leading actress was under the direction of Francis Boggs in 'The Sheriff of Tuolomne' starring Tom Mix in 1911. Bessie will be perhaps be best remembered as Helen Chester in 'The Spoilers' directed by Colin Campbell with co-star William Farnum in 1914 and as Virginia Carvel in 'The Crisis' based in Winston Churchill's sprawling novel, co-starring George Fawcett and Matt Snyder, Bessie remained with selig until 1918. She was last seen in a supporting role as Ada Tremaine in John Ince's 'The Girl of Gold' starring Florence Vidor and Malcolm McGregor for the Regal Film Co in 1925. She returned to the screen in the 1930's as a extra. Bessie reportedly had a terrible argument with her mother Claribel, walked out of her Hollywood home, and was never seen or heard from again. Her brother Elbert spent years searching for her but was unsuccessful.Bessie married at 19 to Selig film producer Charles Eyton they divorced in 1915. She died from congestive heart failure in 1965 age 74.
- IMDb mini biography by: Paul Rothwell-Smith