Biography

Gene Gauntier was born on May 17, 1885 in Kansas City, Missouri, USA. She was an actress and writer, known for A Hitherto Unrelated Incident of the Girl Spy (1911), Evangeline (1908) and The Scarlet Letter (1908). She was married to J.J. Clark. She died on December 18, 1966 in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Silent -screen actress and screenwriter, with Kalem from 1906. Her actual name was Eugenia Gauntier Liggett. In 1912 she left Kalem to form the Gene Gauntier Feature Players Company in conjunction with her former mentor, director Sidney Olcott. She retired from films in 1920. An interesting footnote to her career is, that as a producer for Biograph in 1907, she gave the first directing assignment to an actor they then called "Larry" who would become legendary silent-film producer-director D.W. Griffith.

Following her retirement from film, she penned two novels. The manuscript for her 1928 autobiography titled "Blazing the Trail" is on display at the Film Library of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

[on director Sidney Olcott] He loved a fight and was as tenacious as a bulldog. His method of direction would not be tolerated today. Shouts, threats, sarcasm, bullying, cajoling, petting, he would try each in turn. But after the scene was over it was always the same--an arm thrown around the shoulder, compliments, enthusiasm. His people adored him, respected him and would (and did) risk their lives for him.