Biography

Gladys Sylvani born Gladys Sylvani Smith in London on the 18th December 1884. a star of the West End stage in London, appearing in musicals and dramas such as 'The Chryseams' which had 810 performances and also in 'The Arcadians' between 1909-11. first appeared in films for the Barker Film Co with 'The Three Lovers' in 1910 and the following year she became a delightful, sweet and charming star of the Hepworth Film Company between 1910-13, Sylvani was quintessentially an English beauty who seem to have devised a special, understated acting style for the screen, she's perhaps best remembered in 1913's 'A Woman's Wit' directed by Warwick Buckland and her co-star Alec Worcester. retired from the screen shortly afterwards in late 1913. She was a big hit with the public and without question the most popular of all English picture stars. Her last name was Smith, but she called herself Sylvani (her middle name) because it sounded more exotic. moved to the United States in 1939 and died in Virginia in 1953 age 68
- IMDb mini biography by: Paul Rothwell-Smith