Minta Durfee
Araminta Estelle " Minta " Durfee ( born October 1, 1889 in Los Angeles, † September 9, 1975 in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles ) was an American actress of the silent film era. In the 1910s she appeared in numerous short film comedies of the Keystone studios. From 1926 to 1971 she played with in almost 30 productions in which she was never mentioned in the credits.
Life and work
Durfee, whose parents Charles Warren Durfee and Flora Adkins were launched seventeen years her career as a theater actress. First, she worked as a chorus girl, later she received better jobs. In Long Beach, she met at a joint appearance in a musical comedian Roscoe Arbuckle, whom she married in 1908 and with whom she Keystone made short films from 1913. Among her major roles for the studio included the landlady caught in Charlie Chaplin's The Star Boarder and abducted innocent country in Arbuckles Leading Lizzie Astray. Particularly memorable she was in men's clothing in The Knockout and as exalted Bartänzerin in Caught in a Cabaret. 1918 Durfee next played Mabel Normand in the feature film Mickey, here she had the role of Elsie Drake. With Normand she joined a long friendship.
Since 1917 Durfee Arbuckle lived separately. As was the comedian in 1921 shattering in the Hollywood scandal involving the death of the young starlets Virginia Rappe involved, she held him. Arbuckle was acquitted after three trials, but his career was ruined. In 1925 Durfee divorced finally by her husband, but wont continue a friendly relationship with him. Later she played supporting roles in numerous films, television productions and series. She helped the history of silent film and her ex-husband Arbuckle with work up. In long interviews with Stuart Oderman they helped to make the Arbuckle biography authentic. Durfee died in 1975 in Woodland Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles, the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital.