Leah Baird (born Ada Frankenstein; June 20, 1883 – October 3, 1971)[1] was an American actress and screenwriter.
Life
Baird was born in Champaign County, Illinois.[2][3] on June 20, 1883, the daughter of William Frankenstein and Bertha Schreiver Frankenstein Rathjen. She had two older sisters, Augusta and Mathilda. Both her parents were alcoholics and her mother was one of the richest madams in Central Illinois.
An early star for Vitagraph Studios,[4] Baird began her film career in 1910 in Jean and the Waif opposite Jean, the Vitagraph Dog. She played several leads in William F. Brady's troupe, opposite Douglas Fairbanks. In the late 1910s she played in 15 episodes of the serial Wolves of Kultur. Baird wrote and produced film during the 1920s.[5]
Baird later became a screenwriter and contributed to a number of Clara Bow features.[citation needed] She was married to producer Arthur F. Beck.[3]
Baird was under contract to Warner Bros. for seventeen years, where she appeared in character roles and as an extra.[6]
Partial filmography
Photo from The First One Hundred Noted Men and Women of the Screen by Carolyn Lowrey pub. 19201920
^She herself states her birthplace is Champaign County, Illinois
New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957
Author
Ancestry.com
Publisher
Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006.Original data - Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls); Records of the U.S. Customs Service, R
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