Hope Hampton: Difference between revisions

 

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The daughter of Ellsworth Kraft Hampton<ref>{{cite news|title=Hope Hampton Gets Father’s Estate|work=[[New York Daily News]]|date= July 21, 1937|page= 43}}</ref> and his wife Evelyn Grace Hampton,<ref>Evelyn G Hampton in the ”[[1900 United States Federal Census]]”</ref> Hope Hampton was born in [[Houston]], [[Texas]] and raised in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/10/16/archives/recognition-at-last-being-something-about-the-struggles-and.html|title=RECOGNITION AT LAST; Being Something About the Struggles and Emergence of Hope Hampton|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=4|date=October 16, 1927}}</ref> She attended [[H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College]] in New Orleans.<ref name=”WWS”>{{cite book|title=Who’s Who on the Screen|page=158|year=1920|chapter=Hope Hampton|publisher=Ross Publishing Co.|last1=Fox|first1=Fox Charles Donald|last2=Fox Silver|first2= Milton L}}</ref> There she participated in student productions of plays.<ref name=”NOS”/> Wishing to pursue a career as an actress, she studied drama at the [[American Academy of Dramatic Arts]] (then known as the Sargent Dramatic School) in New York City.<ref name=”NOS”>{{cite news|title=Two Parts of the Trio|first=George|last=Landry|date=May 1920|page=15|work=Photo-Play Journal}}</ref>

The daughter of Ellsworth Kraft Hampton<ref>{{cite news|title=Hope Hampton Gets Father’s Estate|work=[[New York Daily News]]|date= July 21, 1937|page= 43}}</ref> and his wife Evelyn Grace Hampton,<ref>Evelyn G Hampton in the ”[[1900 United States Federal Census]]”</ref> Hope Hampton was born in [[Houston]], [[Texas]] and raised in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1927/10/16/archives/recognition-at-last-being-something-about-the-struggles-and.html|title=RECOGNITION AT LAST; Being Something About the Struggles and Emergence of Hope Hampton|work=[[The New York Times]]|page=4|date=October 16, 1927}}</ref> She attended [[H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College]] in New Orleans.<ref name=”WWS”>{{cite book|title=Who’s Who on the Screen|page=158|year=1920|chapter=Hope Hampton|publisher=Ross Publishing Co.|last1=Fox|first1=Fox Charles Donald|last2=Fox Silver|first2= Milton L}}</ref> There she participated in student productions of plays.<ref name=”NOS”/> Wishing to pursue a career as an actress, she studied drama at the [[American Academy of Dramatic Arts]] (then known as the Sargent Dramatic School) in New York City.<ref name=”NOS”>{{cite news|title=Two Parts of the Trio|first=George|last=Landry|date=May 1920|page=15|work=Photo-Play Journal}}</ref>

Hampton won a newspaper beauty contest in Dallas after one of her friends submitted her photograph to a local paper. The attention from this led to an offer to work in silent films.<ref name=”NOS”/> She first worked for director [[Maurice Tourneur]] in a minor uncredited part in ”[[Woman (1918 film)|Woman]]” (1918).<ref>{{cite book|title=The Blue Book of the Screen|editor-first=Ruth|editor-last= Wing|page=107|year= 1924|publisher=Pacific Gravure Company}}</ref> Through Tourneur she drew the attention of American silent cinema pioneer [[Jules Brulatour]].<ref name=”WWS”/> Brulatour, who was then married to [[Dorothy Gibson]], began an affair with Hope and his marriage to Gibson ended in divorce in 1919.<ref>{{cite book|pages=311-312|title=Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived|year=2012|publisher=Windsor Paragon|last=Wilson|first=Andrew|isbn=978-1451671575}}</ref> Brulatour was determined to make Hope a star, and founded Hope Hampton production to make films with her as his leading actress.<ref name=”EVE”>{{cite book|title=John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|year=2013|last= Golden|first= Eve |pages=42-43|isbn=9780813141626}}</ref> Her first leading role in a film with this company was in the title part of ”[[A Modern Salome]]” (1920);<ref name=”WWS”/>

Hampton won a newspaper beauty contest in Dallas after one of her friends submitted her photograph to a local paper. The attention from this led to an offer to work in silent films.<ref name=”NOS”/> She first worked for director [[Maurice Tourneur]] in a minor uncredited part in ”[[Woman (1918 film)|Woman]]” (1918).<ref>{{cite book|title=The Blue Book of the Screen|editor-first=Ruth|editor-last= Wing|page=107|year= 1924|publisher=Pacific Gravure Company}}</ref> Through Tourneur she American silent cinema pioneer [[Jules Brulatour]].<ref name=”WWS”/> Brulatour, who was then married to [[Dorothy Gibson]], began an affair with Hope and his marriage to Gibson ended in divorce in 1919.<ref>{{cite book|pages=311-312|title=Shadow of the Titanic: The Extraordinary Stories of Those Who Survived|year=2012|publisher=Windsor Paragon|last=Wilson|first=Andrew|isbn=978-1451671575}}</ref> Brulatour was determined to make Hope a star, and founded Hope Hampton production to make films with her as his leading actress.<ref name=”EVE”>{{cite book|title=John Gilbert: The Last of the Silent Film Stars|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|year=2013|last= Golden|first= Eve |pages=42-43|isbn=9780813141626}}</ref> Her first leading role in a film with this company was in the title part of ”[[A Modern Salome]]” (1920);<ref name=”WWS”/>

She went on to feature prominently in several Brulatour-financed films. In 1923, Hampton and Brulatour wed. They remained married until his death in 1946.

She went on to feature prominently in several Brulatour-financed films. In 1923, Hampton and Brulatour wed. They remained married until his death in 1946.

American actress (1897–1982)

Hope Hampton
Born	Mae Elizabeth Hampton (1897-02-19)February 19, 1897
Died	January 23, 1982(1982-01-23) (aged 84)
Occupations	Actress, Producer
Years active	1918–1938
Spouse	Jules Brulatour (m.1924-1946; his death)
Children	1

Mae Elizabeth Hampton (February 19, 1897 – January 23, 1982), known professionally as Hope Hampton, was an American silent motion picture actress and producer noted for her seemingly effortless incarnation of siren and flapper types in silent-picture roles during the 1920s. She was also an opera singer.^[1][2]

The daughter of Ellsworth Kraft Hampton^[3] and his wife Evelyn Grace Hampton,^[4] Hope Hampton was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.^[5] She attended H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College in New Orleans.^[6] There she participated in student productions of plays.^[7] Wishing to pursue a career as an actress, she studied drama at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts (then known as the Sargent Dramatic School) in New York City.^[7]

Hampton won a newspaper beauty contest in Dallas after one of her friends submitted her photograph to a local paper. The attention from this led to an offer to work in silent films.^[7] She first worked for director Maurice Tourneur in a minor uncredited part in Woman (1918).^[8] Through Tourneur she met American silent cinema pioneer Jules Brulatour.^[6] Brulatour, who was then married to Dorothy Gibson, began an affair with Hope and his marriage to Gibson ended in divorce in 1919.^[9] Brulatour was determined to make Hope a star, and founded Hope Hampton production to make films with her as his leading actress.^[10] Her first leading role in a film with this company was in the title part of A Modern Salome (1920);^[6]

She went on to feature prominently in several Brulatour-financed films. In 1923, Hampton and Brulatour wed. They remained married until his death in 1946.

A lyric soprano,^[11] Hampton was trained as an opera singer by voice teachers Pietro Cimini^[12] and Estelle Liebling; the latter also the teacher of Beverly Sills.^[13] She began her career in light operas while still performing as a film actress.^[14] In 1924 she portrayed the title role in the United States premiere of Leo Fall‘s operetta Madame Pompadour at the Forrest Theatre in Philadelphia.^[15] In 1927 she starred in the title role (aka Minnie Johnson) of Alfred E. Aarons‘s operetta My Princess at Broadway‘s Shubert Theatre.^[16] She made her grand opera debut with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company (PGOC) on December 21, 1928 in the title role of Jules Massenet‘s Manon at the Academy of Music;^[17] a role which she partially recorded in a 1929 short film made by Vitaphone.^[18] She returned to the PGOC in 1929 as Mimì in La bohème with Dimitri Onofrei as Rodolfo, Mary Mellish as Musetta, and Artur Rodziński conducting.^[19]

Hampton had critical triumphs as both Manon and Mimì at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in the summer of 1929;^[20][21] making her European debut at that theatre on June 21, 1929.^[22] In 1930 she appeared as Marguerite in Faust for her first appearance at the Théâtre du Casino Grand-Cercle [fr] in Aix-les-Bains,^[23] and portrayed Manon at the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liege,^[24] the Opéra de Vichy,^[25] and at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.^[26] On September 25, 1930 she sang the role of Marguerite for her debut at the San Francisco Opera.^[27]

In 1933 Hampton performed the title role in Thaïs with the Montreal Grand Opera Company.^[28] She sang Manon at the Boston Opera House in February 1934 with Mario Chamlee as Des Grieux and Mario Valle as Lescaut;^[29] repeating the role with the Chicago Grand Opera Company the following December.^[30]

She returned to the screen in The Road to Reno (1938), a film directed by her husband which co-starred Randolph Scott and Glenda Farrell.

Later she was known as “The Duchess of Park Avenue”, a leading member of New York’s social set.

In 1978, she was crowned Queen of the Beaux Arts Ball.^[31] She presided with King Arthur Tracy.

She died of a heart attack at the age of 84.

Hampton and Brulatour took a honeymoon trip to Egypt, there a Sheikh offered Brulatour £10,000 British pounds to buy his wife. Brulatour smiled at the Sheikh and told him that Mrs. Brulatour’s jewels were worth more than that.

Brulatour also gave Hope Hampton a 5-story home on Park Avenue (built in 1885 and redesigned in 1921 by Emery Roth). It was listed for $9 million in 2016.^[32]