Background
Florence Vidor was born on July 23, 1895, Florence Cobb in Houston, Texas. She acquired the surname of her mother, Ida's, second husband, John F. Arto.
Florence Vidor was born on July 23, 1895, Florence Cobb in Houston, Texas. She acquired the surname of her mother, Ida's, second husband, John F. Arto.
Florence was "discovered" by King Vidor, a native of Texas who was soon to be a Hollywood director, and who was searching for a beautiful woman to star in the film that would launch his career. He saw Florence in the back of an open touring car on Houston's Main Street and, according to his autobiography, learned her identity by tracing the ownership of the car. John Arto refused to let Florence appear in Vidor's films; it was not until after her marriage to King Vidor in 1915, that she moved to Hollywood and made her first appearance in his work.
Called at one point in her career "the first lady of the screen, " Florence Vidor is not usually considered among the top stars of Hollywood's silent era, although the olive-skinned, five-foot-four-inch beauty appeared in numerous starring and supporting roles for various studios, including Vitagraph, Paramount, Morosco, Fox, and Famous Players-Lasky.
Her first role was an uncredited bit part in A Tale of Two Cities (1917) as the young woman who walked to the guillotine with William Farnum. As Mimi, her last words to him were, "Won't you hold my hand?" The scene was so powerful, audiences left the film asking, "Who was the girl in the guillotine cart with Farnum?" Vidor herself was greatly surprised at the acclaim, which brought her a string of film offers. Known for poise and elegance, Vidor worked with Cecil B. DeMille in Old Wives for New (1918), with Thomas H. Ince in Lying Lips (1921), and with Ernst Lubitsch in The Patriot (1928).
Her versatility can be demonstrated by the range of her roles: from a Russian princess in The Grand Duchess and the Waiter (1926) opposite Adolphe Menjou, to a frazzled mother in Are Parents People? (1925). Her regal bearing was perfectly suited to period costumes and brought her many roles in historical romances. She was praised most especially for her work with Sessue Hayakawa, from whom she said she learned everything she knew about acting.
Florence Vidor's career came to an abrupt end in 1929 when she appeared in her first talkie, the melodrama Chinatown Nights. Her Texas accent was incompatible with the image the film-going public had of her. The New York Times review stated that "it is astonishing that Florence Vidor should have been asked to act the part she has in Chinatown Nights. " Vidor gave up her film career after marrying the violinist Jascha Heifetz in 1928.
At the time of her death, she was living a solitary existence in Pacific Palisades, Calif.
Described by the New York Times as having "large brown eyes, a small and peculiarly attractive mouth and a well-sheared Eton bob, " she was considered "fascinating" and "refreshing" by critics. Typical of her critical reception was the Chicago Daily Tribune review of The White Man's Law (1918) with Hayakawa: " 'Some girl!' You're due to exclaim when you behold Florence Vidor.
She has a most attractive personality, a ready smile, and frank uplifting eyes that are very winning. " Vidor was memorable as the female lead in the story of pirate Jean Lafitte in Frank Lloyd's The Eagle of the Sea (1926). Perhaps her most striking portrayal was in the title role of Barbara Frietchie in Thomas H. Ince's 1924 version of the Clyde Fitch stage play about the Civil War heroine. Ince asserted that Vidor's "innate charm and beauty" typified "the best of American womanhood. "
Despite these forays into historical epics, light comedy became Vidor's forte with the popularization of the marital farce by screenwriter Elinor Glyn, DeMille, and Lubitsch. Combining aristocratic and humorous themes, these films gave Vidor the opportunity to widen her artistic range. Although the parts capitalized on the aloof beauty for which she had become known, they also put Vidor in comic settings that afforded her a down-to-earth quality. Her dark complexion, which allowed her to play many half-caste roles, also served to humanize her characterizations.
Vidor married King Vidor in 1915, but they separated in 1923. In a Daily Mirror interview in 1924, she said she believed that an actress could do better work for a director to whom she was not married. She went on to say that they had no intention of divorcing and that they were still good friends.
In 1925, however, she was granted a divorce from King Vidor on the grounds of desertion. She did not ask for alimony, asserting that she could support herself. She retained custody of their only child. In 1926, she married classical violinist Jascha Heifetz. They had two children before divorcing in 1945.