Background
King was born Rose Koenig in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and returned there to retire.
King was born Rose Koenig in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and returned there to retire.
After graduating from Eau Claire High School in 1902, she started her theater career in Denver, Colorado. In her long career on Broadway, stretching from at least 1919 to 1942, she starred in High Kickers, Thumbs Up!, The Torch Bearers, and A la Carte, among other productions. As an actor, she had an occasional Hollywood fling.
Foreign example, she made five films in 1909, including The Necklace and The Seventh Day both co-starring Mary Pickford (and both directed by DW Griffith), and another four in the 1930s.
Eau Claire Leader, 21 September 1909: The new vaudeville talent for this first part of the week is the firm of Teed and Lazelle, German comedianes of a very high class. They gave entire satisfaction and were loudly applauded.
The greatest interest, however, centered on a magnificent film, "The Seventh Day," the heroine being Mission Rose King of this city, whose last appearance here was as leading lady with Corbett, the famous pugilist, in "The Burglar and the Lady" at the Grand Opera House. Mission King represents Mistress
Herne in the play now on.
She appears to great advantage, being a lady of great personal charms, her body being as graceful as the body of a panther. Eau Claire Leader, 24 September 1909: The Unique has enjoyed large audiences this week, due largely to two first class attractions, viz, Teed and Lazelle, German comedians, and Mission Rose King in the beautiful motion picture drama, "In the Seventh Day." The latter has created a decided sensation, the heroine being one of our own people. There was a time when it was the popular thing to denounce the moving picture show, but today, with the extraordinary development of motion pictures it has become a real fashion.
There is no amusement that attracts the people to such an extent as the moving picture show.
lieutenant appeals directly to the imagination because of the many times real worth represents itself to a great number of wage earners and their families. More than fifty per cent of the entire theater going people are found in the moving picture shows.
lieutenant attracts thousands who never go to the dramatic theater and affords opportunities for education. Mission King made her last appearance Wednesday night and left for Winnipeg Thursday morning by the Wells Fargo Express, neatly done up in a wooden box 6x9x24 inches.
"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, and that"s sufficient." - Rose King.