- published: 28 Aug 2014
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Dorothy Davenport (March 13, 1895 - October 12, 1977) was an American actress, screenwriter, film director, and producer who appeared in silent film for Biograph Studios under the direction of D.W. Griffith.
Davenport's family was well known in the theater. Her aunt, Fanny Davenport, was considered one of the great actresses of the time. Her father, Harry Davenport, was a Broadway star. With her background on the stage, she was in her early teens when she started playing bit parts in the fledgling film industry.
By the time she was 17, she was a star at Universal. Davenport was a horsewoman of distinction, and did many of her own stunts in films. While with Universal, she would meet a young actor (and assistant director-gopher-scenariowriter) named Wallace Reid. The two soon became involved in a relationship. They married on October 13, 1913.
Davenport and Reid continued to work together as he directed and starred with her in two films per week for the next year. When Wallace left Universal, Dorothy also left films, only to return in 1916 to appear in a small number of movies.