Irene Bentley
Irene Bentley (c. 1870 – June 3, 1940) was an American stage actress and vocalist.
Irene Bentley | |
|---|---|
 1908 | |
| Born | c. 1870 Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. |
| Died | June 3, 1940 Allenhurst, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1895-1910 |
| Spouse(s) | James Thomas Sothoron Jr. (divorced 1906)
Harry B. Smith (m. 1906) |
Biography
Bentley was born circa 1870 in Baltimore, Maryland. She appeared in Sally in Our Alley with Marie Cahill and also in The Belle of Bohemia, The Belle of New York, It Happened in Nordland, and The Belle of Mayfair.[1] In 1906, she married librettist Harry B. Smith. This was her second marriage.[2] She died at Allenhurst, New Jersey, on June 3, 1940, aged 69 or 70.
Niece
A niece of her second husband, Harry B. Smith, used Irene Bentley's name to become a film actress. Hence there are two actresses named Irene Bentley when perusing film or stage biographies. The younger Irene Bentley was born in 1904 and died in 1965, and appeared in films such as My Weakness (1933), Smoky (1933), and Frontier Marshal (1934).
References
- Who Was Who in The Theatre: 1912-1976 vol. 1 (A-C), p. 188 originally published annually by John Parker; this 1976 edition by Gale Research Company
- "Irene Bentley Weds: Actress and Harry B. Smith, the Librettist, Married in Boston", New York Times, November 26, 1906.
External links
- Irene Bentley profile, IBDb.com. Accessed November 13, 2022.
- Portrait gallery (New York City Public Library, Billy Rose collection)
- Irene Bentley gallery (University of Washington, Sayre Collection)
- on the cover of THE THEATRE magazine; September 1903 (archived)