Mary Miles Minter Biography

About the Mary Miles Minter
Butterfly "Morph"

Mary Miles Minter
Born: April 1, 1902
Died: August 5, 1984
An Actress

Perhaps your presence here is by accident, just something you ran across while surfing the net. Or maybe you're researching Mary Miles Minter because you stumbled across her name in a shoe box full of postcards. Chances are, however, that your visit is no mistake. Perhaps you're a silent movie fan and have seen one of her few surviving films. But it is most likely that your interest in her is because of the notorious murder of Hollywood director, William Desmond Taylor. His death brought Mary into the public spotlight in a way she wasn't used to. Had it not been for that incident the perception of her may have been far different than it is today. The murder remains un-solved and is investigated and researched to this day. As long as people have a fascination with crime & celebrity, the murder will continue to be solved by armchair detectives. For that reason alone Mary Miles Minter will always be a subject of interest.

There was more, however, to Mary than the death of a director. She was a very successful star in her own right. Had it not been for the murder, her legend might be totally different. Her career ended at Paramount where she was initially hired to replace Mary Pickford. She was often compared to Pickford & many people at the time considered her to be a credible and talented rival. Mary Pickford is fondly remembered as an early Hollywood pioneer. It is not commonly known that she respected Mary Miles Minter as an actress. Indeed it was Mary Pickford who recommended that Paramount sign Mary Miles Minter.

So this is a web site about Mary Miles Minter, the actress. We had initially intended to keep this biography very short, but that is difficult without mentioning the Taylor murder. This is not a site about the murder though, there are better sources of study available. We have intentionally tried to avoid going into great details about Mary's films, or her associations with other figures. Instead we have opted for links to additional biographies, and a detailed filmography is in the works. In time, this site will continue to expand and we hope that the next few pages will provide you with something, whether you are a film buff or an amateur detective. The words are our own, as are any errors. If you find any, please contact us. Show some mercy though, in our feeble attempt to perhaps raise some interest in Mary Miles Minter,
The Actress.

Mary Miles Minter was born in Shreveport, Louisiana on April Fools day in 1902, as Juliet Reilly. She was the youngest of two daughters by J. Homer Reilly and Lily Pearl Miles Reilly. Her parents separated when Juliet was about 5 years old. Her mother took the name of Charlotte Shelby. Juliet Reilly became Juliet Shelby, and her older sister, Margaret Shelby. Charlotte considered herself to have talent as an actress, and the Shelby's wound up in New York. Charlotte did work on stage, but only in supporting roles. The Shelby's were in New York for about a year when little Juliet caught the attention of Broadway producer, Charlie Frohman. So it happened that Juliet became a legitimate stage actress at 6 years old.

Juliet's best known performance's on Broadway were in "The Littlest Rebel", in which she appeared with William Farnum. She also managed to appear in her first film during the same time. "The Nurse" was released in 1912 and featured little Juliet Shelby. Charlotte quickly realized who the talent in the family was and abandoned her own aspirations in order to devote herself to Juliet's career. Margaret acted as well, but on a back seat to Juliet. It was clear who the star of the family was. It was shortly after the release of "The Nurse" that little Juliet finally acquired the name Mary Miles Minter. She had caught the attention of the "ever" vigilant Gerry Society. Juliet's mother, the "more" vigilant Charlotte, merely borrowed the birth certificate of a deceased niece. So it was that in 1911, before opening in Chicago, little 9 year old Juliet Shelby finally became known as 17 year old Mary Miles Minter (Marie Milles Minter). The Gerry Society was fooled, and she worked in "The Littlest Rebel" until 1914. She was an actual 12 years old at the time, and had outgrown her role. The ever inspired Charlotte had bigger plans for Mary by then.

Perhaps Charlotte was impressed with motion pictures or perhaps she was like many others in New York who realized the day was approaching. But for whatever reason Charlotte pursued a movie career for Mary at that time. Mary's second film appearance was in the 1915 release of "The Fairy and the Waif". For Mary, it was another success. Charlotte saw no reason to change course after the reviews and so it was that Mary signed under contract with Metro Pictures. The good reviews continued. The contract called for 6 pictures, of which 5 were actually released. The ever tactful Charlotte had angered Louis B. Mayer prior to the release of the final film and it was never distributed. But it would not be the last of Mary......

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This page last updated August 18, 2003