Vera Steadman — Blue Book of the Screen (1923) 🇺🇸

Vera Steadman, now one of the favorite leading women in Christie Comedies [Al Christie], finds no one to dispute her when she claims to be the original “bathing girl” of pictures. She has established that right not alone by posing as a diving girl for motion pictures, but by becoming the best swimmer in the profession on the Pacific Coast.

Last year she won the title of the best professional diver, but only recently, during a contest at Balboa Beach, she captured both the 100-yard and 220-yard swims. Her mark for the former distance was 1:08, which is only a fraction behind the women’s professional record. The 220-yard swim was executed in 3:10. In other words, Miss Steadman is not one of those who dons a bathing suit and “never goes near the water.”

But except for occasional roles in films which call for such costumes, Miss Steadman is now a full-fledged leading woman. She has accomplished this in three years in pictures, for it was then that she was selected by Mack Sennett because of the beauty of her face and the perfection of her figure to appear as a diving girl in some of his comedies. Gradually she was advanced to more important parts and afterwards appeared with Fox and Universal before joining the Christie organization.

Miss Steadman is a “native son” of California, having been born in Monterey, June 23, 1900. She had the education of the average girl, devoting a great portion of her time to water sports. She came to the screen without any experience on the stage. Miss Steadman is declared the ideal size for a comedy player, being five feet, three inches tall, and weighing 110 pounds. She has brown hair and eyes.

Some of the more recent pictures in which she has appeared have been: “Kiss Me, Caroline,” “Wedding Blues,” “Going Through the Rye,” “A Homespun Hero,” “Shuffle the Queens,” “Red Hot Love,” “Bucking Broadway,” Pardon My Glove” and in “The Chased Bride”.

Miss Steadman in private life is Mrs. Jack Taylor and her husband is a popular violinist of Los Angeles. The Taylors have a little daughter about a year old.

Collection: The Blue Book of the Screen (1923)