Viola Dana — Blue Book of the Screen (1923) 🇺🇸

Viola Dana was born in Brooklyn, New York. She is the second of three daughters of Mr. and Mrs. Emil Flugrath.

Her elder sister is Edna Flugrath, an English screen star, and her younger sister is Shirley Mason, a leading American screen player.

Miss Dana was first engaged for a part in The Squaw Man, in which Dustin Farnum was starred. Her first real triumph came when Eleanor Gates, preparing to assist David Belasco in the production of her story, “The Poor Little Rich Girl,” made arrangements for Miss Dana to enact the title role. Her portrayal of this role proved the sensation of New York, and she was unanimously proclaimed the most talented child actress in America.

During a visit to the Edison studios, she met John Collins [John H. Collins], who later became her husband. He asked her to have a screen test taken, and it proved so successful that she was signed by Edison to appear before the camera. Her first picture was “The Stoning,” directed by Mr. Collins. After a series of pictures with Edison, she joined the Metro company. It was soon after this affiliation that the little star had the first great tragedy of her life. Her husband, who had directed all her pictures, was taken ill with influenza and died.

In 1920 Miss Dana came to California to work at the newly established studios in Hollywood. All her pictures since that time have been made on the West Coast.

Miss Dana has a beautiful home in the Hollywood foothills, where she resides with her father and sisters. Miss Dana invests her money in Hollywood real estate.

Her height is 4 feet 10 inches, weight 103 pounds, hair brown and bobbed, eyes blue.

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A close-up and long shot of Viola Dana and her home in Beverly Hills.

Collection: The Blue Book of the Screen (1923)