Julia Faye: The Legs of the Lasky Lot

September 24 was the birthday of actress Julia Faye (Julia Faye Maloney, 1892-1966). Faye was a faye-vorite of Cecil B. DeMille, in more ways than one, and had over 100 screen credits to her name, including interactions with some of our favorite classic comedians. She was at her peak just about a century ago.

I’ve come across conflicting stories about Faye’s early years, but I think I’m on solid ground with the agreed points that was she was born in Richmond, Virginia, and spent a good part of her youth in St. Louis. She apparently started out as a model and was especially prized for her legs, which sometimes starred in photos and movies without the rest of her! (i.e. she worked as a foot model, and sometimes as a leg double). She started out at Triangle with small roles in things like The Lamb (1915) with Douglas Fairbanks, and Griffith’s Intolerance (1916). This led to parts with Mack Sennett’s Keystone in A Movie Star, His Auto Ruination with Mack Swain; His Last Laugh with Harry McCoy, Bucking Society with Chester Conklin, The Surf Girl with Raymond Griffith and Fritz Schade; and A Lover’s Might with Fred Mace, all in 1916

Faye was third billed in George Beban‘s feature A Roadside Impresario (1917) and then signed with Famous Players-Lasky (later Paramount), where (starting with The Woman God Forgot) she was frequently cast in De Mille pictures — and became one of De Mille’s lovers. In addition to the De Mille films (she plays supporting parts in just about all of them) she was also in other Paramount films such as Changing Husbands (1924), which reunited her with Raymond Griffith, and also starred Zasu Pitts and Leatrice Joy. Others included Corporal Kate (1926) in which she-costarred with Vera Reynolds, the first screen adaptation of Chicago (1927, as Velma), and Turkish Delight (1927).

Starting in the late 1930s Faye was pretty much a bit player and crowd extra. Her last film was The Buccaneer (1958).

For more on silent film, comedy, in particular, please check out: Chain of Fools: Silent Comedy and Its Legacies from Nickelodeons to Youtube — now also available on audiobook.