Genevieve Hamper

Genevieve Hamper
Born(1888-09-08)September 8, 1888
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedFebruary 13, 1971(1971-02-13) (aged 82)
New York City, U.S.
Occupationactress
Spouse(s)Robert B. Mantell (1912-1928) (his death) (1 child)
John Alexander (1928-1971)[1]
Children1
Signed drawing of Genevieve Hamper by Manuel Rosenberg for the Cincinnati Post 1919

Genevieve Hamper (September 8, 1888 – February 13, 1971)[citation needed] was an American stage and screen actress.

Hamper began performing Shakespeare as a teenager.[2] She often appeared in early silent films[citation needed] and on stage with her much older first husband Robert B. Mantell. They headed the Robert Mantell-Genevieve Hamper Shakespearean Repertoire Company,[3] and they had a son, Robert B. Mantell Jr.[4] After Mantell's death, in October 1928 she married actor John Alexander,[4] and she retired from the stage.[3] He died in 1982.[5][6]

Hamper worked for the Fox Film Corporation, including portraying Claire in The Green-Eyed Monster (1916).[7]

In 1929, Hamper directed her own Shakespearean company that presented plays in venues including the Metropolitan Theater in Minneapolis. She rehearsed actors at Woodcrest, her country estate in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey. Her directing approach included reducing or eliminating "the ranting and sonorous mouthing treatment of characters" while still delivering the essence of each play to the audience.[2] She felt that the calmer approach would be favored by audiences that had become accustomed to films.[2]

Hamper died at the Sanger Nursing Home in New York City in 1971, aged 82.[4]

  1. ^ "Genevieve Hamper, Stage Actress, 82". The New York Times. 20 February 1971.
  2. ^ a b c "'Natural Method' in Producing Plays Revives Interest in Shakespeare". The Minneapolis Star. October 19, 1929. p. 34. Retrieved February 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Caldwell, Lily May (February 14, 1956). "Genevieve Hamper, great lady of theater, is in town this week". The Birmingham News. p. 6. Retrieved February 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Genevieve Hamper, Stage Actress, 82". The New York Times. February 20, 1971. p. 30. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  5. ^ Silent Film Necrology p.225 2ndEdition c.2001 by Eugene M. Vazzana
  6. ^ Who Was Who on Screen, p.196 2ndEdition c.1977 by Evelyn Mack Truitt
  7. ^ "Princess". Natchez Democrat. May 26, 1916. p. 2. Retrieved February 12, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.