Miss Carol Dempster

When I think about Carol Dempster, I think about the girl that no one liked. Which, that isn't exactly true, but Lillian Gish didn't like her...and that is saying something.

Carol Dempster was born in Duluth, Minnesota on December 9, 1901. Her father's name was John, and her mother's name was Carrie. Carol also joined an older brother named Howard. (There is also an older sister named Ethel and an older brother named Dan listed in the 1900 census but are not listed in the 1920 census. So, I am not sure if they passed away or were old enough to get married and move away).

When she was just 15 years old, Carol appeared on screen for the first time in 1916's Intolerance. It was also the beginning of the relationship/partnership that she had with famed director D.W. Griffith.

Carol quickly became a favorite of Griffith's, both on screen and on. This did not sit well with the other "Griffith girls," Lillian and Dorothy Gish, Mae Marsh, and Miriam Cooper. They felt that the way Carol acted was somehow mocking the way they acting. Oh, cat fight!

Her most famous role that she was actually billed for was in Isn't Life Wonderful in 1924. The film was not a big success when it first came out, but it is now considered one of Griffith's best works.

She had a pretty good run in the silents. She didn't make a huge splash like her rival Lillian Gish, but she did appear alongside such big names as John Barrymore, William Powell, and W.C. Fields.

All but two of her almost 20 films were directed by D.W. Griffith. One of her non-Griffith works was 1922's version of Sherlock Holmes.

Carol book ended her film career, and by that I mean she started with a Griffith film and she ended with a Griffith film. Her last screen appearance was in 1926's The Sorrows of Satan with Adolphe Menjou and Lya De Putti.

Carol Dempster passed away on February 1, 1991 in La Jolla, California.

She was interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Gledale, California.

Carol was married once, to banker Edwin Larson in 1929. They never had children and remained married until his death in 1978.

Perhaps what she is more famous for now is her affair with D.W. Griffith. He first saw her when she was a dancer for the Ruth St. Denis Dancing School.  He soon provided her with dancing and acting lessons to help groom his latest find for the big screen. Apparently, he once asked her to marry him, but she refused. There was quite a big age difference, but that didn't seem to be a problem. D.W. was borderline obsessed with her. The romance must have fizzled in the mid 1920s because she retired from films and then got married. Oh! Did I mention that he was already married when this affair happened? Yeah...

According to an old film magazine from 1920, Carol enjoyed driving her car, all kinds of sports, and riding horses.

She must have enjoyed speeding in said car because in a 1928 news article, it is written that Carole was involved in a car accident that left her hospitalized with deep cuts. They were saying that it may prevent her from being in films again. Guess they were right.

"I just never think about my days in pictures. I am always surprised that anyone remembers me. It was so long ago. So many of my movies were so sad. Maybe my fans would like to know that in real life Carol Dempster had a happy ending." ~~ Carol Dempster