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Dorothy Sebastian

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Dorothy Sebastian Famous memorial

Original Name
Sabiston
Birth
Birmingham, Jefferson County, Alabama, USA
Death
8 Apr 1957 (aged 53)
Woodland Hills, Los Angeles County, California, USA
Burial
Culver City, Los Angeles County, California, USA Add to Map
Plot
Our Lady of Victory, Section Q, Lot 188, Grave 31
Memorial ID
View Source
Actress. She was an actress in the American film industry. Born Stella Dorothy Sabiston, she fled Alabama to New York after her parents disapproved of her plans to be a dancer and actress. Her father was a pastor of a church and her paternal grandparents were missionaries in China. After attending classes at the University of Alabama, she married her high school sweetheart on November 9, 1920 but the marriage was over by 1924. Sebastian performed as a chorus girl in the risqué musical stage revue, "George White's Scandals." With a thick Southern accent, she had much difficulty landing acting roles. Although she appeared in silent films since 1925, her break came with a part in the film "Our Dancing Daughters" in 1928. Some of her earliest parts were uncredited and a few of her films have been lost to time. Her only leading role was in "They Never Come Back" in 1932. She appeared in 61 films including "Spite Marriage" in 1929 starring Buster Keaton, "A Woman of Affairs" in 1928, "Our Blushing Brides" in 1930, "The Women" in 1939 and an uncredited role in the 1942 film, "Reap the Wild Wind." She loved cocktail parties, fashionable clothes, jewelry, furs, and fine perfume, which were all the trimmings of "Tinseltown," but when her five-year contract with MGM was not renewed, she had to make do. Her last three films had uncredited roles. Early in her career, she started a romantic affair with the married "stone-faced" comedic actor, Buster Keaton, and sources state that the romance that lasted years. She was fourth of the five wives of actor, William Lawrence Boyd, who was known for his cowboy role of "Hopalong Cassidy." They met while performing together in "His First Command" in 1929. They married on December 19, 1930 and divorced in May of 1936. During World War II, she continued to act in minor roles while working as an x-ray technician at a defense plant, where she met her third husband, Harold Shapiro. They married in 1947, staying married the rest of her life. She died as a charity patient in the Motion Picture and Television Hospital. Besides acting, she was an accomplished songwriter. Sebastian was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.
Actress. She was an actress in the American film industry. Born Stella Dorothy Sabiston, she fled Alabama to New York after her parents disapproved of her plans to be a dancer and actress. Her father was a pastor of a church and her paternal grandparents were missionaries in China. After attending classes at the University of Alabama, she married her high school sweetheart on November 9, 1920 but the marriage was over by 1924. Sebastian performed as a chorus girl in the risqué musical stage revue, "George White's Scandals." With a thick Southern accent, she had much difficulty landing acting roles. Although she appeared in silent films since 1925, her break came with a part in the film "Our Dancing Daughters" in 1928. Some of her earliest parts were uncredited and a few of her films have been lost to time. Her only leading role was in "They Never Come Back" in 1932. She appeared in 61 films including "Spite Marriage" in 1929 starring Buster Keaton, "A Woman of Affairs" in 1928, "Our Blushing Brides" in 1930, "The Women" in 1939 and an uncredited role in the 1942 film, "Reap the Wild Wind." She loved cocktail parties, fashionable clothes, jewelry, furs, and fine perfume, which were all the trimmings of "Tinseltown," but when her five-year contract with MGM was not renewed, she had to make do. Her last three films had uncredited roles. Early in her career, she started a romantic affair with the married "stone-faced" comedic actor, Buster Keaton, and sources state that the romance that lasted years. She was fourth of the five wives of actor, William Lawrence Boyd, who was known for his cowboy role of "Hopalong Cassidy." They met while performing together in "His First Command" in 1929. They married on December 19, 1930 and divorced in May of 1936. During World War II, she continued to act in minor roles while working as an x-ray technician at a defense plant, where she met her third husband, Harold Shapiro. They married in 1947, staying married the rest of her life. She died as a charity patient in the Motion Picture and Television Hospital. Besides acting, she was an accomplished songwriter. Sebastian was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960.

Bio by: Linda Davis



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  • Maintained by: Find a Grave
  • Originally Created by: TLS
  • Added: Oct 10, 2003
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/7969559/dorothy-sebastian: accessed ), memorial page for Dorothy Sebastian (26 Apr 1903–8 Apr 1957), Find a Grave Memorial ID 7969559, citing Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, Los Angeles County, California, USA; Maintained by Find a Grave.