Beatrice Prentice

Beatrice Prentice (September 1, 1884 – May 30, 1977) was an American stage actress whose Broadway career spanned from 1907 to 1919. Born in Mount Vernon, New York, according to baptismal records from Mount Vernon Trinity Church (Episcopal), she was the daughter of Fannie (Mills) and Daniel Prentice. Her family had connections to a prominent New York City social circle, with members listed in the blue book social register, and they objected to her decision to enter the acting profession. She had a brother, Edward H. Prentice, who served as vice president and treasurer of the insurance firm Fox & Pier, Inc. and died on April 27, 1944, in San Marino, California, and a sister, Helen Prentice Frost. Prentice was independently wealthy and owned a lily farm in Bermuda. On March 29, 1909, she married silent film actor Harrison Ford, whom she had met when both performed in the Soldiers of Fortune company. Her family's opposition to the marriage kept the union from being reported in newspapers until late August 1910.

Among her early stage work, Prentice appeared in support of Dustin Farnum in The Rangers, an American play written by Augustus Thomas and produced by Charles Frohman, with Mary Boland as the leading lady. On July 15, 1908, at Fireman's Night at Luna Park, she performed alongside Robert Edeson in The Call of the North, written by George Broadhurst, with proceeds benefiting the Fireman's Memorial Fund. In that production she played Julie Bagneau, a young Indian girl whose father is sent to his death. The show was received enthusiastically by Hudson Theatre audiences before transferring to the Montauk Theatre in Brooklyn in December. Dramatic editor Charles Darnton of the New York World noted her naturalness in the role.

In October 1910, Prentice appeared in the debut of Ambition alongside Elsie Ferguson in New Haven, Connecticut, a drama centered on the tension between a woman's career ambitions and domestic life. The production moved to the Bijou Theatre in early December. The following year, she joined the cast of Maggie Pepper, written by Charles Klein and produced by Henry B. Harris, playing the role of Zaza in support of star Rose Stahl. Rehearsals began in January 1911, with performances opening at the Harris Theatre, formerly the Hackett Theatre, which had undergone significant renovation including a new facade and a foyer featuring a bronze bust of William Harris, father of the producer. The play centered on department store life.

In January 1912, Prentice appeared at the Lyceum Theatre in The Hartfords, a three-act drama by Rachel Crothers, playing the daughter of Viola Allen's character. A scene between the two women, in which Allen's character recognizes her error in prioritizing art over parental duty, drew a strong response from audiences. The following year, she was part of the cast of The Passing of the Idle Rich, which debuted at the Garden Theatre on April 28, 1913. Adapted from a book by Frederick Townsend Martin with a screenplay by Margaret Townsend and staged by R.A. Roberts, the production also featured Beverley Sitgreaves, Marie Burke, Victoria Montgomery, and Escamillo Fernandez. In December 1915, Prentice appeared in Making Dick Over, a three-act comedy presented at the Candler Theatre, in which the plot follows a man whose family and friends attempt to reshape him into a businessman.

One of her notable Broadway credits was The Yellow Jacket, a Chinese-themed play written by George C. Hazelton. In a 1916 revival staged across ten matinee performances at the Cort Theatre, Prentice played Chow Wan, the maid to Due Jung Fah. The production's themes encompassed mother love, a rake's progress, young romance, and retribution. Her other Broadway credits included Shakuntala, Hobohemia, The Barton Mystery, and The Imaginary Invalid.

Beyond Broadway, Prentice continued working in theater through the 1920s. In May 1923, she and Cornelia Otis Skinner appeared in In The Next Room, the first theatrical effort of Eleanor Robson Belmont, co-written with Harriet Ford and adapted from a short story by Burton E. Stevenson. Winthrop Ames and Guthrie McClintic produced the play, which opened in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After touring the Orient with the Frawley company and spending several years in domestic life in California, she returned to the stage in an Arthur Freed production of Loving Ladies, written by Margaret Mayo and Aubrey Kennedy, which opened at the Orange Grove Theater in Los Angeles. Following that engagement, at least one film studio made her an offer to appear in a series of farces.

In January 1927, Prentice played the title role in Turandot at the Pasadena Playhouse, portraying a petite Chinese princess whose cruel nature softens only when a suitor solves her three riddles. The role was one of several oriental parts she had taken on during that period, including the nautch dancer in Amber. In March 1927, she appeared at the Belmont Theater in Los Angeles in Smilin Thru, produced by Ruth Helen Davis, taking on the dual roles of Kathleen Dungannon and Moonyeen opposite English actor Wyndham Standing. A critic praised her radiant presence and her handling of two distinct characters across a demanding third act.

Prentice died in Los Angeles on May 30, 1977, at the age of 92, from pneumonia.