Leila McIntyre

Leila McIntyre (December 20, 1882 – January 9, 1953) was an American actress and vaudeville performer born in Vermont who began appearing on stage in childhood. Her career spanned Broadway, vaudeville, and film, extending across several decades.

McIntyre established herself first in vaudeville, initially performing as one half of Linton & McIntyre, a duo billed as "The Chattering Chums." She later gained wider recognition as part of the comedy team Hyams & McIntyre, formed with her husband, actor John Hyams, whom she married in 1904. The couple's daughter, Leila Hyams (1905–1977), went on to become an actress as well. McIntyre was widowed in 1940.

Her Broadway career ran from 1903 to 1914 and included appearances in both musical productions and plays. She appeared in Mother Goose in 1903, followed by A Little of Everything in 1904 and York State Folks in 1905. Her later Broadway credits included The Girl of My Dreams in 1911 and The Dancing Duchess in 1914. The New York Times, reviewing The Girl of My Dreams, described McIntyre as possessing "a pretty saucer-eyed innocent stare and quavering treble" well suited to her ingenue role.

McIntyre also built a substantial screen career, appearing in nearly forty films, most often in smaller parts. Among her more notable screen appearances were two portrayals of Mary Todd Lincoln, in The Plainsman and The Prisoner of Shark Island, both released in 1936. Her other film credits included Hurricane (1929), On the Level (1930), Marriage on Approval (1933), Her Secret (1933), Private Worlds (1935), Murder in the Fleet, Mr. Cinderella (1936), Pick a Star (1937), The Housekeeper's Daughter (1939), and Captain Eddie (1945). Her final film role came in The Hoodlum Saint in 1946. McIntyre died on January 9, 1953, in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 70.