Maude Turner Gordon

Maude Turner Gordon (November 10, 1868 – January 12, 1940) was an American actress whose career spanned stage and screen across several decades. Born in Franklin, Indiana, she was the daughter of Alexander and Nancy (Wright) Turner and received her early education in Franklin's local schools.

Gordon began her professional stage work in the early 1900s, performing in repertory theatre with the Neill Stock Company in California. She subsequently established a presence on Broadway, where her credits spanned from 1908 to 1925 and included the musicals Big Boy, Elsie, and The Melting of Molly, as well as the plays Chains and Wait 'Til We're Married. Additional Broadway appearances included Glorious Betsy, The American Maid, and A Full House. She also produced and appeared in Mrs. Holmes, Detective through her own production company.

Alongside her stage work, Gordon built a substantial film career, appearing in 81 productions between 1914 and 1938.

Gordon eloped with John C. Gordon on December 19, 1885, in Johnson County, Indiana. The couple had a daughter, Dorothy, an alumna of the Fauquier Institute of Warrenton, Virginia, who married Lt. Robert A. White of the U.S. Navy in 1916. Gordon came from a family of notable women: her elder sister, Emma Harper Turner, served as Grand President of Pi Beta Phi, an international women's fraternity, from 1890 to 1893, and another sister, Nelle Turner, was also a member of the organization.

Gordon died of pneumonia in Los Angeles, California, on January 12, 1940, at the age of 71. Her sister Emma was among her survivors.