Pauline Starke

Pauline Starke (January 10, 1901 – February 3, 1977) was an American actress born in Joplin, Missouri, to George W. Starke and Edythe Edna Starke (née Bruce). After leaving school following the fifth grade, Starke accompanied her mother to Los Angeles, where she came to the attention of director D. W. Griffith while her mother was working as an extra.

Starke's screen career began with an uncredited appearance in Griffith's The Birth of a Nation (1915), followed by work as a dance extra in Intolerance (1916). She continued in bit parts until director Frank Borzage began casting her in leading roles starting in 1917, a development that helped establish her as a prominent figure in silent film during the 1920s. Her work in the industry spanned from 1916 to 1935, and in 1922 she was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars. Her contributions to motion pictures are recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6125 Hollywood Boulevard.

In 1932, Starke brought her screen experience to the Broadway stage, appearing in the play Zombie, in which she portrayed the role of Sylvia Clayton.

In her personal life, Starke married producer and director Jack White on September 4, 1927; the couple divorced in 1931. She married actor George Sherwood in 1932. Starke died on February 3, 1977, in Santa Monica, California, from the aftermath of a stroke.