Selene Johnson

Selene Knapp Johnson (February 20, 1876 – December 11, 1960) was an American actress whose career spanned stage and silent film. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she later resided in Jersey City, New Jersey, and ultimately died in Los Angeles, California. She was married to actor Lumsden Hare.

Johnson trained at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, graduating in the mid-1890s. While still a student there, she secured the leading female role in The Girl I Left Behind Me, and another early performance came in The Great Diamond Robbery. Her early professional work included engagements with several regional stock companies, among them the Acazar in San Francisco, the Columbia Theatre in Washington, D.C., and the Salisbury company in Milwaukee.

Her Broadway career extended from 1899 to 1928. Among her earliest New York appearances were A Rich Man's Son and Peter Stuyvesant, both in 1899. She went on to appear in Frou-Frou and Monte Cristo, in which she played Mercedes, during the 1900–1902 period, followed by Audrey in 1902–1903. In 1904 she appeared in a double bill of The Man of Destiny and How He Lied to Her Husband, playing herself in the latter. She took on the role of Abigail in 1905 and appeared in The Squaw Man during the 1905–1906 season. Irene Wycherley followed in 1908, and Disengaged in 1909, the same year she appeared in The Dollar Mark. Later Broadway credits included The Return from Jerusalem (1912), Ourselves (1913), Peter's Mother (1918), The Title as Mrs. Culver (1921), and The Golden Age as Margaret Barnes (1928).

Beyond the stage, Johnson worked in silent cinema, with her screen credits including The Divine Sacrifice (1918).