Betty Ross Clarke
| Betty Ross Clarke | |
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Photo of Betty Ross Clarke from the George Grantham Bain Collection at the Library of Congress
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| Born |
May Clarke May 1, 1892 Langdon, North Dakota, USA |
| Died | January 24, 1970 (aged 77) Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Other names | Betsy Ross Clarke, Betty Ross Clark, Betty Ross-Clarke, Betty Clarke Collins, May Clarke Collins, Betty Clarke |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1920-1940 |
| Spouse(s) | Arthur Greville Collins (1895-?) |
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Betty Ross Clarke (given name at birth: May Clarke) (May 1, 1892 – January 24, 1970) was an American stage and film actress. She appeared in more than 30 films between 1920 and 1940, including silent and sound films, in both credited and uncredited roles.
Betty Ross Clarke was born May Clarke on May 1, 1892, in Langdon, North Dakota, the daughter of Charles Willard Clarke and Cora Ross. Her maternal grandfather was Leonard F. Ross, a brigadier general in the American Civil War, and her maternal great-grandfather was Ossian M. Ross, a prominent pioneer settler in Illinois who founded the cities of Lewistown and Havana.
At the age of 3, May Clarke moved with her family to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she was educated in the local schools and at the Stanley Hall School. She then studied dancing in New York City and spent a year on the vaudville circuit. She had intended to pursue a career as a ballet dancer, but she eventually had such success as a stage and film actress that she gave up the idea of dancing as a profession.
On May 28, 1921, Betty Ross Clarke married Arthur Collins, a Los Angeles banker and former lieutenant in the British Royal Flying Corps. The couple had met at a dinner party during the filming of Mother o' Mine. In 1923, Clarke and her husband moved to England, where she became a citizen and where she continued her career as a stage and film actress. In 1926, the couple moved to Australia, where Clarke was engaged to perform in several plays.
Arthur Collins and Betty Ross Clarke returned to the United States in July 1929, apparently lured back to Hollywood by the "talkies." She resumed her film career, primarily performing as a supporting or character actress, but also appearing in several uncredited roles. Her banker husband, who had been adversely affected by the stock market crash of 1929, began producing plays, directing films, and acting as a dialog director.
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