Elaine Hammerstein
| Elaine Hammerstein | |
|---|---|
Elaine Hammerstein, 1921
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| Born |
June 16, 1897 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Died | August 13, 1948 (aged 51) Tijuana, Mexico |
| Cause of death | Car accident |
| Spouse(s) | James Walter Kays (married 1926–1948) |
Elaine Hammerstein (June 16, 1897 – August 13, 1948) was an American silent film and stage actress.
Elaine Hammerstein was the daughter of opera producer Arthur Hammerstein and the granddaughter of Oscar Hammerstein I. Her father once remarked he was more interested in his daughter's career than in his own. Hammerstein was Arthur's daughter by his first marriage, to Jean Allison Hammerstein. When the couple divorced, the mother did not ask for permanent custody of Elaine but instead requested that her daughter be allowed to choose for herself when she reached the age of maturity.
Hammerstein is frequently reported to have graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1913, at the age of 17. In fact, there is no record in the college's archives of her having ever attended the school. In any case, she appeared in her first Broadway production that year. This was a musical entitled High Jinks, which featured actor Snitz Edwards. After school she was given a position in production work by her father. In 1915 she performed on Broadway a second time, in the The Trap. In the drama she acted opposite actor Holbrook Blinn.
From this work Hammerstein went into motion pictures. She appeared in 44 movies from 1915 until 1926. Among her film credits are The Girl From Nowhere (1921), The Drums of Jeopardy (1923), Reckless Youth (1922), Broadway Gold (1923), and The Midnight Express (1924), opposite William Haines. With the latter film, the studio tried to promote Hammerstein and Haines as a couple, however, in real life, Haines was a gay man.
Hammerstein wed James Walter Kays in Los Angeles, California, on June 10, 1926. Kays was a Los Angeles fire commissioner and had also served as finance director for the California Democratic Party.
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