Person Biography:
Helen Holmes, born in either Chicago or Louisville, Kentucky, in mid-June or early July 1893, is widely regarded as the queen of the railroad serials of the mid-teens and early 1920s, alongside Pearl White. She is best known for her strong-willed, independent, and resourceful heroine roles, showcasing her ability to run after, jump on, and stop runaway trains, as well as batting her eyes at male heroes.
Holmes' early life was marked by financial struggles, as her parents were poor and could barely afford her education. To help support her family, she worked as a photographer's model, which eventually led to her taste for adventure. Her family moved to California's Death Valley due to her brother's ill health, where she prospecting for gold and lived among a local Indian tribe.
Tragedy struck when her brother passed away, prompting Holmes to move to New York in 1910, where she began appearing in local plays. She befriended film star Mabel Normand, who introduced her to Hollywood and secured her modeling and movie work. Holmes soon achieved success, starring in her own films by 1913.
She met her husband, director J.P. McGowan, at Kalem Studios while acting in and directing The Hazards of Helen (1914) serial. The couple formed their own production company, producing successful films and serials. However, the collapse of Mutual Films, which distributed their movies, led to a significant decrease in their budgets, and Holmes was eventually reduced to playing newspaperwoman roles, which did not sit well with her fans.
Her marriage to McGowan ended in 1925, and she married a movie stuntman, subsequently retiring from the screen in 1926. Although she made a few small appearances over the next 20 years, she largely stepped away from the film industry.
After her retirement, Holmes kept her hand in the business by training animals used in movies, but this endeavor ended with her husband's death in 1946. Her health had been declining for several years prior, and she ultimately passed away of a heart attack in 1950.
