Dorothea Sally Eilers[1] (December 11, 1908 – January 5, 1978) was an American actress.
Early life
Eilers was born in New York City to a Jewish-American mother, Paula (or Pauline) Schoenberger, and a German-American father, Hio Peter Eilers (an inventor).[2] She had one sibling, a brother, Hio Peter Eilers Jr. When Eilers was young, she moved to Los Angeles with her parents, and in 1927 she graduated from Fairfax High School.[3]
Career
She made her film debut in 1927 in The Red Mill,[4] directed by Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle. After several minor roles as an extra, in 1927–1928 she found work with Mack Sennett as one of his "flaming youth" comedians[1] in several comedy short subjects, along with Carole Lombard, who had been a school friend. In 1928, she was chosen as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, a yearly list of young actresses selected for having "shown the most promise during the past 12 months."[5]
Eilers was a popular figure in early-1930s Hollywood, known for her high spirits and vivacity. Her films were mostly comedies and crime melodramas such as Quick Millions (1931) with Spencer Tracy and George Raft. By the end of the decade, her popularity had waned, and her subsequent film appearances were few. She made her final film appearance in Stage to Tucson (1950).[6]
12Victoria Talbot, 'Beverly Hills Cultural Heritage Commission Splits 2 To 2 on Mountain Drive Landmark Vote', The Beverly Hills Courier, October 3, 2014, Vol. XXXXVIIII, No. 39, p. 4
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