Shabannie's video: Tribute to Mary Miles Minter

Mary Miles Minter (April 25, 1902 -- August 4, 1984) was an American actress. She appeared in 54 silent era motion pictures from 1912 to 1923. In 1922, Minter was involved in scandal surrounding the murder of director William Desmond Taylor, whom she professed her love for. Although gossip implicated her mother, former actress Charlotte Shelby, as the murderer, Minter's reputation as a demure young lady was tarnished. Taylor's murder remains a cold case. At the age of five, she accompanied her sister, Margaret, on an audition because no babysitter was available. She was noticed by the director and given her first part. She began her stage career and was frequently employed afterward, widely noted for both her talent and visual appeal. To avoid child labor laws while the 10-year-old was appearing in a play in Chicago, in 1912, Charlotte Shelby obtained the birth certification of her elder sister's deceased daughter from Louisiana, and Juliet became Mary Miles Minter. In her screen debut, in which she was billed as Juliet Shelby, she appeared in the 1-reel drama short The Nurse (1912). From there her new stage name was applied and Minter was starred in the role as Viola Drayton, the fairy, in the 5-reel feature length drama The Fairy and the Waif (1915). Minter's career steadily grew after that. She specialized in playing demure young women. With her photogenic features, blue eyes and curly blonde hair, she emulated and later rivaled Mary Pickford. Her first movie for director William Desmond Taylor was Anne of Green Gables (1919). It was well received, and Taylor actively promoted Minter as a star. According to Minter, a romantic relationship developed between them. However, Minter (who had grown up fatherless) said Taylor had reservations from the outset and later curtailed the romance, citing the 30-year difference in their ages. Other people who knew Taylor and Minter said he never reciprocated her feelings. Minter, whose mother was a shrewd businesswoman and invested her daughter's money wisely, gave up her movie career in 1923.