Lillian Worth

Lillian Worth
1914
Born	Lillian Burgher Murphy June 24, 1884 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	February 23, 1952 (aged 67) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1909–37
Spouse(s)	Benjamin Platt Wiggins (1905–14) Erville Alderson (1918–25)

Lillian Worth (stage name), born Lillian Burgher Murphy, (June 24, 1884 – February 23, 1952) was an American actress. She appeared in 58 films between 1913 and 1937.

Lillian Murphy was born on June 24, 1884 in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of John B. Murphy and Katherine Stahler.^[1][2]

Lillian Murphy married Benjamin Platt Wiggins on May 3, 1905 in Brooklyn, New York. The couple separated after a couple of years. She filed for divorce in Reno, Nevada in 1911, but did not obtain the divorce. She filed for divorce again in Los Angeles, California in 1914.^[3][4]

She married Erville Alderson, an American actor, on January 14, 1918 in Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. By 1925, the couple were divorced.^[5][6]

Lillian Wiggins first came to public notice in 1909 in a theatrical production titled "The Beauty Spot."^[7]

By early 1913, Wiggins was a leading actress at Pathé's West Coast studio in Edendale, California, where she starred in Western films. By mid-1913 she was transferred to Pathé's East Coast studio in Jersey City, New Jersey, and in Oct 1913 to their newly opened Southern studio in St. Augustine, Florida.^[8][9][10]

In March 1914, Wiggins sailed for Europe to make films at Pathé's Paris studio. Two months later she went to London, where she made films first for British and Colonial Kinematography Company and then for Motograph Film Company. She returned to the United States in September 1914.^[11][12]

In 1915 Wiggins made films for Deer Film Company.^[13][14]

After her marriage to Alderson in 1918, Wiggins took the stage name Lillian Worth. She made movies under this name until 1937.^[15]

Lillian Alderson died in Los Angeles, California on February 23, 1952.^[16]

Selected filmography

• The Adventures of Tarzan (1921)
• The Docks of New York (1928)
• Stairs of Sand (1929)

References

1. New York, Passenger Lists, August 1, 1912, "President Grant," entries for Catherine Murphy and Lillian Wiggins.
2. New York, Passenger Lists, June 15, 1925, "Deutschland," entries for Katherine Murphy and Lillian Alderson.
3. Beauty Spot Girl Sues; Lillian Wiggins, Claiming Desertion, Asks Divorce," Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), February 7, 1911, p. 2 c. 6.
4. Pathe Actress Wants Divorce," Seattle Daily Times (Seattle, Washington), December 19, 1914, p. 12 c. 1.
5. Nova Scotia Historical Vital Statistics, entry for Lillian Burgher Wiggins and Erville Alderson.
6. U.S. Passport Applications, Certificate No. 504750, January 12, 1925, for "Lillian Alderson, professionally known as Lillian Worth."
7. Jefferson De Angelis Scores In 'The Beauty Spot,'" Repository (Canton, Ohio), May 9, 1909, p. 23.
8. "She's 'Convert" Of Outdoor Living," Cincinnati Post (Cincinnati, Ohio), June 6, 1913, p. 8 c. 2.
9. "Showgirl Of Two Years Ago Today Is Star In the Movies," Oregonian (Portland, Oregon), December 7, 1913, sec. 5 p. 2.
10. "Lillian Wiggins of Pathe," Seattle Daily Times (Seattle, Washington), December 14, 1914, p. 14 c. 3.
11. "Letters to the Editor," Motion Picture Magazine (Brooklyn, New York), vol. 8 no. 11 (December 1914), p. 166-7.
12. New York, Passenger Lists, September 24, 1914, "New York," entry for Lillian Wiggins.
13. A Shattered Romance at imdb.com
14. Her Atonement at imdb.com
15. Lillian Worth at imdb.com
16. California, Death Index, 1940-1997, entry for Lillian Alderson.

External links

• Lillian Worth at the Internet Movie Database