Bess Flowers
Acting
Born 1898-11-23
Died 1984-07-28
Sherman, Texas, USA
763 credits
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress. By some counts considered the most prolific actress in the history of Hollywood, she was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in over 700 movies in her 41 year career.
Born in Sherman, Texas, Flowers's film debut came in 1923, when she appeared in Hollywood. She made three films that year, and then began working extensively. Many of her appearances are uncredited, as she generally played non-speaking roles.
By the 1930s, Flowers was in constant demand. Her appearances ranged from Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford thrillers to comedic roles alongside of Charley Chase, the Three Stooges, Leon Errol, Edgar Kennedy, and Laurel and Hardy.
She appeared in the following five films which won the Academy Award for Best Picture: It Happened One Night, You Can't Take it with You, All About Eve, The Greatest Show on Earth, and Around the World in Eighty Days. In each of these movies, Flowers was uncredited. Including these five movies, she had appeared in twenty-three Best Picture nominees in total, making her the record holder for most appearances in films nominated for the award. Her last movie was Good Neighbor Sam in 1964.
Flowers's acting career was not confined to feature films. She was also seen in many episodic American TV series, such as I Love Lucy, notably in episodes, "Lucy Is Enceinte" (1952), "Ethel's Birthday" (1955), and "Lucy's Night in Town" (1957), where she is usually seen as a theatre patron.
Outside her acting career, in 1945, Bess Flowers helped to found the Screen Extras Guild (active: 1946-1992, then merged with SAG), where she served as one of its first vice-presidents and recording secretaries.
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Filmography
— top 60 of 763
Acting
57 credits
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
The Red Skelton Show
Leave It to Beaver
Rear Window
Gone with the Wind
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Vertigo
Witness for the Prosecution
Singin' in the Rain
The Abbott and Costello Show
White Christmas
North by Northwest
Around the World in 80 Days
To Catch a Thief
Screen Director's Playhouse
The Big Sleep
All About Eve
Giant
Going My Way
Dial M for Murder
The Day the Earth Stood Still
The Robe
The Fly
Notorious
Funny Face
The Chevy Mystery Show
Double Indemnity
The Manchurian Candidate
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Judgment at Nuremberg
It Happened One Night
Man with a Camera
Laura
Mildred Pierce
Grand Hotel
An American in Paris
You Can't Take It with You
Mighty Joe Young
Guys and Dolls
A Night to Remember
The Thin Man
A Star Is Born
Niagara
The Greatest Show on Earth
Blue Hawaii
Sweet Smell of Success
Ninotchka
In a Lonely Place
The Absent-Minded Professor
The Caine Mutiny
Calamity Jane
Mr. Skeffington
The Band Wagon
Gilda
A Place in the Sun
The Razor's Edge
Other credits
3 credits
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