Lucille La Verne

• Name — Lucille La Verne • Birth Name — Lucille La Verne Mitchum • Born — 7 November 1872 • Birthplace — Nashville, Tennessee, U.S. • Died — 4 March 1945 • Place of death — Culver City, California, U.S. • Resting Place — Inglewood Park Cemetery, U.S. • Other Names — Lucille LaVerne, Lucille La Varney, Lucille Lavarney • Occupation — Actress • Years Active — 1888–1937 • Notable Works — Original voice of Queen Grimhilde in Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Lucille La Verne Mitchum was born near Nashville, Tennessee, on November 7, 1872 (although some sources say 1869). She began her career as a child in local summer stock. As a teenager, she performed in small touring theater troupes. When she was 14, she played both Juliet and Lady Macbeth back to back. Her ability to play almost any part quickly caught the attention of more prolific companies, and she made her Broadway debut in 1888. She then became a leading lady with some of the best stock companies in America, scoring triumphs in San Francisco, Boston, and other cities. She eventually ran her own successful stock company. On the New York stage, she was known for her range and versatility. Among her hits on Broadway were principal roles in Uncle Tom's Cabin, Seven Days and Way Down East. She was also known for her blackface roles. Her biggest stage triumph came in 1923 when she created the role of Widow Caggle in the hit play Sun Up. With her Broadway run, US tour, and European tour, La Verne gave over 3,000 performances. She also worked on Broadway as a playwright and director. In the late 1920s, a Broadway theater was named for her for a short period of time. In 1934, La Verne experienced a life-threatening medical emergency and needed the muscles along her rib cage to be reconstructed by Los Angeles surgeons, from which she recovered. She made her motion picture debut in 1915 in the movie Over Night directed by James Young. She also performed small parts in the movies Polly of the Circus, directed by Charles Thomas Horan and Edwin L. Hollywood, and Orphans of the Storm, directed by D.W. Griffith. Her best known part is that of the voice of the Evil Queen, and her alter ego of the old witch from Disney's 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which was her final film performance.

Lucille La Verne died at the age of 72 in Culver City, California, on March 4, 1945, after suffering from lung cancer. She was interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery. Her grave remained unmarked for seven decades until a GoFundMe was set up in 2020.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1915 — Over Night — Minor Role • 1916 — Sweet Kitty Bellairs — Lady Maria — Credited as "Lucille Lavarney" • The Thousand-Dollar Husband — Mme. Batavia — Credited as "Lucille La Varney" • 1917 — Polly of the Circus — Mandy • 1918 — The Life Mask — Sarah Harden • Tempered Steel — Old Mammy • 1919 — The Praise Agent — Mrs. Eubanks • 1921 — Orphans of the Storm — Mother Frochard • 1923 — The White Rose — 'Auntie' Easter — Credited as "Lucille Laverne" • Zaza — Aunt Rosa • Among the Missing — The Mother • 1924 — America — Refugee Mother • His Darker Self — Aunt Lucy • 1925 — Sun-Up — Mother • 1928 — The Last Moment — Innkeeper • 1930 — Abraham Lincoln — Mid-wife • Sinners' Holiday — Mrs. Delano — Credited as "Lucille LaVerne" • Du Barry, Woman of Passion — Minor Role — Voice; uncredited • The Comeback — Unknown — Short film • 1931 — Little Caesar — Ma Magdalena — Uncredited • The Great Meadow — Elvira Jarvis • An American Tragedy — Mrs. Asa Griffiths • 24 Hours — Mrs. Dacklehorse • The Unholy Garden — Lucie Villars • 1932 — Union Depot — Lady with pipe — Uncredited • She Wanted a Millionaire — Mother Norton • Alias the Doctor — Martha Brenner, Karl's foster mother — Credited as "Lucille LaVerne" • While Paris Sleeps — Mme. Golden Bonnet • Hearts of Humanity — Mrs. Sneider • Breach of Promise — Mrs. Flynn • A Strange Adventure — Miss Sheen • Wild Horse Mesa — Ma [The General] Melberne • 1933 — Pilgrimage — Mrs. Kelly Hatfield • The Last Trail — Mrs. Wilson • 1934 — Beloved — Mrs. Briggs • School for Girls — Miss Keeble • Kentucky Kernels — Aunt Hannah — Credited as "Lucille LaVerne" • The Mighty Barnum — Joice Heth • 1935 — A Tale of Two Cities — The Vengeance — Credited as "Lucille LaVerne" • 1936 — Hearts of Humanity — Minor Role • Ellis Island — Radio — Voice; uncredited • 1937 — Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs — Queen Grimhilde — Voice; uncredited