Clara Moores
American actress
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Clara Moores Payson (July 27, 1896[1] – January 21, 1986), born Clara Munchhoff, was an American stage actress.
July 27, 1896
Clara Moores | |
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Clara Moores, from a 1920 publication; she is wearing a hat made from wood shavings, as publicity for a show called Shavings | |
| Born | Clara Louise Munchhoff July 27, 1896 Omaha, Nebraska |
| Died | January 21, 1986 (aged 89) Seattle, Washington |
| Other names | Clare Moores, Clara Payson |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouse | William Farquhar Payson |
Early life
Clara Louise Munchhoff was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1898, the daughter of Joseph W. Munchhoff and Mate (or May Etta) Cannon Munchhoff. Her father owned a traveling carnival.[2] Her mother was active in the suffrage movement and her (step) grandfather, Frank E. Moores,[3] was a controversial Mayor of Omaha.[4] She adopted the surname of her stepfather, railwayman Harry E. Moores, after her mother remarried in 1909.[5] She was raised in Seattle,[6] and graduated from Broadway High School[7] and attended the University of Washington.[8]
Career
Moores acted on the stage,[9] beginning in college, and later mainly in Boston[10] and on Broadway, with stage credits including roles in Madame X, Under Cover,[8] A Cure for Curables (1918),[11] His Majesty Bunker Bean, Dangerous Years,[12] Lilies of the Field, Shavings (1920), Pot Luck (1921),[13] Common Clay, Cobra (1924) and The Circle.[14][15][16]
Moores was considered a stylish beauty in her time.[17] The costumes she wore on stage were described in detail.[18] As publicity for Shavings, she was photographed in hats made from wood shavings.[19] In 1920, she wrote a beauty advice column on attractive arms, for newspaper syndication.[20][21]
During World War II, Moores (by then named Payson) organized vaudeville-style entertainments for enlisted men stationed in the Seattle area.[22]
Personal life
Moores became the second wife of writer, editor, and publisher William Farquhar Payson in 1927.[14][23] Her husband died in 1939;[24] she died in Seattle in 1986, aged 89 years.