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Bess Flowers

Bess Flowers

Birthday: 1898-11-23 | Place of Birth: Sherman, Texas, USA

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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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

1962
Five Finger Exercise

as    Woman on Beach

1961
Go Naked in the World

as    Restaurant patron

1960
Where the Boys Are

as    Nightclub Patron (uncredited)

1959
Beloved Infidel

as    Woman at Screening (uncredited)

1958
The Fly

as    Audience Member (uncredited)

1958
Vertigo

as    Diner at Ernie's (uncredited)

1957
Nightfall

as    Woman at Fashion Show

1954
Dial M for Murder

as    Woman Exiting Ship (uncredited)

1953
Tonight We Sing

as    Opera spectator in St. Petersburg

1952
Singin' in the Rain

as    Audience Member (uncredited)

1952
Sudden Fear

as    Party Guest (uncredited)

1951
Royal Wedding

as    Backstage guest (uncredited)

1951
Lullaby of Broadway

as    Ship Passenger (uncredited)

1951
The Screen Director

as    Woman in Audience (uncredited)

1950
I'll Get By

as    Lady in Audience at The Roxy

1950
Born to Be Bad

as    Mrs. Worthington

1949
Beyond the Forest

as    Secretary

1948
One Touch of Venus

as    Department Store Shopper

1948
You Were Meant for Me

as    Lady Dancing at Nightclub

1948
Winter Meeting

as    Restaurant Patron

1948
Smart Woman

as    Starlit Roof patron

1946
The Dark Mirror

as    Nightclub Patron (uncredited)

1946
The Notorious Lone Wolf

as    Nightclub patron

1945
Delightfully Dangerous

as    Lady at Mr. Hopkins' Table