Ann Shoemaker (born Anne Dorothea Shoemaker; January 10, 1891 – September 18, 1978) was an American actress who appeared in 70 films and TV movies between 1928 and 1976. She portrayed Sara Roosevelt, mother of Franklin D. Roosevelt, in both the stage and film versions of Sunrise at Campobello. Early in her career, her name was often seen as Anne Dorothy Shoemaker.
Early years Shoemaker was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Frederick Shoemaker. Her father was an officer in the Army.
Career Shoemaker acted with the Orpheum Players at the Chestnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, initially appearing with that group in September 1909. After one season there, David Belasco engaged her for a supporting role in Nobody's Widow. In the summer of 1911, she acted with the Albee Stock Company in Providence, Rhode Island. By 1914, she was performing with the Baker Stock Company in Portland, Oregon. At that time, she was the youngest leading lady in American stock theater. In October 1914, she became the leading lady of the Baldwin Players in Duluth, Minnesota.
In 1917, Shoemaker left Omaha, Nebraska, after 12 weeks with the stock company there. She joined the Keith Stock Company in Union Hill, New Jersey, so that she could be closer to her year-old daughter, who was being kept by Shoemaker's mother and sister in New York.
In June 1921, Shoemaker signed a five-year contract to act at the Booth Theatre in New York City.
Shoemaker's Broadway credits include Half a Sixpence (1965), Sunrise at Campobello (1958), The Living Room (1954), Twilight Walk (1951), Dream Girl (1951), Woman Bites Dog (1946), The Rich Full Life (1945), Proof Thro' the Night (1942), Ah, Wilderness! (1941), Black Sheep (1932), The Silent Witness (1931), The Novice and the Duke (1929), Button, Button (1919), To-Night at 12 (1928), Speak Easy (1927), We All Do (1927), The Noose (1926), and The Great God Brown (1926).
Personal life She had two marriages. On April 22, 1914, in Portland, Oregon, she married actor Louis Leon Hall, with whom she acted in the Baker Stock Company. Their daughter, Anne, became a song lyricist. After divorcing, she was later married to the actor Henry Stephenson from 1922 until his death in 1956.
Partial filmography
Chance at Heaven (1933) - Mrs. Harris Cross Country Cruise (1934) - Mrs. O'Shaughnessy - Baby's Mother (uncredited) Dr. Monica (1934) - Mrs. Hazlitt Cheating Cheaters (1934) - Mrs. Grace Palmer The Woman in Red (1935) - Cora Furness (uncredited) A Dog of Flanders (1935) - Frau Ilse Cogez Stranded (1935) - Mrs. Tuthill Alice Adams (1935) - Mrs. Adams Sins of Man (1936) - Anna Engel Shall We Dance (1937) - Matron They Won't Forget (1937) - Mrs. Mountford Stella Dallas (1937) - Miss Margaret Phillibrown The Life of the Party (1937) - Countess Martos Romance of the Redwoods (1939) - Mother Manning Almost a Gentleman (1939) - Mrs. Thompson (uncredited) They All Come Out (1939) - Dr. Ellen Hollis Babes in Arms (1939) - Mrs. Barton The Farmer's Daughter (1940) - Mrs. Bingham Seventeen (1940) - Mary Baxter The Marines Fly High (1940) - Mrs. Hill Curtain Call (1940) - Mrs. Middleton An Angel from Texas (1940) - Addie Lou Coleman My Favorite Wife (1940) - Ma - Nick's Mother Girl from Avenue A (1940) - Mrs. Maddox Strike Up the Band (1940) - Mrs. Connors Ellery Queen, Master Detective (1940) - Lydia Braun Scattergood Pulls the Strings (1941) - Mrs. Downs You'll Never Get Rich (1941) - Mrs. Barton Above Suspicion (1943) - Aunt Ellen What a Woman! (1943) - Senator's Wife (uncredited) Man from Frisco (1944) - Martha Kennedy Mr. Winkle Goes to War (1944) - Martha Pettigrew, Jack's Mother (uncredited) Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo (1944) - Mrs. Parker What a Blonde (1945) - Mrs. DaFoe Conflict (1945) - Nora Grant Magic Town (1947) - Ma Peterman Sitting Pretty (1948) - Mrs. Ashcroft (uncredited) The Return of the Whistler (1948) - Mrs. Barkley Wallflower (1948) - Mrs. Dixie James A Woman's Secret (1949) - Mrs. Matthews Shockproof (1949) - Dr. Daniels (uncredited) The Reckless Moment (1949) - Mrs. Catherine Feller (uncredited) House by the River (1950) - Mrs. Ambrose Sunrise at Campobello (1960) - Sara Delano Roosevelt The Fortune Cookie (1966) - Sister Veronica
References
External links