Winifred Westover


Winifred Westover was a Hollywood actress of the 1910s and 1920s.

Early years

The daughter of Swedish parents, Westover was born in San Francisco, California. Her schooling came at the Dominican Convent of San Rafael.

Career

On screen, Westover was the typical blushing ingenue and was almost always cast opposite robust leading men. Her career in film started with a small part in D. W. Griffith's Intolerance in 1916.
In 1919 she starred in John Petticoats with William S. Hart, who proposed to her. They married on 7 December 1921 and had a son, William S. Hart Jr., in September 1922. They separated in 1922 after three months of marriage and divorced in 1927. His behaviour was parodied in the 1922 short The Frozen North by Buster Keaton.
Westover retired to raise her son in 1923 but made a comeback in 1930 with the help of her ex-husband. The film, a melodrama called Lummox, was her last; it was unsuccessful and she left her career in film.

Death

On March 19, 1978, Westover died in Los Angeles. She was 78. She was survived by her son.

Selected filmography