Violet Hopson(1887-1973)
- Actress
Violet Hopson born Elma Kate Victoria Karkeek in Port August, Australia
in 1891, her earliest performances were with the Pollard Opera Company
in Australia and New Zealand from 1898 to 1900. Arrived in the US in
the early 1900's with her older sister Zoe and became popular in drama
theatre, a few years later Violet worked in the British theatre's
appearing in drama and comedy. Although Australian by birth she would
become a star of English films and would in fact epitomize the
typically demure English heroine, her first movie was with the Cricks
and Martin Film Company in 'Mr. Tubby's Triumph' a comedy directed by
David Aylott and co-starring Johnny Butt in 1910. Became highly
well-known as Hepworth's 'Dear Delightful Villianess' a brunette beauty
in melodramas and comedies as 'The Vicar of Wakefield' in 1913,
'Barnaby Rudge' in 1915 and 'A Daughter of Eve' in 1919. Her career
suffered slightly following the end of her marriage to actor Alec
Worcester also known by his stage name Alexander Worster whom she
married in Luton in 1909 the divorce in 1919 was on the ground's of his
adultery and desertion, they had two children Nicholas born in 1910 and
Jessica born in 1913. She became the first actress in England to be
head her own production film company with producer/director Walter West
after her divorce and in the early 1920's she occasionally played
cockney waif in such films as 'Vi of Smith's Alley' (1921) and also
excelled in portraying high class ladies as in 'Beautiful Kitty' (1923)
and 'The Great Turf Mystery' (1924). With the rise of the talkies her
career came to an end only appearing in minor roles until her last 'One
Precious Year' in 1933. She died on the 21th July 1973 in Princess
Louise Hospital, Kensington, London, the records naming her as Elma
Kate Worster, she was cremated in Kensal Green Crematorium