People active in the silent era and people who keep the silent era alive. Copyright © 1999-2025 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

Photograph: Silent Era image collection.

Elsie Janis

Born 16 March 1889 in Columbus, Ohio, USA, as Elsie Bierbower.
Died 26 February 1956 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Married Gilbert Wilson, 31 December 1931; separated.

Elsie Janis began a stage career at age seven in Columbus, Ohio. Far more popular on-stage than in motion pictures, Elsie was a precocious song-and-dance performer, noted for her comedic sensibilities and knack for celebrity impressions. Not only acting in a handful of silent era films, Elsie also wrote for motion pictures into the earliest days of sound films. Janis was also a distinguished songwriter, whose work has been included in modern Hollywood films.

References: Whitfield-Pickford p. 27 : Website-IMDb.