• Entry type: Person
  • Entry ID: AWE3715

Lovely, Louise

  • Stage name Carbasse, Louise
    Previous name Alberti, Louise
    Former married name Welch, Louise
    Married name Cowan, Louise
    Stage name Lovely, Louise
(1895 – 1980)
  • Born 28 February, 1895, Paddington, Sydney New South Wales Australia
  • Died 19 March, 1980, Hobart Tasmania Australia
  • Occupation Actor

Summary

Daughter of the Swiss born Elise Lehmann, Louise Lovely began her stage career at the age of eight, playing Eva in Uncle Tom’s Cabin at the Lyceum in Sydney. She subsequently appeared in many stage and screen productions. In 1912, Louise moved to Hollywood with her husband Wilton Welch and became a star, cast in at least 24 films for Universal Studios and nearly a dozen western films for Fox Studios. She returned to Australia in 1924.

Details

Louise Lovely was an Australian actress and film maker with a career in both Australia and the United States. Sadly, few of Lovely’s films have survived.

Lovely’s career began as an actress in stage melodramas and vaudeville in Australia and America. In 1915, she was signed to Universal Studios. In 1917, Universal established Louise Lovely Productions, however Lovely herself had no control over the productions. In March 1918, she left Universal over contract disputes and shortly after began work with Fox Studios.

Lovely starred in her final US film in 1921. She then returned to Australia.

Upon her return to Australia, Lovely began production on her final film Jewelled Nights (Lovely and Welch, 1925). While the extent of her contribution to this production is not certain, sources indicate she not only acted, but co-wrote the script, directed scenes, edited the film, and assisted in the design and publicity of the film. The film was produced by her company Louise Lovely Productions. The film was financially unsuccessful and Lovely subsequently retired from the film industry.

Read

Archival resources

  • National Library of Australia
    • [Biographical cuttings on Louise Lovely, actress, containing one or more cuttings from newspapers or journals]
  • National Film and Sound Archive
    • [Lovely, Louise : Documentation]
    • [Lovely, Louise : Interviewed By Ross Cooper : Oral History]
    • [Axford, Maisie : Interviewed by David Atfield : Oral History]
    • [Lovely, Louise : Interviewed by Ina Bertrand, 1978 : Oral History]

Published resources

Related entries


  • Related Concepts
    • Film