About Violet MacMillan
Lived 1887 – 1953 (aged 66). Violet MacMillan was an American actor, stage actor, film actor and film director.
Violet MacMillan (March 4, 1887 – December 28, 1953), was an American actress in Broadway theatre productions, vaudeville, and silent films.
Early career MacMillan gained fame as the "Cinderella Girl" in a contest to discover a woman with feet small enough to wear a petite golden slipper. She was hesitant but entered a Broadway show, and won. Her foot measured an 11½ children's size.
She completed a successful vaudeville tour in 1916. She participated in the stage production, The Wishing Slippers, at Universal City, California. Another play of note is In And Out of the Movies. She performed in this "vaudeville oddity" in the Midwest in late 1917.
Silent films
In motion pictures Miss MacMillan joined the stock company of The Oz Film Manufacturing Company and debuted in the film versions of His Majesty, the Scarecrow of Oz (as Dorothy Gale), The Patchwork Girl of Oz (as Ojo), and The Magic Cloak of Oz (as King Bud of Noland), all made in 1914, and the lost series of L. Frank Baum-written and produced shorts, Violet's Dreams, in which she played a girl named Claribel who had fairy-tale adventures in her dreams.
She was also an actress for Universal Pictures. She made twenty-six motion pictures, ending with the role of Violet Bronson in The Mystery Mind (1920), a 15-chapter serial about a Satanic cult in lost Atlantis. Among her co-stars in films were Lon Chaney, Blanche Ring, Trixie Friganza, and Julian Eltinge.
MacMillan retired from show business in 1922.
Personal life and death As Mrs. John H. Folger, she was the wife of an industrial executive, who became her press agent in entertainment.
She was a member of Zonta International, the Grand Rapids Club, a non-profit organization working to advance the status of women through service and advocacy worldwide. She also served as president of the Grand Rapids Club from 1930–1932.
Violet MacMillan, at age 66, died at her home in Grand Rapids on December 28, 1953.
Don’t just read it —
keep it.
Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.
- E-book
- Audio
- Video
Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free
Important facts
People in Violet MacMillan's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Violet MacMillan's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Violet MacMillan?
American actress (1887–1953)
When was Violet MacMillan born?
Violet MacMillan was born on 4 March 1887 in Grand Rapids.
When did Violet MacMillan die?
Violet MacMillan died on 29 December 1953 in Grand Rapids.
What was Violet MacMillan's occupation?
Violet MacMillan was an actor, stage actor, film actor and film director.
What nationality was Violet MacMillan?
Violet MacMillan was American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Violet MacMillan. https://biography.guide/violet-macmillan/
MLA: "Violet MacMillan." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/violet-macmillan/.
Chicago: "Violet MacMillan." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/violet-macmillan/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-23 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons · author & licence
Page generated 2026-09-27 05:08 UTC