Winifred Westover

Winifred Westover, born Winifred Heide, (November 9, 1899 – March 19, 1978) was an actress of the 1910s and 1920s. Her career included films made in Hollywood, Sweden and New York.

Early years Winifred Helena Heide was the daughter of Thomas C. Heide and Sophia Heide. On July 14, 1904 Sophia Heide filed for divorce on the grounds of cruelty, non-support, and desertion.

When Winifred was thirteen years old she adopted her stepfather's last name. She graduated from the Dominican College of San Rafael.

Career In 1915, Westover met D. W. Griffith, and she was given several small roles in his epic 1916 film Intolerance.

In 1919, she starred in John Petticoats with western star William S. Hart. Hart took an interest in Westover, and introduced her to Thora Holm, who was looking for an actress to make films in Sweden.

Marriage and birth of son

When Westover was working in New York City, William S. Hart came to see her, and escorted her to dinner and shows. A trust fund of $100,000 was established for her son, to be used for his support and education.

In order to portray the heavyset servant, who’d been given the derogatory nickname of Lummox, Westover ate fatty food, avoided exercise, and gained forty pounds.

She received praise for her acting, with one newspaper stating: "Winifred Westover’s characterization of the buxom servant girl, whose little world has been the drab atmosphere of cheap lodging houses, shabby humanity, and cruel employers, reaches heights rarely ever attained."

It has at times been incorrectly reported that she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film, but there is no record of such a nomination in the Academy Awards Database for the 1931 ceremony.

Death On March 19, 1978, Westover died in Santa Monica, where she had been living with her son. She was buried at Westwood Memorial Park Cemetery.

Selected filmography

Intolerance (1916) Microscope Mystery (1916) (1916) The Half-Breed (1916) Jim Bludso (1917) - Kate Taggart An Old-Fashioned Young Man (1917) - Mame Morton Cheerful Givers (1917) - Estella All the World to Nothing (1918) Hobbs in a Hurry (1918) All the World to Nothing (1918) Love (1919) John Petticoats (1919) This Hero Stuff (1919) Marked Men (1919) The Village Sleuth (1920) Old Lady 31 (1920) - Mary The Fighter (1921) Bucking the Tiger (1921) Is Life Worth Living? (1921) Anne of Little Smoky (1921) - Anne Love's Masquerade (1922) Lummox (1930)