Bess Meredyth

A tiny, vivacious blonde, American actress/screenwriter Bess Meredyth entered films as an extra in 1914. She developed into a comedy ingenue, appearing in the Bess one-reeler series of the mid teens. Upon marrying actor Wilfred Lucas, she retired from acting to concentrate on writing; she also co-directed a film with her husband, Morgan's Raiders (1918). After an acrimonious split-up with Lucas, Bess married director Michael Curtiz. Bess' most famous screenplays include Don Juan (1926), Ben-Hur (1926), A Woman of Affairs (1928) and The Mighty Barnum (1934). Bess Meredyth was the mother of writer-director John Meredyth Lucas, of Mannix fame.

~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide