Mabel Van Buren

Mabel Van Buren (born Mabel Brown Southard; July 17, 1878 – November 4, 1947) was an American stage and screen actress. As a theatrical performer she played the leading lady in both The Virginian and The Squaw Man (1909). She was an actress for the Kinemacolor Company of America. Van Buren became prominent in motion pictures at the time of the development of feature-length movies in 1914. She starred in The Girl of the Golden West (1915) under the direction of Cecil B. Demille. It was Demille who brought Mabel west to Hollywood. Mabel was the first leading lady of the Famous Players–Lasky studio on Vine Street in Hollywood, California.

Her final role of note was in Neighbor's Wives (1933) in which she played Mrs. Lee. She continued acting in movies until the death of her husband, James Gordon. He was a Shakesperian actor who died in 1941. Other films in which she played prominent parts are The Warrens of Virginia (1915), The Man From Home (1914), and Craig's Wife (1928).

Van Buren's residence was 4351 Kingswell Avenue, Los Angeles, California. She died of pneumonia in 1947, age 69, at St. Vincent's Hospital. Her daughter, Katherine Charlton, was also an actress.