Christine Norman

Anna Christine Norman was an American stage actress and playwright.

Early years

Norman was the daughter of Andrew G. Norman and his wife Minnie. She studied acting in New York, winning a medal for her work, and then studied music in Paris.

Career

Norman costarred with Constance Collier in Israel on Broadway in 1909. She appeared with Laurette Taylor in the huge Broadway hit Peg o' My Heart in 1912. In 1915 she scored another success costarring with Emily Stevens and Louis Bennison in The Unchastened Woman. Her other Broadway plays included Great Music, The Nest, The Crowded Hour, Branded, Upstairs and Down, Our Children, The Aviator, Israel, and An International Marriage.
In the 1920s she wrote several plays to no distinction such as The Balcony Walkers in 1925 of which she had trouble finding a producer.

Personal life

Norman married Enos Booth in 1919. In 1928, she tried unsuccessfully to divorce him.
She was considered a great Broadway beauty and had her portrait painted by Neysa McMein.

Death and legacy

On March 6, 1930, Norman committed suicide by jumping from the 20th floor of her hotel. After her death, a publicized battle over her will between her mother, her husband and various lawyers was mounted in which eventually a substantial amount of money was left to her dog. Bequests included $40,000 to John Hayden and $50,000 to Clare Cassell, described respectively in a newspaper article as "an ardent admirer" and "a close friend and international tennis star of the day".