MARTHA MANSFIELD
You may know Martha from starring alongside John Barrymore in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Mansfield, born Martha Ehrlich, was a New York native who became an actress in vaudeville stage plays and silent films. Determined to become an actress, at 14, she won a role on Broadway in Little Women.
After a few plays, dancing, and modeling gigs, she moved to California to pursue the big screen.
Unfortunately, in November 1923, while working on location in San Antonio, TX for the film The Warrens of Virginia, she became severely burned when a tossed match caught fire to her Civil War costume. She was on a break between scenes and decided to relax in the car when the event happened. Cast and crew flew to her side to put out the fire and managed to save her face and neck.
Sadly, she died the next day in the hospital due to “burns of all extremities, general toxemia, and suppression of urine.”
