Silent Star Lois Wilson Dies

Silent screen actress Lois Wilson, who starred in many early Paramount productions including the 1923 Western epic, “The Covered Wagon,” has died in Reno of pneumonia, it was reported today.

Wilson, who entered the film business after winning a statewide beauty contest in Alabama in 1915, was featured in more than 100 films extending into the sound era.

In the 1926 version of “The Great Gatsby,” she played Daisy Buchanan, and in other films acted opposite such stars as Rudolph Valentino and John Gilbert.

Wilson later performed in several Broadway plays and in the road company of “The Women,” and held character roles in soap operas, including “Guiding Light” and “Edge of Night.” Wilson, who never married, was 93 when she died March 3, according to a nephew. She was buried Monday at Forest Lawn in Glendale.