Sara Sothern
Sara Sothern (
August 21,
1895 –
September 11,
1994) was an
American stage actress.
She was born
Sara Viola Warmbrodt in
Arkansas City, Kansas, the daughter of Samuel Sylvester Warmbrodt (
October 8,
1861-
January 6,
1948) and Elizabeth Ann Wilson (
February 10,
1864-
February 7,
1932). Her paternal grandfather was from
Switzerland.[
1]
Sothern was a seasoned actress by the time she made her
Broadway debut in
The Dagger (
1925). That was followed by
Arabesque and
Fool's Bells that same year. She next appeared in
Mama Loves Papa (
1926). During that time, she acted in
plays across the country, including the theatre venues of
Downtown Los Angeles.
She married art dealer
Francis Lenn Taylor in
1926 in
New York. They were the parents of Howard Taylor (born
1929) and
Elizabeth Taylor (who became a famous
movie actress).
After her marriage, Sara retired from the stage and never acted again. After living in
England several years, where her children were born, they returned to the
United States. Living in
Los Angeles, she devoted herself to her family and the movie career of her daughter, Elizabeth.
Sara Sothern Taylor died at age 99 in
Palm Springs. She is interred beside her husband in
Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery,
Westwood, California.
