Constance Collier

Actor · Writer

Windsor, Berkshire, England, UK

January 22, 1878

Biography

Constance Collier (born Laura Constance Hardie; 22 January 1878 – 25 April 1955) was an English stage and film actress and acting coach. She made her stage debut at the age of three, when she played Fairy Peaseblossom in A Midsummer Night's Dream and later appeared in several Shakespearean stage plays. Her brief visit to New York in the 1910s yielded her work in a few silent films. When she was diagnosed with diabetes, she became the first ever patient in Europe to receive insulin treatment following its recent discovery. She served as an acting coach for many silent film stars in 1920s Hollywood following the tumultuous change to "talkies". While her most famous pupil was arguably Colleen Moore, her most acclaimed lifelong friend was fellow Stage Door co-star, Katharine Hepburn. Collier has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.