Dorothy Sebastian

Dorothy Sebastian (born Stella Dorothy Sabiston; April 26, 1903 – April 8, 1957) was an American film and stage actress. Early years Sebastian was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, the daughter of Lycurgus (Lawrence) Robert and Stella Armstrong Sabiston. After leaving Alabama and starting a career on the stage, she changed the spelling of her name to Sebastian. In her youth, she aspired to be a dancer and a film actress. Her family frowned on both ambitions, however, so she fled to New York at the age of 15. Upon her arrival in New York City, Sebastian's southern drawl was thick enough to "cut with a knife". She followed around theatrical agents before returning at night to a $12-a-month room, after being consistently rejected. Career Before appearing in films, Sebastian performed onstage in the musical revue, George White's Scandals. Her first contact in Hollywood was Robert Kane, who gave her a film test at United Studios. She co-starred with Joan Crawford and Anita Page in a popular series of MGM romantic dramas, including Our Dancing Daughters (1928) and Our Blushing Brides (1930). Sebastian appeared in 1929's Spite Marriage, where she was cast opposite the then-married Buster Keaton, with whom she began an affair.