Marion Byron

Marion Byron was an American actress and comedian of the silent era. Born in Dayton, Ohio, she began on stage at 13 and was working in Hollywood revues by her teens. A role in Lupino Lane's Hollywood Music Box Revue opposite Fannie Brice earned her the nickname Peanuts, a nod to her short stature, and while appearing in The Strawberry Blonde she caught the attention of Buster Keaton, who cast her as his leading lady in Steamboat Bill, Jr. (1928) when she was 16. Hal Roach then hired her and paired her with Anita Garvin in an attempt at a female Laurel and Hardy; the team made three short comedies before she left the studio. She moved into musical features such as Broadway Babies (1929) and Golden Dawn (1930), then took smaller, often unbilled bits in films including Meet the Baron (1933) and Hips Hips Hooray (1934). Her last screen appearance came in Five of a Kind (1938).