Florence Vidor was a stunning beauty born in Houston on July 23, 1895, to John F. Arto and his wife Ida. She was educated in public and finishing schools and even attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart for a time.
Florence's fate was sealed after a chance meeting with aspiring filmmakers Edward Sedgwick and King Vidor. Vidor, a freelance photographer, cast Florence in his first 2-reel picture, and the two became romantically involved. They married in 1915 and had one child, Suzanne Vidor Parry, in 1919.
King Vidor set his sights on Hollywood, and the couple made the big move, financing their trip by filming travelogues for the Ford Motor Company. They settled in Santa Monica and found employment at Vitagraph Studios. Florence soon became a contract player, starting with minor roles in comedy shorts.
Florence's breakthrough role was as "Mimi" in A Tale of Two Cities (1917). Her portrayal of the tragic seamstress earned her leading-lady status opposite established stars like Sessue Hayakawa and Julian Eltinge. She went on to star in quality pictures for William C. de Mille and Cecil B. DeMille, but preferred to work for her husband King, who had established himself as a formidable director.
Under King's guidance, Florence became a huge star, starring in silent classics like The Other Half (1919),Poor Relations (1919),The Family Honor (1920),and Conquering the Woman (1922). Her best-regarded film of that period was King's comedy-drama Alice Adams (1923).
King and Florence divorced in 1924, and Florence went on to appear in films for other well-known directors, including Ernst Lubitsch. She continued to specialize in sophisticated comedy, starring in films like Marry Me (1925),The Grand Duchess and the Waiter (1926),and The Magnificent Flilt (1928).
Florence's first major talking film would also be her last. The unhappy experience and end-result of working on Chinatown Nights (1929) convinced her to leave films altogether. She married violinist Jascha Heifetz and raised two children before divorcing him in 1946. Florence remained out of the limelight, moving to Pacific Palisades, California, where she lived for the rest of her life. She passed away in 1977 at the age of 82 due to heart failure.
