Mae Busch was a talented actress who enjoyed a long and versatile career in Hollywood. Born in Melbourne, Australia in 1891, she moved to the United States with her family at the age of six and began her career in vaudeville as part of the Busch Devere Trio.
She made her Broadway debut in 1912, replacing Lillian Lorraine in the lead role of "Over the River," and later joined Jesse L. Lasky's touring "girl" shows. In 1915, she was signed by Mack Sennett for his Keystone Pictures and made her film debut in "The Water Nymph."
However, her early career in Hollywood was marked by a series of mishaps, including a high dive that resulted in an injury and her subsequent return to her parents in New York. She eventually returned to Hollywood and Keystone, but her friendship with Mabel Normand ended abruptly when she was "caught" with Mack Sennett, Normand's fiancé.
Mae went on to have substantial roles in a number of films, including Erich von Stroheim's "The Devil's Passkey" and "Foolish Wives." She also worked with Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, playing Mrs. Hardy in several of their films, including "Unaccustomed As We Are," "Their First Mistake," "Sons of the Desert," and "The Bohemian Girl."
Mae's Hollywood career spanned 30 years, during which she worked with many of the leading directors, actors, and actresses of the time. She died in 1946, aged 54, and was cremated, with her ashes remaining in a cardboard box at the Motion Picture Country Home Hospital for over 20 years until a proper interment and plaque were provided.
