Marie Mosquini, a petite and feisty comedienne, was a prolific performer who appeared in nearly 200 one- and two-reel shorts between 1917 and 1926, primarily for Hal Roach. During this period, she was featured in the initial series of comedies that propelled Stan Laurel to stardom. Subsequently, she enjoyed a lengthy run as the leading lady to pint-sized Australian comic 'Snub' Pollard, often under the direction of Charley Chase.
Marie Mosquini also co-starred opposite Will Rogers in the 1924 film "Two Wagons: Both Covered", a clever send-up of the classic silent western "The Covered Wagon" (1923). After striking up a close friendship with fellow actress Bebe Daniels, she was regularly featured in the films of Harold Lloyd, albeit only in minor supporting roles.
Born in Los Angeles in December 1899, Marie Mosquini was educated at a convent school. Prior to her career in Hollywood, she spent three years as a stenographer before deciding to try her luck in the film industry. The bulk of her work consisted of short comedies, but she also appeared in a handful of feature films for Paramount and Fox, including a rare dramatic role as Madame Gobin in the classic Janet Gaynor romance "7th Heaven" (1927).
Marie Mosquini went into quasi-retirement in October 1930 after her marriage to electronics and radio pioneer Lee De Forest, a man 26 years her senior. She became a leading socialite during the 1930s, although she continued to dabble in film acting up to 1938.
Seven years after her husband's death in 1961, Marie De Forest became a well-known 'Novice Class' HAM radio operator and member of the Lockheed-affiliated LERC Amateur Radio Club.
