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(March 3, 1895 – September 26, 1961)
 She
was born in Des Moines, Iowa. Her family moved to California when
she was a girl and Juanita graduated from Los Angeles High School.
There she secured her first acting job with L. Frank Baum's "Oz Film
Manufacturing Company". She appeared in the The Patchwork Girl of
Oz, a film based on Baum's book. Given a minor role as the bell
ringer, Hansen had a major role in her next "Oz" film that same year
titled The Magic Cloak of Oz. This was an adaptation of Queen Zixi
of Ix, in which she played the title role.
Early in her career the actress was also associated with Famous
Players-Lasky and acted opposite Jack Pickford. In 1915 Juanita
appeared in six films. One was her first feature role starring
opposite Tom Chatterton in "The Secret of the Submarine." The
following year her good looks landed her work as one of the "Sennet
Bathing Beauties" doing comedy shorts at Keystone/Triangle Studios.
Although she told reporters she liked working for Mack Sennett, she
wanted to do more than slapstick comedy.
She left Keystone. She was soon doing serious roles for Universal
Studios. Miss Hansen became famous as the star of the eighteen
episode action/adventure serial called "The Brass Bullet." The
actress made seven films in 1919. Soon she was cast in the starring
role of "Princess Elyata" in a fifteen episode serial called "The
Lost City." It was produced by William Selig and the three Warner
brothers, Harry, Jack, and Sam. The successful serial was edited
down to seven reels and re-released in the form of a feature-length
film with the title "The Jungle Princess." However, during this
time, Hansen's increasingly reckless lifestyle led to a cocaine
addiction that would quickly overwhelm her life.
Hansen's performance in the Universal productions led to a 1920 deal
with Pathé to star with Warner Oland and William N. Bailey in a
fifteen episode serial titled "The Phantom Foe." She made a second
Pathé serial called "The Yellow Arm (1921)," again with Oland and
Bailey plus Marguerite Courtot. In 1921 Juanita retired from movies
after she was scalded in a bathroom accident in a New York City
hotel. She was given $118,000 in damages following a long legal
battle. |
