806) Caroline Louise Dudley (Mrs. Leslie Carter)

Caroline Louise Dudley (1857 – 1937). American silent film and stage actress who found fame on Broadway through collaborations with impresario David Belasco. She was a strikingly beautiful and vivacious performer, known as "The American Sarah Bernhardt", who continued to act under her married name, Mrs. Leslie Carter, even after her sensational divorce.
Carter's ascendancy in the theatrical world was fictionalized and sensationalized in Lady with Red Hair (1940), portrayed by Miriam Hopkins. Claude Rains portrayed David Belasco. 

- "Caroline Louise Dudley was born in Lexington, Kentucky, where her beauty, red hair and tempestuous nature led to a stage career..."  https://books.google.it/books…

- "She attended the Cooper Seminary in Dayton, where her abundant red hair earned her the nickname Carrot Top."  https://books.google.it/books…

- "It was said she was not beautiful, but had red hair down to her knees, one shade hotter than Titian, with a temperament to match."  https://books.google.it/books…

- "Critics found promise in her fiery red hair, green eyes, and willowy figure, though her performance was considered a tad unrestrained."  https://www.encyclopedia.com/…/…/carter-mrs-leslie-1862-1937

- "Needing an income and following up on a long-held urge to act on stage, she approached Broadway showman David Belasco, who described her as "a pale, slender, red-haired girl with a pair of green eyes."  https://www.reformer.com/…/bernard-a-drew-our-berkshires-st…