Bess Flowers
Known for
If longevity counts for anything, Bess Flowers is an American actress who has been at it long enough for audiences to grow up watching her. Casting directors have gone to her for romance more than for anything else. Work has kept arriving for 103 years, which is its own kind of achievement. Among all the titles, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' is the one that reached the widest audience. Another entry worth naming is 'The Big Sleep'. The career opened quietly, the way most long ones do.
Bess Flowers
537 Movies
7 Series
If longevity counts for anything, Bess Flowers is an American actress who has been at it long enough for audiences to grow up watching her. Casting directors have gone to her for romance more than for anything else. Work has kept arriving for 103 years, which is its own kind of achievement. Among all the titles, 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' is the one that reached the widest audience. Another entry worth naming is 'The Big Sleep'. The career opened quietly, the way most long ones do.
Movies
Plays Woman with Bumped Man
The Big Sleep
1946
Plays Lady Outside Jewelry Store
The Day the Earth Stood Still
1951
Plays Fashion Show Spectator
Funny Face
1957
Plays Mrs. Thatcher
Mr. Skeffington
1944
Plays Restaurant Patron at Paul's
In a Lonely Place
1950
Plays Miss Miller
Sleep, My Love
1948
Plays Woman in Audience
The Lodger
1944
Plays Woman in hotel bar
The Story of Three Loves
1953
Plays Attendant Holding Baby at Palace Ball
Désirée
1954
Plays Bus passenger
The Bigamist
1953
Plays Restaurant Patron
The First Traveling Saleslady
1956
Plays Stenographer
Three Bad Sisters
1956
Plays Mrs. Worthington
Born to Be Bad
1950
Plays Woman in Hotel Lobby
The Flame
1947
Plays Lady On Staircase
In Caliente
1935
Plays Woman Departing Train / Restaurant Patron
Rich, Young and Pretty
1951
Plays Lady in Political Entourage
Remember the Day
1941
Plays Marquesa
Casanova's Big Night
1954
Plays Nurse
Thunder Birds
1942
Plays Courtroom spectator
Hot Rod
1950
Plays Stenographer
Stand Up and Cheer!
1934
Plays Miriam Harper
The Lady Objects
1938
Plays Scotty's Mother
Sprucin' Up
1935
Plays Country Club Patron
Sally and Saint Anne
1952
Plays Nurse
The Personality Kid
1934
Plays Nightclub Extra
Goin' to Town
1935
Plays Lady Exiting Airplane
April in Paris
1952
Plays Woman sitting at bar at Florida Club
The Chase
1946
Plays Nightclub Patron
Crazy House
1943
Plays Extra at Company Dance
Speed
1936
Plays Town Meeting Spectator
Rally 'Round the Flag, Boys!
1958
Plays Yvonne's Employee (bit)
No Place for a Lady
1943
Plays Train passenger
Meet the Baron
1933
Plays Courtroom Spectator
Girls in Chains
1943
Plays Bridge Player
Ten Cents a Dance
1931
Plays Restaurant Birthday Party Attendee
Payment on Demand
1951
Plays Plane Crash Spectator
They Made Her a Spy
1939
Plays Department Store Shopper
One Touch of Venus
1948
Plays Nightclub patron
Immortal Sergeant
1943
Plays Wife at Washington D.C. Airport
Above and Beyond
1953
Plays Indian's Wife at Party
Monkey Business
1931
Plays Bazaar Patron
Mr. Belvedere Rings the Bell
1951
Plays Dancing Patron at Chez Pepe
Her Sister's Secret
1946
Plays Patron at Pelican Club
Whiplash
1948
Plays Patron at Pelican Club
John Loves Mary
1949
Plays Nightclub Patron
Let's Live a Little
1948
Plays Woman at Press Conference
Alias Nick Beal
1949
Plays Restaurant Patron
Winter Meeting
1948
Plays Jessica Thayar
Song of the Thin Man
1947
Plays Reporter
The Amazing Mrs. Holliday
1943
Latest Trailers
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Good Neighbor Sam
Full Filmography
Good Neighbor Sam
Mrs. Burke (uncredited)
1964
Film
For Those Who Think Young
Jane (uncredited)
1964
Film
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Mrs. Pradanos · 1 episode
1962–1963
TV
The Prize
Lady In Audience (uncredited)
1963
Film
Move Over, Darling
Seymour's Wife (uncredited)
1963
Film
Who's Minding the Store?
Shopper at Gourmet Department (uncredited)
1963
Film
Palm Springs Weekend
Woman in Hotel Lobby (uncredited)
1963
Film
For Love or Money
Surprised Diner at The Flame Room (uncredited)
1963
Film
40 Pounds of Trouble
Casino Patron (uncredited)
1962
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Bess Flowers still alive?
Bess Flowers passed away on July 28, 1984 at age 85.
What are the most famous roles of Bess Flowers?
Bess Flowers is best known for roles in Rear Window, Vertigo, North by Northwest.
How many movies has Bess Flowers been in?
Over a 61-year career (since 1923), Bess Flowers has appeared in 537 movies and 7 TV shows.
What was Bess Flowers's first movie?
The career of Bess Flowers began with Hollywood (1923).
What is Bess Flowers's most recent movie or series?
Bess Flowers's most recent release is Good Neighbor Sam, which premiered on July 22, 1964.
What TV shows has Bess Flowers appeared in?
On television, Bess Flowers has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Leave It to Beaver, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Mister Ed.
Bess Flowers
1898-11-23 · Sherman, Texas, USA
Bess Flowers (November 23, 1898 – July 28, 1984) was an American actress. By some counts considered the most prolific actress in the history of Hollywood, she was known as "The Queen of the Hollywood Extras," appearing in over 700 movies in her 41 year career.
Born in Sherman, Texas, Flowers's film debut came in 1923, when she appeared in Hollywood. She made three films that year, and then began working extensively. Many of her appearances are uncredited, as she generally played non-speaking roles.
By the 1930s, Flowers was in constant demand. Her appearances ranged from Alfred Hitchcock and John Ford thrillers to comedic roles alongside of Charley Chase, the Three Stooges, Leon Errol, Edgar Kennedy, and Laurel and Hardy.
She appeared in the following five films which won the Academy Award for Best Picture: It Happened One Night, You Can't Take it with You, All About Eve, The Greatest Show on Earth, and Around the World in Eighty Days. In each of these movies, Flowers was uncredited. Including these five movies, she had appeared in twenty-three Best Picture nominees in total, making her the record holder for most appearances in films nominated for the award. Her last movie was Good Neighbor Sam in 1964.
Flowers's acting career was not confined to feature films. She was also seen in many episodic American TV series, such as I Love Lucy, notably in episodes, "Lucy Is Enceinte" (1952), "Ethel's Birthday" (1955), and "Lucy's Night in Town" (1957), where she is usually seen as a theatre patron.
Outside her acting career, in 1945, Bess Flowers helped to found the Screen Extras Guild (active: 1946-1992, then merged with SAG), where she served as one of its first vice-presidents and recording secretaries.