Biographical entry: Lovely, Louise

Born
Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Summary

Louise Nellie Lovely (née Carbasse, film star and producer, was born in Sydney, illegitimate. In around 1911 she starred in nine film melodramas, and with her husband Wilton went to Hollywood in 1914 and became a star.

Details

Wilton resented her success, and since she was interested in film production she worked with him in a touring enterprise. When this arrived in Hobart, Marie Bjelke Petersen showed Louise her book Jewelled nights, and in 1925 Louise filmed it, starring as the cross-dressing heroine. She aimed to make Tasmania a second Hollywood. With some scenes shot on the west coast, the film showed Tasmania's magnificent scenery, but was a financial failure. The marriage broke up, and Louise married a Melbourne theatre manager. In 1946 they moved to Hobart and managed the Prince cinema, Louise often serving in the sweet shop.

Alison Alexander