Biography
Claire McDowell was an American actress who appeared in hundreds of films from 1908 to 1945. She began in silent shorts and progressed to supporting roles, often as mothers or character parts in major productions of the 1920s and 1930s.
She is noted for appearances in The Mark of Zorro (1920), The Big Parade (1925) as Mrs. Apperson, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) as the Princess of Hur, and The Big House (1930) as Mrs. Marlowe. McDowell was also credited under names including Claire MacDowell and Doris Carlton.
She was married to actor Charles Hill Mailes from 1906 until his death in 1937; the couple appeared together in several silent films. McDowell died in Hollywood, California, in 1966.
