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Sarah Padden(October 16, 1881 – December 4, 1967) was a character actress in theater and vaudeville from Chicago, Illinois. She performed on stage in the early 20th century. She is noted for her psychological studies of characters which she portrayed and her expressive voice. Her finest single act performance was in The Clod. In this stage production she played an uneducated woman who lived on a farm during the American Civil War. As a young woman Padden's parents hoped she would enter a convent. She took part in recitations in the Catholic Church school she attended in Chicago. Her... MORE

Sarah Padden(October 16, 1881 – December 4, 1967) was a character actress in theater and vaudeville from Chicago, Illinois. She performed on stage in the early 20th century. She is noted for her psychological studies of characters which she portrayed and her expressive voice. Her finest single act performance was in The Clod. In this stage production she played an uneducated woman who lived on a farm during the American Civil War. As a young woman Padden's parents hoped she would enter a convent. She took part in recitations in the Catholic Church school she attended in Chicago. Her fellow students enjoyed her talent as a mimic (entertainment). A liberal-minded priest, Father Dorney, encouraged her ambition to become an actress. He assisted her in obtaining her first role on the stage, a theatrical featuring Otis Skinner. Padden lived for many years in the vicinity of the Broad River, Gaston, South Carolina. On one occasion she ventured onto a dam, and upon reaching its center, she was frightened by a whistle which blew near a power station around midday. Padden lost her balance, fell over, yet managed to cling to a steel eyebolt with her fist. Fortunately she was rescued by an LESS