Spring Dell Byington (October 17, 1886 â€" September 7, 1971) was an
American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and
television as the star of December Bride. She was a
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player who appeared in films from the
1930s to the 1960s. Byington received a nomination for an Academy
Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Penelope Sycamore in
You Can't Take It with You (1938).Byington was born in Colorado
Springs, Colorado, the daughter of Edwin Lee Byington, an educator and
superintendent of schools in Colorado, and his wife Helene Maud
(Cleghorn) Byington. She had a younger sister, Helene Kimball
Byington. Her father died in 1891, and her mother sent her younger
daughter to live with her grandparents in Port Hope, Ontario, while
Spring remained with relatives in Denver. Helene Byington moved to
Boston and enrolled in the Boston University School of Medicine, where
she graduated in 1896. She then returned to Denver and opened a
practice with her classmate, Dr. Mary Ford.Byington performed
occasionally in amateur shows as a student, graduating from North High
School in 1904. She soon became a professional actress with the Elitch
Garden Stock Company. When their mother died in 1907, Byington and
Helene were legally adopted by their aunt Margaret Eddy. Byington
stated in a 1949 interview that she briefly tried newspaper reporting.
However, since she was already of legal age, she decided to start her
acting career in New York City, saying that she enjoyed it, and, "I
can't do anything else very well."In 1903, Byington had joined a
repertory company, Belasco De Mille Company of New York, that was
touring Buenos Aires, Argentina. Among the plays that she performed in
Buenos Aires was Dr. Morris, written by Dr. Alberto del Solar. Between
1903 and 1916, the company performed American plays, translated into
Spanish and Portuguese in Argentina and Brazil. Upon returning to New
York, Byington divided her time between working in Manhattan and
staying with her daughters. Her daughters were living with friends J.
Allen and Lois Babcock, in Leonardsville, New York, who were taking
care of them while Byington worked in the city. She began touring in
1919 with a production of The Bird of Paradise, which brought the
Hawaiian culture to the mainland, and in 1921 began work with the
Stuart Walker Company, for which she played roles in Mr. Pim Passes
By, The Ruined Lady, and Rollo’s Wild Oat, among others. This
connection landed her a role in her first Broadway performance in
1924, George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly's Beggar on Horseback which
ran for six months. She renewed the role in March and April 1925, and
continued on Broadway with an additional 18 productions in the ten
years from 1925 to 1935. These included roles in Kaufman and Moss
Hart's Once in a Lifetime, Rachel Crothers's When Ladies Meet, and
Dawn Powell's Jig Saw.
American actress. Her career included a seven-year run on radio and
television as the star of December Bride. She was a
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract player who appeared in films from the
1930s to the 1960s. Byington received a nomination for an Academy
Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Penelope Sycamore in
You Can't Take It with You (1938).Byington was born in Colorado
Springs, Colorado, the daughter of Edwin Lee Byington, an educator and
superintendent of schools in Colorado, and his wife Helene Maud
(Cleghorn) Byington. She had a younger sister, Helene Kimball
Byington. Her father died in 1891, and her mother sent her younger
daughter to live with her grandparents in Port Hope, Ontario, while
Spring remained with relatives in Denver. Helene Byington moved to
Boston and enrolled in the Boston University School of Medicine, where
she graduated in 1896. She then returned to Denver and opened a
practice with her classmate, Dr. Mary Ford.Byington performed
occasionally in amateur shows as a student, graduating from North High
School in 1904. She soon became a professional actress with the Elitch
Garden Stock Company. When their mother died in 1907, Byington and
Helene were legally adopted by their aunt Margaret Eddy. Byington
stated in a 1949 interview that she briefly tried newspaper reporting.
However, since she was already of legal age, she decided to start her
acting career in New York City, saying that she enjoyed it, and, "I
can't do anything else very well."In 1903, Byington had joined a
repertory company, Belasco De Mille Company of New York, that was
touring Buenos Aires, Argentina. Among the plays that she performed in
Buenos Aires was Dr. Morris, written by Dr. Alberto del Solar. Between
1903 and 1916, the company performed American plays, translated into
Spanish and Portuguese in Argentina and Brazil. Upon returning to New
York, Byington divided her time between working in Manhattan and
staying with her daughters. Her daughters were living with friends J.
Allen and Lois Babcock, in Leonardsville, New York, who were taking
care of them while Byington worked in the city. She began touring in
1919 with a production of The Bird of Paradise, which brought the
Hawaiian culture to the mainland, and in 1921 began work with the
Stuart Walker Company, for which she played roles in Mr. Pim Passes
By, The Ruined Lady, and Rollo’s Wild Oat, among others. This
connection landed her a role in her first Broadway performance in
1924, George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly's Beggar on Horseback which
ran for six months. She renewed the role in March and April 1925, and
continued on Broadway with an additional 18 productions in the ten
years from 1925 to 1935. These included roles in Kaufman and Moss
Hart's Once in a Lifetime, Rachel Crothers's When Ladies Meet, and
Dawn Powell's Jig Saw.
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