Bonstelle, Jessie

Bonstelle, Jessie [neé Laura Justine Bonesteele] (1872–1932), manager and actress. Born in the small town of Greece, New York, she was encouraged by her mother to give public readings and act in amateur productions. Bonstelle's professional debut was as the deserted wife in a touring company of Bertha, the Sewing Machine Girl. She later took small parts under Augustin Daly, then learned theatre management while working for the Shuberts. After running her own stock companies in Rochester, Syracuse, and Northampton, Massachusetts, she moved to Detroit, where she leased the Garrick Theatre and mounted plays there until 1910. She still sometimes returned to Broadway, in 1910 creating the role of Rhoda in The Faith Healer. Summers she often moved the troupe to Buffalo for a short season. It was here that she helped young Katharine Cornell, one of the first in a long line of promising performers she encouraged. Others she assisted early in their careers were Ann Harding, Melvyn Douglas, William Powell, and Frank Morgan. Bonstelle's ability to pick promising performers earned her the appellation “Maker of Stars.” In 1923 she briefly ran the Harlem Opera House in New York, and two years later she took over Detroit's Playhouse, later renaming it the Detroit Civic Theatre. Here she continued to produce plays and encourage young performers. Broadway producers respected her acumen and skill, often asking her to try out new plays for them.