Genevieve Hamper

Genevieve Hamper (September 8, 1888 – February 13, 1971) was an American stage and screen actress. A native of Detroit, Michigan, she trained as an actress in that city with A. M. Straub before joining Robert B. Mantell's theatre company in 1910. Mantell was a highly regarded actor in the works of William Shakespeare and he mentored Hamper in that repertoire. She married Mantell in 1912, and toured widely as a leading actress in his repertory theatre company with the organization's name ultimately becoming the Robert Mantell-Genevieve Hamper Shakespearean Repertoire Company (MHSRC). These tours included multiple appearances on Broadway. They continued to perform together until Mantell's death in 1928. In addition to their work on the stage, Robert and Genevieve co-starred in seven silent films released between 1915 and 1923.

After Mantell's death, Hamper married actor John Alexander who was her colleague in the MHSRC. She re-structured that organization under her own name, and continued to tour in Shakespeare plays until disbanding the organization in April 1930. After this her stage career slowed, but she continued to work until as late as 1935 in theaters in California. In retirement she mentored young actors in New Jersey.