Douglas Messerli | Edna Foster, Boy Former [Introduction]

edna foster, boy performer

by Douglas Messerli

 

Edna Foster played both young women and the male character Billy in several of the Biograph movies directed by D. W. Griffith. She evidently maintained the “Billy” nickname and some senses of the character off the screen as well, film historian Susan Stryker suggesting she was identified in fan magazines for her muscular development and her short-trimmed hair, and was known for wearing male attire in public. Whether or not the actor perceived herself as transsexual or transgender is not known.

    It was clear that Griffith was attracted to her for her ability to visually convey the emotions of a young boy, which she does particularly well in The Adventures of Billy and several of her other films. Here I discuss her films, two from 1911 The Adventures of Billy and A Country Cupid, and two she made in 1912, A Terrible Discovery, The Baby and the Stork, and Billy's Stratagem.