Martha Mattox

Martha Mattox (born Eleanor Perry Mellen; June 19, 1879 – May 2, 1933) was an American silent film actress most notable for her portrayal of Mammy Pleasant in the 1927 film The Cat and the Canary. She also played a role in Torrent (1926). She died from a heart ailment at age 53.

Born Eleanor Perry Mellen in Natchez, Mississippi, Mattox was the daughter of Thomas Lewis Mellen and Mary Eleanor Mellen. She attended East Mississippi College, where she studied dramatic art. (Another source gives the school's name as East Mississippi Female College, with graduation in 1892. ) A 1923 article in the Calgary Herald newspaper described her as "a full-blooded Creole", of Spanish descent on her father's side and French on her mother's. She taught for several years at Holding Seminary.

Her initial acting was on stage, including performances with the Marion Leonard Company. After working on stage, she began performing in films, initially in Westerns and action films and later in melodramas and comedies. Her film debut came in 1915, and she played a variety of roles in the silent-film era.

Mattox married Arichbald J. Sneed Jr. on July 29, 1897, in Canton, Mississippi, and they had five children.

Activities in Mattox's personal life included donating prizes and selecting winners in the Better Baby Exposition.

On May 2, 1933, Mattox died of heart disease in Sidney, New York, at age 53.