American actress. Her newspaper birth announcement says "Born....to Adolph and Josephine Pitton, Oct. 14, at Schaller's farm, a daughter, Lauretta (sic) M., weighing 9 pounds." (her son at age 18 was 6'4" and 200 lbs: WWII Draft). Her parents were wealthy: her Mom (Josephine) from her share of the ($300,000)1888 estate of Grandpa Schaller and her Dad, Adolph Pitton owned a successful dye factory in Cincinnati.
In 1907 in KY, Loretta married Wesley R. Dunn, a "rubber salesman". They divorced before April 1916. In 1920 in Kansas City, she married Bernard Daniel Russell, a "wholesale paper / printing salesman". They moved to Los Angeles where he became a movie producer. In 1922 they had a stillborn daughter and in 1923 a son, Bernard Jr. who raised a family and died in 1992. The birth certificates name Bernard as the Father (movie producer) and "Loretta Pitton" as the mother (housewife).
In 1928, Bernard was treated for back problems at the Sawtelle Veterans' Hospital for back problems with Loretta named as his wife. By the time of the 1930 Census, they were living apart and divorced before 1940. The CA Death Index incorrectly gives her birth year as 1880. Other sources list 1884 as the year of birth.
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