From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Cecil Cunningham (August 2, 1888 – April 17, 1959) was an American film and stage actress. With whitish hair cut like a man's, she was a Hollywood character actress, often cast in roles as a general "know-it-all". She made more than 80 appearances in movies between 1929 and 1946, many of them uncredited. Cunningham started her working life as a switchboard operator in a commerce bank and did some sittings as a photographer's model. Her first show business job was in the chorus line of 'Mademoiselle Modiste' at the age of eighteen. Cunningham trained as a singer and appeared in opera. She worked as a vaudeville comedian at the Palace Theatre in New York City until the commencement of her movie career in 1929.