1904– Born in Charters Towers, North Queensland, Australia

1911– Grandmother buys house in Coogee, Sydney

1913– Family moves down south to Sydney

1914–Lotus is a student at St. Clare’s Catholic School where she played the violin and won a music competition

1917–Given special permission to leave school to work on the Fullers’ Circuit

1919/1920–The ‘beauty contest win’ according to legend, no evidence

1921–First film, Know Thy Child, at sixteen years old

1921–A part in The Mystery of The Blue Mountains, stage work

1922–Chorus girl with pantomime, filming Dinkum Bloke with Longford, promotions work with Rexona Soap

1923–Wins a stage career competition with JC Williamson. Filmed Dingo, Townies and Hayseeds, and Prehistoric Hayseeds, the Artists’ Ball incident.

1924–Digger Earl, leaves Sydney for America, is accompanied by her mother. Work is not forthcoming. Works as a body double in studios for many months until she is finally employed by Hal Roach Studios, All Wet is her first film.

1925–Folly of Vanity, talk about a Fox Comedy, culminates in the Acid incident, family visit from Australia and her mother returns home. She has a role in Iron Mule with Buster Keaton, and another in The New Champion

1926–Flashing Fangs, Flying Papers, The Yellow Back is a good lead role with Universal, Lotus picks up a one year contract with Paramount Pictures. She is a Wampas Baby nominee.

1927–Duke of Black Butte, A One– Man Game, Casey At the Bat, Desert Dust, Rough House Rosie, It, Service for Ladies, Blazing Days, Mr Wu, The World at her Feet. There is a romance on set with a director.

1928– Crimson Canyon, The Port of Missing Girls, begins to question the price of fame and casting couch culture, travels around Europe, has a role in The Wilderness Patrol shoots in Canada where she meets Edward Wilder-Churchill and a romance begins.

1929–Lotus and Edward Wilder-Churchill marry in New York in January, she splits her time between filming in Hollywood and married life in Napa Valley, 400 miles away. She is a modern lady with a car, and motors there and back.

There are so many films this year, all silent, mostly Westerns with Universal. They include: A Man of Daring, A Tenderfoot Terror, Cowboy Pluck, Line of Duty, Man Hunter, ‘Neath Western Skies, A Man of Daring, A Tenderfoot Terror, Cowboy Pluck, Line of Duty, Man Hunter, ‘Neath Western Skies, Ridin’ Leather, The Lone Rider, The Phantom Rider, and The Thrill Hunter. The Freckled Rascal, a 50 minute film relates to the Our Gang series.

The end of the silents. Sound.

1930–Cecil B DeMille’s Madam Satan, and a 10 part serial, Terry o’ the Times, a film with partial sound.  

1931–Lotus divides her time between Hollywood and Napa Valley. The local newspaper records every trip during the year, it is a local highlight to have a movie actress in the area, the Wilder-Churchills are also prominent members of Napa society, and they hold legendary parties in the mansion.

Films begin to thin out at this point; the Great Depression affects the film industry, they deport immigrants and anyone who looks like one.

1933–After Looking Forward and The Midnight Club, Lotus is deported back to Australia, and arrives in August that year. She speaks to a women’s magazine about her life in America and reveals some information about the film industry and her part in the acid incident. She blames it on immaturity and publicity men, she seems to lament ruining her reputation with Fox studios. There is talk about appearing in homegrown productions, possibly in a Beaumont Smith film. Lotus devotes herself to her family in Coogee and Cootamundra, and to friends, with a busy social schedule, and frequent mentions of her name in local papers.

1934–Another going away party on the boat leaving from Sydney. A mirror image of a decade earlier. Arrives back in America to find that an Australian paper has leaked details of her affair with Major Norman Stewart Dawson and to make matters worse, Dawson was on the same ship. Edward is upset, understandably. Lotus leaves him yet again, this time for England, and the hope of finding work there. Once again, this doesn’t seem to happen. Edward sues her for divorce on the grounds of desertion. Bad news finds her when she returns to Los Angeles in December: both of her parents succumb to pneumonia, and they die within a week of each other.

1935–1936–A time for contemplation. Appearances in Kind Lady, I Found Stella Parish, Mutiny on the Bounty, and Ship Café. In 1936, there is a renaissance of sorts with Follow the Fleet, a credited role dancing with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, and a role in Anthony Adverse. She joins the Screen Actors Guild, and meets the next man in her life, Stanley Robinson.

1937–Lotus and Stanley marry in Ti Juana, Mexico. Two films, Prince and the Pauper, and History is Made at Night.

1938–1949–Fools for Scandal, Journey for Margaret, National Velvet, The Picture of Dorian Grey, Woman in White, The Red Danube.

While the films end here, the relationship with the film industry doesn’t. Lotus buys a drive-in in North Hollywood and battles significant health issues for several years.

1961–Another wedding, marrying Stanley in a low key ceremony in California, possibly in case the Mexican marriage doesn’t hold up.

1963–Cedars Hospital, Lotus has had an eventful life, her death certificate says she is a motion picture actress, freelance.

2025–Ashes found by relative in Australia. We hope to provide a fitting burial with her loved one, husband in America, or with her parents in Australia.