Correspondence, notes, photographs, clippings, biographical material, and other personal papers, 1948-1995, from actor, artist, and raconteur Samson DeBrier. After working as an actor in the 1910s and 1920s, most notably in the film Salome, the eccentric DeBrier remained in Hollywood and literati circles throughout his life and was known for hosting salons with creative locals in his Hollywood home. The bulk of the collection is correspondence sent to de Brier from 1954 to 1995.

Samson DeBrier was born on March 18, 1909 and grew up in New Jersey. He moved to Hollywood, where he worked as a silent film actor, most notably in Alla Nazimova's Salome (1923). During this time, he also lived in Paris and fell in with the literati circles after befriending Andre Gide. Being independently wealthy from a real estate investment, DeBrier eventually settled in a Hollywood bungalow in the 1950s where he remained for the rest of his life. He was known for hosting art salons at his home, attracting the likes of Jack Nicholson, Anais Nin, Steve McQueen, Paul Mazursky, and Dorothy Parker, among others. In 1954, both DeBrier and his Hollywood bungalow were featured in Kenneth Anger's Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome. Samson DeBrier died on April 1, 1995.

1.2 linear feet. 1 archive box + 1 archive carton.

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