She was born Dorris Evelyn Nelson on November 13, 1899 in Chloride, Arizona. Her father, William Nelson, was a miner, and her mother, Georgia Parker Nelson, was a housewife. She had an older sister Pauline who was born in 1888. In 1909 the family moved to Walapai Mountain, Arizona where William ran a cattle ranch. After her parents divorced Evelyn moved to Lake Elismore, California with her mother and sister. They later moved to Los Angeles. At the age of nineteen she began her acting career with the Bulls-Eye Film Company. Charley Chase gave her the female lead in his 1919 comedy Don't Park Here. Then she was signed by Vitagraph studios. She co-starred with Jimmy Aubrey in the comedies The Backyard, The Trouble Hunter, The Decorator. Her big break came when she was chosen to be Jack Hoxie's leading lady in the 1921 western Cyclone Bliss. She would make ten more western films with Jack including The Crow's Nest, The Desert Bridegroom, Hills Of Hate, and Two-Fisted Jefferson. Her performances were getting positive reviews and her future in Hollywood seemed bright.
With Blanche White
One writer described her as "extremely appealing". In 1922 she had the lead female role in the western Peaceful Peters opposite William Fairbanks. Her older sister Pauline Nelson had also become an actress and married actor Charles King. Evelyn began having a passionate and very secret affair with married actor Wallace Reid. He quickly ended the relationship because he was fearful it would ruin his career. She decided to move to San Francisco for several months. In an interview she said "There is one thing about living in Hollywood - it has a tendency to crimp one's vision and appreciation of much of the real beauty of life and nature. I am beginning to realize that I got away just in time to save myself from the possibility of going into a physical and mental decline." After returning to Los Angeles she moved into a modest apartment at 6231 De Longpre Avenue with her mother. Evelyn was heartbroken when her former lover Wallace Reid died in January of 1923 from influenza. According to her friends she had started dating a famous recently divorced actor.
With Jack Hoxie
When this romance ended she was devastated and fell into a deep depression. She was also being forced to work long hours at the studio. By the time she finished filming Desert Rider in June of 1923 she was physically and emotionally exhausted. Tragically on June 16, 1923 she committed suicide by turning on the gas in her apartment. Evelyn was only twenty-three years old. Her mother had been helping her sister with a new baby and didn't discover her dead body for several days. She had left two suicide notes for her family. The first note said "I'm tired, oh so tired. Life has beaten me. It is a hopeless, tiresome, useless struggle. Struggles, disappointment, sadness - what's the use? Goodbye". A second note said "I'm going - it's nearly over - soon to my friends - peace - my pal Wally Reid. Farewell." Her family claimed that in her final days she had been in good spirits. Dozens of friends and admirers attended her funeral service. Evelyn was buried in an unmarked grave at Rosedale cemetery in Los Angeles, California. In 2022 her fans raised the money to finally buy her a headstone!
