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The second husband of stage diva Mrs. Leslie Carter, Louis Payne had himself been on the stage since the age of 16. An infrequent visitor to films in the 1910s (he played the papal nuncio in Mrs. Carter's DuBarry in 1915), Payne was very visible in the 1920s, usually portraying rather pompous characters. Returning to the legitimate stage at the advent of sound, the now veteran actor later functioned as technical advisor on Lady With Red Hair (1940), a screen biography of his late wife starring Miriam Hopkins in the title role and featuring Richard Ainley as Payne. The real Louis Payne remained in Hollywood to play numerous bit roles through at least 1951.