Frances Lee, born Myrna Tibbetts, began her career as a teacher before pursuing dance lessons, which led to her being spotted by Gus Edwards, owner of a New York City theater. Edwards persuaded Lee to perform at his theater, and she joined the cast of The Ziegfeld Follies in 1923.
Lee moved to Hollywood in the mid-1920s to pursue acting, receiving her first film role in 1924, starring in the comedy short film Hello and Goodbye. This brought her to the attention of the studios, launching her into a successful and busy silent film career.
In 1925, she had roles in three films, and in 1926, her number of films jumped to seven. She was a frequent guest at the home of Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks and became friends with other notable Hollywood legends, including Rudolph Valentino until his death in 1926.
In 1927, she had roles in five films and was selected as one of thirteen girls to be WAMPAS Baby Stars, which that year included silent film star Sally Phipps and actress Barbara Kent. The year 1928 was a big year for her, starring in nine films, including Sweeties with Bobby Vernon.
Her biggest year by far was 1929, when she starred in ten films, including the lead role in Stage Struck Susie opposite Eddie Barry and Divorce Made Easy starring alongside Marie Prevost and Douglas MacLean. That year, she married Alexander Bennett, brother to Australian silent film actress Enid Bennett, in a wedding attended by famous Hollywood legends such as Fred Niblo, Gloria Swanson, Greta Garbo, Rod La Rocque, and John Gilbert.
Lee retired from film acting after 1935, living with her husband in Beverly Hills, California. She began working in interior design, studied for, and received a degree in teaching. She and her husband lived in Brentwood, where she began one of the early Head Start programs at Knox Presbyterian Nursery School.
She also taught dance, society behavior, and etiquette at the Elisa Ryan Studio, instructing the daughters of President Richard M. Nixon. In 1972, she and Alex moved to Cardiff-by-the-Sea. Lee worked as a children's librarian at the Rancho Sante Fe Library until a few years before her death.
She died on November 5, 2000, in Cardiff-by-the-Sea, California, at the age of 94.
