Caroline Louise Dudley was an American silent film and stage actress who found fame on Broadway through collaborations with impresario David Belasco. She was a beautiful and vivacious performer with strikingly red hair, known as "The American Sarah Bernhardt". She acted under her married name, Mrs. Leslie Carter, which she continued to use even after her divorce.

David Belasco was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director, and playwright. He was the first writer to adapt the short story Madame Butterfly for the stage. He launched the theatrical career of many actors, including James O'Neill, Mary Pickford, Lenore Ulric, and Barbara Stanwyck. Belasco pioneered many innovative new forms of stage lighting and special effects in order to create realism and naturalism.