Born Mary Louise Steiger in Davenport, Iowa, she was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Fritz Stieger.

[1] Carver, a tall woman, made her first appearance on stage as a teenager, and her grand opera debut came at the Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, Illinois in 1892.

She came to national prominence as a comedian in Mack Sennett silent films such as The Hollywood Kid (1924).

One of her bigger roles on stage was as the leading lady of Lew Fields in Mrs. Henpecks, which played on Broadway for months in 1912–1913.

This year, she made Love at First Fright and had uncredited roles in Tight Shoes and Some More of Samoa.