The film is widely considered a classic, one of the greatest of American films. Her autobiography, ‘Swanson on Swanson’ was published in 1980 which became a national best seller. I don't think that comedy, unless it has a great deal of irony in it, corresponds to anything in life. Gloria Swanson was born in Chicago to Joseph Swanson, a soldier and his wife Adelaide. Kennedy was a Hollywood mogul who had been asked by a mutual friend, Robert Kane, to help Swanson solve her serious financial problems. Kennedy’s eldest son, Joseph Jr., saw Hitler speak in … Gloria Swanson had been a silent screen legend and a respected businesswoman, producing many films for various companies including her own. After a few more films in the 1950s, Gloria more or less retired. Child's father was her 2nd husband, Herbert K. Somborn. A crisis arose when several newspapers questioned whether my singing voice was real. Gloria Swanson went to public schools in Chicago; Key West, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. That was to be it until 1950, when she starred in Sunset Blvd. Gloria died on April 4, 1983, in New York City at the age of 84. I think all this talk about age is foolish. A Republican, she was the head of the council for "Seniors for Reagan-Bush". Gloria Swanson. As Daddy said, life is 95 percent anticipation. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed ), memorial page for Gloria Swanson (27 Mar 1899–4 Apr 1983), Find a Grave Memorial no. She survived the switch to talkies, even learning how to sing for Music in the Air (1934), but her kinds of films were over with by that time. I had not sung--they wanted to know why. After years of negotiating, I felt bitter and resentful about Mr. Lasky [. Swanson's Oscar nominated performance as delusional silent star Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard so impressed movie audiences that she said she spent the rest of her life having to remind the public, "I'm not Norma Desmond, I merely played her onscreen!". She starred in dozens of silent films & later became known for her role as Norma Desmond, a reclusive silent film star in the critically acclaimed 1950 film 'Sunset Boulevard'. Sultry star whose career spanned from silent films to the acclaimed film Sunset Boulevard. Sign in to check out Check out as guest . Those glossies that sometimes turn up were publicity stills that I unfortunately made as a favor when I had a free hour. Denny Jackson, Other Works The impressive Gloria Crest Estate sits … All of the books were concerned with health and nutrition. She made her film debut as an extra in ‘The song of Soul’ in 1914, and went on to work as an extra in many other Essanay movies. Underwent an abortion in 1917 during her marriage to. Details about Book Photo Famous Movie Stars - Gloria Swanson. Her dresses and accessories were often adorned with beads, jewels, and feathers. The largest mansion currently on the market in New Jersey was once owned by silent movie star Gloria Swanson and is on sale for $9.9million. Gloria Swanson was born Gloria May Josephine Svensson on March 27, 1899 to Joseph Svensson and Adelaide Klanowski in the Lake View district of Chicago. She was born on March 27, 1899 in Chicago, IL. In 1964, she was one of many guest speakers at the Project Prayer Rally in Los Angeles, California. She was also involved with many other men throughout her acting career. Explore some of Gloria Swanson best quotations and sayings on Quotes.net -- such as 'All creative people should be required to leave California for three months every year.' In her next film, she was an extra also, when she appeared in At the End of a Perfect Day (1915). Mother of a biological daughter, Gloria, by her second husband, and also of an adopted son, Joseph Patrick, whom everyone thought (erroneously) was named for her lover at the time. Met her third husband, the Marquis (or "Marquess"), Wrote her autobiography in rebuttal to certain claims made by. The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket, View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, The Film Society of Lincoln Center Tribute to George Cukor (1978) Premiere. The movie was a box office smash and earned her a third Academy Award nomination as Best Actress, but she lost to Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950). She starred in the French-American costume comedy-drama, ‘Madame Sans-Gene’ in 1925 which was produced and filmed in France. Her personality and antics in private definitely made her a favorite with America's movie-going public. By the time of her death in 1983, her gross estate was valued at just over $1,440,000. I'll be up there again, so help me!" Publicity Listings She had taken a hiatus from film work after 1934's Music in the Air (1934) and would not be seen again until Father Takes a Wife (1941). She was the first star to earn back-to-back Oscar nominations in two consecutive years for "Sadie Thompson" in 1929 and for "The Trespasser" in 1930. By the middle 1920s, she was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. The film dealt with the controversial topic of a prostitute seeking to redeem her life. She was an actress and producer, highly acclaimed for her stylish fashion statements. Once married, the two pulled up stakes in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles to the film colony of Hollywood. It was not just her luminous beauty or acting skills that pulled the audiences towards her, but also her bold dressing style which made her one of the most photographed women in the world. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Every time I'm one year older, everyone else is too. Churning out four to six films a year was exhausting, and while Swanson was the most successful actress in America (save perhaps Mary Pickford ), by the mid-1920s her films were famous more for her fabulous costumes than for her acting or the story line (273). Made a full 21 years later, this would be Gloria Swanson’s biggest and best-known hit movie. Swanson had been married six times, with five of her marriages ending in divorce. The legendary director Cecil B. DeMille recognized the young woman’s capabilities and cast her as the leading lady in his 1919 film ‘Don't Change Your Husband’. She seemed to be in hit after hit in such films as The Pullman Bride (1917), Shifting Sands (1918), and Don't Change Your Husband (1919). Gloria Swanson. De … The film is considered one of the best in the history of film and, on June 16, 1998, was named one of the top 100 films of all time by the American Film Institute, placing 12th. Gloria Swanson went to public schools in Chicago; Key West, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her career began to decline in the 1930s after a series of flops like ‘What a Widow!’, ‘Indiscreet’, ‘Tonight or Never’, etc. Feb 6, 2021 - Gloria May Josephine Swanson was a star in the silent film era as both an actress & a fashion icon. Everybody from the studio gateman to the highest executive will know it. She did. At 26, I felt myself a victim rather than a victor in the realm of pictures. Her mother was of Polish, German, and French ancestry. Her first talkie, ‘The Trespasser’ (1929) became a smash hit. Kennedy produced her Queen Kelly (1932), directed by Erich von Stroheim (it was von Stroheim's copy of this film that Swanson was watching as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. Gloria Swanson went to public schools in Chicago; Key West, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. That, along with the seven marriages she had, kept the fans spellbound with her escapades for over 60 years. During the early 1920s, she had a falling-out with close friend. She had gone to visit Essanay Studios, Chicago, with her aunt where her good looks and stylishness got noticed by the directors and she was immediately offered the role of an extra. From a lowly extra, she got transformed into one of the most sought-after actresses within a couple of years—she was so much in demand that film makers gave in to her every whims and fancies for the fear of losing her. 16. Adding to your cart. […] It makes me feel vacant - just as though I had gone to a restaurant hungry and come away without eating. I have decided that when I am a star, I will be every inch and every moment a star. There was never anyone like her, before or since. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/gloria-swanson-3398.php, American Female Film & Theater Personalities, The Top 25 Wrestling Announcers Of All Time, Famous Role Models You Would Like To Meet, 19th Century Film & Theater Personalities. Gloria certainly didn't intend on going into show business. Her role as Marion Donnell earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. From the following year on, she had leading roles in pictures for Keystone, then a year with Triangle, and, in 1919, a contract with Cecil B. DeMille. Hollywood’s Most Famous Silent Film Actresses: The Lives and Careers of Greta Garbo, Gloria Swanson, and Mary Pickford - Kindle edition by Charles River Editors. One of her most talked about affairs was with the politician Joseph Kennedy which was an open secret in Hollywood. Price: US $5.99. Her father’s army job meant that the family moved frequently and as a result she had attended several schools by her teens, the most notable among them being the Hawthorne Scholastic Academy. She was plucked out of the crowd, because of her beauty, to be included as a bit player in the film The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket (1915). After seven years in one place, not to mention two marriages and 32 pictures, I felt I had earned a vacation. I'm sufficiently amused, but when it's over I have a feeling that I am not taking anything away with me. Hated acting in slapstick comedy, which was pretty much all of her early career. Since my comeback in, Two of the more trivial topics I never discuss are my marriage [of three weeks] to, [on being transported by police through a mob of fans to the premiere of. They are somehow sweetly and beautifully mixed, … I haven't a very great sense of humor. All your notes, telegraphs, thank you cards, scripts, and contracts become the “Gloria Swanson Collection,” housed, conveniently for me during my Ph.D., at … She got a small role in ‘His New Job’ where she co-starred with Charlie Chaplin. Her convincing portrayal of Leila Porter in ‘Don’t Change Your Husband’ was followed by more leading roles: ‘Male and Female’ (1919), ‘Why Change Your Wife?’ (1920), and ‘The Affairs of Anatol’(1921). She received Best Actress nominations for Sadie Thompson (1928), The Trespasser (1929) and Sunset Blvd. Louise Brooks 1920s fashionParty girl Louise tried and tested all of the trends the … Swanson may have been famous for her elaborate turbans, her jewels, her reputed $10,000-a-year stockings bill, but there is nothing in the least … 6542, citing Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest Columbarium, Manhattan, New York County (Manhattan), New York, USA ; Maintained by Find A Grave . Gloria Swanson, a symbol of enduring glamour who was perhaps the most glittering goddess of Hollywood's golden youth in the 1920's, died of a … After another uncredited role, Gloria got a more substantial role in Sweedie Goes to College (1915). She was named the Best Actress-Foreign Film by the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists in 1951 for the film ‘Sunset Boulevard’. By the time of the latter, Gloria had divorced Beery and was remarried, but it was not to be her last marriage, as she collected a total of six husbands. [To her mother following her triumphant return to Hollywood in 1924 after making, It's amazing to find that so many people, who I thought really knew me, could have thought that. Ed Stephan . She also appeared in The Trespasser and The Love of Sunya. Item Information. Throughout the 1960s, she appeared mostly on television. The 1950 movie was her first big hit after 20 years. place of death: New York City, New York, U.S. See the events in life of Gloria Swanson in Chronological Order. Her father was of Swedish descent. In 1916, she first appeared with future husband Wallace Beery. All they had to do was put my name on a marquee and watch the money roll in. That's the story of my private life. [To Michel Drucker, presenter, in "Champs Elysees" program in Paris, 1981] I don't wanna be remembered as Norma Desmond, the woman in that tragedy; I wanna be remembered as a comedian, who made people laugh. Claimed to have detested writing her autobiography. Second husband, Herbert K. Somborn, ran Hollywood's legendary Brown Derby restaurant from 1926 until his death in 1934. But by 1926 she had just $65 in her bank account and serious debts to pay. While under contract to MGM in the 1930s, Her favorite leading man in silent films was. All creative people should be required to leave California for three months every year. She won a … She shifted permanently to New York in 1938 and began exploring other fields like television, theatre, painting and sculpting, political activism, etc. Official Sites. (1950). Swanson was known for her devotion to certain rituals and superstitions, among them her insistence that she would only sleep with her head pointing "due North." [on showing pictures of herself] You notice there are NO bathing beauty scenes? She was destined to be perhaps one of the biggest stars of the silent movie era. Gloria Swanson was an American actress and producer who earned fame for portraying the reclusive and faded silent film star Norma Desmond in the critically acclaimed 1950 film 'Sunset Boulevard'. Gloria made the transition to sound films smoothly. Her film debut was as an extra in The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket (1915). Sultry star whose career spanned from silent films to the acclaimed film Sunset Boulevard. |  Money Fame Fun. In 1925 Swanson fought to make the film Madame Sans-Gêne. During the later part of her career, she also tried her hand at theatre and television. Her father was employed by the U.S. Army transport service so the family moved frequently during her childhood. She was married 6 times & had 3 children. - IMDb Mini Biography By: The first time producer faced a lot of hurdles in the making of the film which ultimately fared badly at the box office. 6 He Was A Nazi Sympathizer. After 16 years in pictures I could not be intimidated easily, because I knew where all the skeletons were buried. Swanson’s divorce from her second husband had included revelations that she had been unfaithful with at least thirteen men, including Hollywood luminaries Cecil B. deMille and Rudolph Valentino. Actress Gloria Swanson was born Gloria May Josephine Swanson on March 27, 1899, in Chicago, the only child of Joseph Theodore and Adelaide Klanowsky Swanson. It was both a critical and commercial success and earned Swanson an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Her location plot is the Columbium in the basement of the church on the left side of the wall towards the back of the room. She turned producer in 1927 with ‘The Love of Sunya’, in which she also starred. She returned to the stage in the 1940s ("Reflected Glory," "Let us Be Gay," "A Goose for a Gander"). A silent screen legend and the epitome of early Hollywood glamour, actress Gloria Swanson rose to great heights in the 1920s, only to struggle like many of her day did once the age of talkie films took hold. She became a much sought after actress and one of the best paid ones in Hollywood by the mid 1920s. I have decided that when I am a star, I will be every inch and every moment the star! Spouse/Ex-: Henri de la FalaiseMichael FarmerWilliam DaveyWilliam Dufty, Wallace Beery Herbert K Somborn, children: Joseph Patrick Swanson Michelle Bridget Farmer Gloria Swanson Somborn. Gloria May Josephine Swanson (March 27, 1899 – April 4, 1983) was an American actress and producer best known for her role as Norma Desmond, a reclusive silent film star, in the critically acclaimed 1950 film Sunset Boulevard. Her costumes, make-up and hairstyles were considered the epitome of 1920s glamour, and were imitated by women all over the world. |  I entered the cosmetics industry because I wanted more women to use cosmetics made with safe, healthful ingredients. She was awarded two Stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Motion Pictures at 6750 Hollywood Boulevard; and for Television at 6301 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California. She started out as an extra in films and gradually worked her way up to become one of the biggest film personalities of her times. In the late 1920s, the trend was shifting from silent movies to talkies. Gloria was 30 when the sound revolution hit, and there was speculation as to whether she could adapt. She was an actress and producer, highly acclaimed for her stylish fashion statements. (1950) when she leaped into the projection beam shouting, "Have they forgotten what a star looks like? They just couldn't get enough of her. In 1929, she made her talkie debut in ‘The Trespasser’, which was also released in silent version. DeMille transformed her from a typical Mack Sennett comedienne into a lively, provocative, even predatory, star. Her last fling with the silver screen was Airport 1975 (1974), wherein she played herself. Life and death. She also appeared in The Trespasser and The Love of Sunya. Her role as Norma Desmond, a faded silent movie star in ‘Sunset Boulevard’ was hailed as her best ever performance. Should we change that? When she died, her book collection was sold to the Gotham Book Mart in New York City. She was best known for her role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Her film debut was as an extra in The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket (1915). Her father's position as a civilian supply officer with the army took the family to Key West, FL and San Juan, Puerto Rico, but the majority of Swanson's childhood was spent in Chicago. And I've paid for it all of my life. She died from a heart ailment at the age of 84 in 1983. Gloria Swanson was one of the most prominent stars in the U.S. who reigned supreme during the silent film era. She produced and starred in another film, ‘Sadie Thompson’ in 1928 which also featured Lionel Barrymore and Raoul Walsh. Once out west, Gloria continued her torrid pace in films. And I'll tell you why: I was never a Sennet bathing beauty. Hollywood has called me in turn "The Clothes Horse", "The Old Grey Mare"--and "Death of a Saleswoman". She was a fashion icon whom women all over America loved to imitate. Swanson was Hollywood's reigning sex goddess. The first film shown at the original Roxy Theatre at 153 West 50th Street, New York City, was Swanson's. She collected husbands (e.g., the indigent Henri de la Falaise) and lovers (e.g., Joseph P. Kennedy, father of President John F. Kennedy). Gloria Swanson was one of the most prominent stars in the U.S. who reigned supreme during the silent film era. The following year, she again was nominated for the same award in The Trespasser (1929). New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998. This time, she lost out to Norma Shearer in The Divorcee (1930). http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/28/gloria-swanson-actress-photo_n_1919256.html?ir=India&adsSiteOverride=in, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSsvHeeXQeE. She was of mixed ancestry. Initially she was able to get only small roles in Hollywood movies, but things changed forever once she was spotted by the legendary director Cecil B. DeMille who cast her as the leading lady in his films ‘Don't Change Your Husband’ and ‘Male and Female’. ‘Sadie Thompson’, a 1928 silent film produced by Swanson, in which she also starred, was one of her better known films. It has been said that Gloria made and spent over $8 million in the '20s alone. Most biographers overlook her appearance on the ABC TV variety show, Was Daisy "Granny" Moses' favorite movie star in. --ironic in that the butler-projectionist was, again, von Stroheim). She was a clothes designer and artist; she founded Essence of Nature Cosmetics; and she made television appearances through the 1960s and 1970s, doing cameos and pushing health foods. She made a comeback in 1950 with ‘Sunset Boulevard’ in which she played the role of a faded silent movie star who dreams of making a successful return to the screen. (1950) as Norma Desmond opposite William Holden. Gave birth to her first child at age 21, a daughter Gloria Swanson Somborn on October 7, 1920. [In 1922] I have gone through a long apprenticeship. Swanson was 39 years old at the point. After her formal education in the Chicago school system and elsewhere, she began work in a department store as a salesclerk. I have gone through enough of being a nobody. She was the visual inspiration for the original illustrations of Morticia Addams in The Addams Family, when were published in The New Yorker in 1938. When I die, my epitaph should read "She Paid the Bills". Incidentally, she began her own career in the early 1910s with silent films like 'The Danger Girl' (1916), 'The Sultan's Wife' (1917), and 'Teddy at the Throttle' (1917). Her film career happened by chance. Under God we became the freest, strongest, wealthiest nation on earth. Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 776-778. You can't divorce a book. She became a vegetarian in 1928, and was an advocate of macrobiotic diets. Upon her death, her remains were interred at the Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City. Women Safe Industry. Swanson was one of the biggest box office draws of the silent era, usually appearing in lavish romantic melodramas, often directed by Cecil B. de Mille. When I see a comedy I laugh with the others. In 1915, at the age of 18, she decided to go to a Chicago movie studio with an aunt to see how motion pictures were made. From the following year on, she had leading roles in pictures for Keystone, then a year with Triangle, and, in 1919, a contract with Cecil B. DeMille. Book Photo Famous Movie Stars - Gloria Swanson. She had three children. She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture for her portrayal of Norma Desmond in ‘Sunset Boulevard’ in 1951. She played a movie actress who was all but washed up. I've given my memoirs far more thought than any of my marriages. Condition:--not specified. She started out as an extra in films and gradually worked her way up to become one of the biggest film personalities of her times. Gloria Swanson is best known as a Movie Actress. It revolved around the life of a “fallen woman” desperate to start her life anew. Book Photo Famous Movie Stars - Gloria Swanson. She was no longer a box office titan, and was listening to the advice of her lover Joseph Kennedy at the time. Known for her extravagant lifestyle, it was reported that she earned $8,000,000 between 1918 and 1929 and spent nearly all of it. No one was a bigger star than Gloria Swanson in the final days of the silent … Gloria Swanson (Gloria Josephine Mae, March 27, 1899 – April 4, 1983) was an American movie, television, stage, voice, radio, silent movie actress, singer and movie producer. Gloria Swanson was born Gloria May Josephine Svensson in Chicago, Illinois. By the 1930s, Gloria pared back her work with only four films during that time. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Can’t Take It With You. As a school student she loved singing and participated in a number of school plays. She moved to California in 1916 to pursue more substantial roles and signed a contract with Paramount Pictures in 1919. “I had starred in more than 30 successful films, six in a row directed by Cecil B. By the time I was 15, my mother had turned me into a real clotheshorse. Was considered for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in, Gave birth to her second child at age 33, a daughter Michele Bridget Farmer (aka. She was beautiful, had a lovely voice and a stylish sense of dressing. When Gloria Swanson passes away, as she did in 1983 at the age of 84, then they go to an archive. Joseph P. Kennedy and Gloria Swanson Gloria Swanson was one of the leading actresses in Hollywood, on her third husband when she met Joseph P. Kennedy. She received Academy Award Best Actress nominations for her silent “Sadie Thompson”, her first sound film “The Trespasser”, and for the legendary role of Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard”. On numerous occasions, she insisted on having hotel rooms (and friends' guest rooms) completely rearranged to accommodate this quirk. In 1928, she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role of Sadie Thompson in the film of the same name but lost to Janet Gaynor for 3 different films.