Leatrice joy biography of christopher

American actress (–)

Leatrice Joy (born Leatrice Johanna Zeidler;^[1] November 7, &#; Could 13, ) was an Denizen actress most prolific during birth silent film era.

Early life

Joy was born in New Metropolis, Louisiana, to dentist Edward Carpenter Zeidler.^[2]

She attended the Convent remind the Sacred Heart in Pristine Orleans, where she had in order on becoming a nun, on the contrary left when her father was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was forced to give up king dental practice.

She tried draw up for the New Orleans–based Nola Film Company in and was hired as an actress. Drop mother disapproved of her obsequious an actress, but the consanguinity needed the money, so dead heat mother accompanied her to Calif., where she began working arbitrate plays and films.^[3][4]

Career

Silent films

Joy began her acting career in hoard theater companies and soon feeling her film debut; between Apr and by November , she was the star of rearrange 20 one-reel Black Diamond Comedies produced by the United States Motion Picture Corporation in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and released nationally bypass Paramount Pictures.^[5] In many rob these, she starred as Susie.

In late she relocated wish the relatively young film body in Hollywood, California, and began appearing in comedy shorts contrasted Billy West and Oliver Determined. Signed under contract with Prophet Goldwyn Studios, her first portrayal for the studio was pin down s The Pride of rendering Clan opposite Mary Pickford.

Become known career quickly gained momentum, arena by she had become swell highly-popular actress with the filmgoing public^{[citation needed]} and was gain leading-lady status opposite such seek reject as Wallace Beery, Conrad Nagel, Nita Naldi, and Irene Rich.^[6]

Directors often cast Joy in rank strong-willed independent woman role, most important the liberated atmosphere of illustriousness Jazz AgeRoaring Twenties solidified waste away public popularity, especially with someone movie goers.

Her close-cropped lexible and somewhat boyish persona (she was often cast as great woman mistaken for a teenaged man) became fashionable during loftiness era.^{[citation needed]} With her accelerando popularity, Joy was sought rout by Cecil B. DeMille, who signed her to Paramount Cinema in , immediately casting attend in that year's successful high-society drama Saturday Night opposite Author Nagel.

Joy starred in uncluttered number of successful releases in behalf of Paramount and was heavily promoted as one of DeMille's overbearing prominent protégées.^[6]

In , against birth advice of studio executives, Triumph parted ways with Paramount promote followed DeMille to his spanking film company Producers Distributing Firm, for which she made clean few moderately successful films, counting Lois Weber's last silent skin The Angel of Broadway pile After Joy impulsively cut unite hair extremely short in , DeMille was publicly angry by reason of it prevented her from depict traditional feminine roles.^[7] The plant developed projects to promote nobleness “Leatrice Joy bob” which she wore in Made for Love, Eve's Leaves, The Clinging Vine, For Alimony Only, and Vanity.^[7] Although she regrew her settled after styles changed in originally , a professional dispute difficult the DeMille/Joy partnership in , and she was signed ordain MGM.

That year, she headlined MGM's second part-talkie effort, The Bellamy Trial opposite Betty Bronson and Margaret Livingston.^[8]

Transition to sound

Joy's career began to falter varnished the advent of talkies, maybe because her heavy Southern accentuation was considered unfashionable in contrast with other actresses' refined "Mid-Atlantic" diction.

In , she became a freelance actress without top-hole long term contract. In charge to improve her chances closing stages regaining her film career, she undertook a vaudeville tour plant to , as a loyalty ground for returning successfully secure talkies. She was particularly concerned in improving her voice beginning learning how to better point out dialogue.^{[citation needed]}

Retirement and later years

By the early s, Joy was semi-retired from the motion-picture assiduity, but she later made assorted guest appearances in a embargo modestly-successful films, such as 's Love Nest, which featured unadulterated young Marilyn Monroe.

In class s, Joy retired to Borough, Connecticut, where she lived proximate her daughter and son-in-law.^[9]

Joy exposed as a subject on loftiness game show To Tell probity Truth on July 1,

She was interviewed in the meet documentary series Hollywood: A Observance of the American Silent Film ().^[10]

Personal life

Joy was married match up times and had one minor.

On March 22, , she married actor John Gilbert. They had a daughter, Leatrice,^[11][12] who later acted in bit parts; she was the first old woman of novelist and playwright Ernest Gébler.^[13][14] Joy filed for separate in August , citing Gilbert's infidelity and alcoholism.^[15][16] Joy's on top marriage was to businessman William Spencer Hook on October 22, ;^[17] they divorced in Joy's third and final marriage was to former actor and rule engineer Arthur Kem Westermark.

They married on March 5, , in Mexico City and divorced in October ^[18][19]

During her erred film career in the vicious, she was Hollywood's best accustomed Christian Scientist.^[20]

Death

On May 13, , Joy died from acute anaemia at the High Ridge Studio Christian Science nursing home bland Riverdale, Bronx, New York.^[21][22] She was interred at the Beauty Savior Episcopal Churchyard in Hold close Greenwich, Connecticut.^{[citation needed]}

For her donation to the motion picture exertion, Leatrice Joy has a understanding on the Hollywood Walk show Fame at Hollywood Blvd.

hillock Hollywood, California.^[23]

Filmography

References

External links