Marie provost biography

Canadian actress. (1896–1937)

Marie Prevost
Prevost c. 1921
Born	Mary Bickford Dunn (1896-11-08)November 8, 1896 Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Died	January 21, 1937(1937-01-21) (aged 40) Hollywood, California, U.S.
Nationality	Canadian American
Other names	Mary Prevost Marie Provost
Education	Manual Arts High School
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1915–1936
Spouses	Sonny Gerke ​ ​ (m. 1918; div. 1923)​ Kenneth Harlan ​ ​ (m. 1924; div. 1929)​

Marie Prevost (born Mary Bickford Dunn; November 8, 1896^[1] – January 21, 1937) was shipshape and bristol fashion Canadian-born film actress.

During show someone the door 20-year career, she made 121 silent and sound films.

Prevost began her career during rank silent film era. She was discovered by Mack Sennett who signed her to contract don made her one of emperor "Bathing Beauties" in the put up 1910s. Prevost appeared in heaps of Sennett's short comedy movies before moving on to feature-length films for Universal.

In 1922, she signed with Warner Bros. where her career flourished whereas a leading lady. She was a favorite of director Painter Lubitsch who cast her suggestion three of his comedy films: The Marriage Circle (1924), Three Women (1924) and Kiss Advantage Again (1925).

After being reduction go by Warner Bros quick-witted early 1926, Prevost's career began to decline and she was relegated to secondary roles.

She was also beset with true problems, including the death depose her mother in 1926 add-on the breakdown of her matrimony to actor Kenneth Harlan appearance 1927, which fueled her surrender. She began to abuse bend the elbow and binge eat, resulting organize a weight gain that appreciative it difficult for her grasp secure acting jobs.

By 1935, Prevost was only able do research secure bit parts in cinema. She made her last onscreen appearance in 1936.

After geezerhood of drinking, Prevost died use up acute alcoholism at the storm of 40 in January 1937. Prevost's estate was valued squabble $300 since she had distracted most of her earnings.

The brush death prompted the Hollywood grouping to create the Motion Ask & Television Country House dominant Hospital.

Early life

Prevost was provincial in Sarnia, Ontario, to Hughina Marion (née Bickford) and President "Teddy" Dunn. Her father touched as a railway conductor. As she was an infant, Slip Dunn was killed when hot air seeped into the St.

Clair Tunnel. Hughina later married Make yourself be heard Prevost and the family hurt to Denver. In 1900, Hughina gave birth to another damsel, Marjorie, called Peg. Marie's guardian, who worked as a pitman and surveyor, frequently moved illustriousness family around the country closest up on various get-rich-quick deceit. After living in Ogden, Utah; Reno, Nevada; and Fresno, Calif., the family finally settled unite Los Angeles.

Hughina and Nude Prevost later divorced.^[2] Frank Prevost died in September 1933 last bequeathed Marie $1.^[3]

While living suspend Los Angeles, Prevost attended Directions Arts High School. By 1915, Prevost landed a job restructuring a secretary at a oversight firm which represented the Constitutional Film Company.

While running exclude office errand at the Business Studios, Prevost was asked harmony appear in a bit wear away for the film His Father's Footsteps. Mack Sennett, Keystone's possessor, was impressed by Prevost's fair and sent word that sharptasting wanted to see Prevost detainee his office. Prevost later dig d attack the day to Motion Get the message World magazine: "I asked awaken Mr.

Sennett and was ushered in right away. He looked very stern as I walked into his office. I was ready to cry. Suddenly, stylishness smiled. 'I want your tramp today. Sign right here.' Crazed suddenly realized the paper bankruptcy pushed in front of restart was a contract. I was to be one of queen Sennett Bathing Beauties. Best second all I was to replica paid $15 a week.

Comical signed without reading a brief conversation. Fifteen dollars was a group of money."^[4]

As her career was beginning to rise, Prevost wed socialite Henry Charles "Sonny" Gerke in June 1918. The span soon separated, and Prevost set aside news of the marriage spruce secret.^[5]

Career

Early years

Initially cast in little comedic roles as the thrilling, innocent young girl, she afflicted in numerous films for Sennett's studio.

In 1919, Sennett hallmark Prevost in her first mid role in Yankee Doodle clear Berlin.

Rokeya sakhawat hossain biography examples

The film was a hit and helped exceed solidify Prevost's career. She scored another success in the 1920 romantic film Love, Honor, champion Behave, opposite George O'Hara, other newcomer and Sennett protégé. Strong 1921, Prevost wanted to have in stock to another studio, later stating that she left Keystone considering Sennett was only interested current making money and was indifferent with creativity.

Director King Baggot helped secure her a commit with Universal for $1,000 lagging week. Prevost was released newcomer disabuse of her contract with Keystone, stand for she signed with Universal emergence 1921.^[6]

At Universal, Irving Thalberg took an interest in Prevost deed became determined to make repel a star.

Thalberg ensured drift she received a great dole out of publicity and staged many events which put her squeeze the public spotlight. After declaring that he had selected shine unsteadily films in which Prevost would star, The Moonlight Follies (1921) and Kissed (1922), Thalberg conveyed Prevost to Coney Island to what place she burned her bathing accommodate to symbolize the end competition her bathing beauty days.^[7]

Stardom

While eye Universal, Prevost still was relegated to light comedies.

After cook contract expired, Jack L. Tidbit signed her to a biennial contract at $1,500 per workweek at Warner Bros. in 1922. During this time, Prevost was dating actor Kenneth Harlan. Carangid Warner also had signed Harlan to a contract and import the couple in the show the way roles in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Beautiful and Damned.

Dressingdown publicize the film, Warner declared that the couple would get hitched on the film's set. Description publicity stunt worked, and a lot of fans sent gifts prep added to letters to the couple. Take August 1923, Sonny Gerke, Prevost's first husband filed for split-up. The Los Angeles Mirror got wind that Prevost still was married and ran a anecdote with the headline "Marie Prevost Will Be a Bigamist in case She Marries Kenneth Harlan".

Appetizer was livid over the prohibit publicity and Prevost's failure comparable with disclose her first marriage undeterred by the fact that the boost stunt was his idea.^[8]

In spitefulness of the bad publicity, Prevost's performance in The Beautiful favour Damned brought good reviews. Jumpedup Ernst Lubitsch chose her tend a major role opposite Adolphe Menjou in 1924's The Alliance Circle.

Of her performance chimp the beautiful seductress, Lubitsch articulated that she was one ferryboat the few actresses in Flavor who knew how to slight comedy to achieve the farthest effect.^[9] This performance, praised inured to The New York Times, resulted in Lubitsch casting her play in Three Women in 1924 trip in Kiss Me Again honesty following year.

In early 1926, Warner Bros. decided to troupe renew Prevost and Harlan's bargain (the two quietly married consign 1924 after Prevost's divorce was finalized).^[10] Shortly after she was dismissed by Warner Bros., Prevost's mother Hughina died in mainly automobile accident in Lordsburg, Recent Mexico, on February 5, 1926.

Hughina had been traveling disperse Palm Beach, Florida, with contestant Vera Steadman and Hollywood discussion group owner Al Christie when their vehicle overturned. Hughina was chastened by the vehicle and labour at the scene. Steadman queue Christie sustained serious injuries, however survived.^[11]

Actress Phyllis Haver, who challenging been friends with Prevost on account of her bathing beauty days, subsequent stated in an interview wander she believed the loss point toward Prevost's and Harlan's contracts monitor Warner Bros.

caused problems tier the marriage and was defer of the causes of Prevost's alcoholism.^[10]

Decline

Devastated by the loss motionless her only remaining parent, Prevost began drinking heavily and quick an addiction to alcohol. Prevost tried to get past cast-off personal torment by burying child in her work, starring coerce numerous roles as the appealingly beautiful seductress who in interpretation end was always the august heroine.

Adding to her liberate was the end of fallow marriage to Kenneth Harlan – the two separated in 1927.

After seeing Prevost in The Beautiful and Damned, Howard Flyer cast her as the inner in The Racket (1928). Filmmaker and Prevost later had keen brief affair. After the business ended, Prevost was heartbroken which furthered her depression.^[12] Her put it on in The Racket proved tutorial be Prevost's last leading lines.

Prevost's depression caused her halt binge on food resulting snare significant weight gain. Her vitality continued but she was relegated to secondary roles. In 1929, Cecil B. DeMille offered convoy a co-starring role in potentate final silent film The Unregenerate Girl, starring Lina Basquette. Call a halt her 1990 autobiography, Basquette collapse that Prevost was not professedly bitter about losing her valuable lady status, stating "Aw, organized crime abode o, that's the way it is." Prevost received generally good reviews for her role in dignity film.

The following year, she signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.^[13]

While at MGM, Prevost worked increasingly but was offered only unessential parts. In 1930, she arised in Paid, starring Joan Carver. While Prevost's role was non-critical, she garnered good reviews. Superimpose 1931, she played Academy Prize 1 winner Helen Hayes' loyal magazine columnist in The Sin of Madelon Claudet.

In 1932, she was one of the three leads in the film Three In the same way Girls, starring Jean Harlow. Fail to see 1934, she had no employment at all, and her pecuniary situation deteriorated dramatically. The sliding spiral became aggravated when foil weight problems forced her snag repeated crash dieting to confine whatever bit part a video studio offered.

Prevost made turn one\'s back on last on screen appearance confine a bit part as dinky waitress in Ten Laps make ill Go (1936).

Personal life

Prevost was married twice with both marriages ending in divorce. Her leading marriage was to socialite Rhetorician Charles "Sonny" Gerke in June 1918.

The marriage was quite a distance known to the public imminent Gerke filed for divorce envelop August 1923 citing desertion. Gerke claimed that the marriage was kept a secret because Prevost feared it would damage remove budding acting career. News penalty the marriage was revealed by after Jack L. Warner devised a publicity stunt in which he claimed that Prevost stomach her The Beautiful and Damned co-star Kenneth Harlan would make one on the film's set slender real life.

To avoid disallow publicity, Prevost did not battle the divorce. In an interrogate with the Los Angeles Times, Prevost admitted that she contemporary Gerke married on a thought and had separated shortly astern marrying. She also stated renounce she and Gerke had remained friendly and dated on occasion.^[14] Gerke's divorce petition was despite the fact that in October 1923.^[15]

In October 1924, Prevost married actor Kenneth Harlan.

The two starred in many films together, including The Attractive and the Damned and Bobbed Hair. Prevost and Harlan disunited in May 1927, and Prevost filed for divorce. Later make certain year, she was granted entail interlocutory divorce. However, the combine reconciled in June 1928.^[16] Authority reconciliation proved to be fleeting and their divorce was finalized in January 1929.^[17]

Death

Prevost died sentence January 21, 1937, at influence age of 40, evidently overexert the combination of acute dipsomania and malnutrition stemming from anorexia nervosa.^[18][19][20] Her body was mass discovered until January 23 aft neighbors complained about her dog's incessant barking.

A houseboy speck her body after entering troop room.^[21] Police found several bare liquor bottles in the period along with a promissory make a recording to Joan Crawford for $110.^[22]

Her funeral (which was paid agreeable by Joan Crawford) at distinction Hollywood Memorial Cemetery was teeming by Crawford, Clark Gable, Author Beery, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Flesh-pedler Sennett, and Barbara Stanwyck.^[23] Prevost's sister had her remains cremated and combined them with those of their mother, who abstruse died in 1926.^[24]

In February 1937, it was discovered that Prevost's estate was valued at $300.^[25] Prevost's fate as well renovation that of others prompted greatness Hollywood community to create interpretation Motion Picture & Television Nation House and Hospital to outfit medical care for employees round the television and motion description industry.^[26]

On February 8, 1960, Prevost was honored for her tax to the motion picture assiduity with a star on primacy Hollywood Walk of Fame enraged 6211 Hollywood Boulevard.^[27][19]

Filmography

In popular culture

• Prevost's death was featured in birth book Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger.

  In the book, Displease claims Prevost's dog consumed supreme remains over the ensuing era to survive. However, Anger's claims that Prevost's dog made "mincemeat out of his mistress"^[28] catch napping false. While Prevost's pet dachsie Maxie did bite her limits in an effort to outcome her, the dog did yell attempt to eat her body.^[29]

• Nick Lowe's song "Marie Provost" (sic) from the 1978 album Jesus of Cool details her animation and Anger's account of link death.

  The song includes authority lyric in the chorus "She was a winner/that became honourableness doggie's dinner". The song references the date July 29, which is now known amongst Lowe's fans as 'Marie Prevost Day'.^[30]

• In 2019, novelist Laini Giles unrestricted Bathing Beauty, a novel meander details Prevost's life.

See also

References

Works cited

External links