A silent screen legend and epitome of early Hollywood glamour who began her career at Chicago's Essanay Studios in 1913, Gloria Swanson married Wallace Beery, another Essanay performer, in 1916 and the pair moved to Hollywood. After appearing in a series of Mack Sennett's romantic comedies at Triangle, she moved to Paramount, back to Triangle, and then back again to Paramount, where she reached stardom in the snappy, sophisticated bedroom farces of Cecil B DeMille ("Male and Female" 1919, "The Affairs of Anatol" 1921).By the mid-20s, the larger-than-life Swanson was at the peak of her popularity, starring in such lavish vehicles as "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife", "Zaza" (both 1923), "Madame Sans-Gene" (1925), and "The Untamed Lady" (1926). When she returned from Europe with a Marquis as her husband, she received a welcome worthy of any actual queen. In 1927, with financial assistance from investor and erstwhile lover Joseph P Kennedy, Swanson began producing her own films; these included the two features for which she received her first Best Actress Oscar nominations, "Sadie Thompson" (1928) and "The Trespasser" (1929). Her company ran into massive fiscal problems, however, with director Erich von Stroheim's extravagant "Queen Kelly" (1928).
Despite having a fine speaking (and singing) voice, Swanson retired from the screen in 1934 after having made an only moderately successful transition to sound films. She made numerous comebacks before her death in 1983, the most fruitful being her brilliant Oscar-nominated performance as reclusive, aging silent screen star Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard" (1950).
Profession(s):
Actor, producer
Sometimes Credited As:
Gloria Josephine Mae Svensson
Gloria Mae
Family
daughter:Gloria Somborn (died of brain cancer on December 11, 2000 at age 80)
daughter:Michelle Bridget Farmer (born on April 5, 1932)
husband:Wallace Beery (born in 1895; married in 1916; reportedly got drunk on their wedding night and sexually assaulted Swanson; when Swanson became pregnant, Beery allegedly poisoned her so she would have a miscarriage; separated after only a few months of marriage; divorced 1919; died in 1949)
husband:William Davey (married in 1945; separated after 45 days when Swanson discovered he was an alcoholic)
husband:William Dufty (author of "Sugar Blues"; married from 1976 until her death in 1983)
husband:Herbert K Somborn (born in 1881; met Swanson when he was president of Equity Pictures Corporation; married in 1919; managed the famous Brown Derby restaurant from 1926 until his death; separated after about a year of marriage; divorced in 1922; father of Swanson's daughter Gloria; died in 1934)
husband:Marquis de la Falaise de la Coudraye (French nobleman; born in 1898; met in 1924; married in 1925; became involved with actress Constance Bennett (whom he later married) while Swanson was seeing Joseph P Kennedy; divorced in 1930; died in 1972)
husband:Michael Farmer (European playboy; born in 1902; introduced by Noel Coward; married in 1931 when Swanson discovered she was pregnant; divorced in 1934; died in 1975)
son:Joseph Swanson (adopted following divorce from Somborn)
Companion(s)
Craney Gratz
, Companion
, ```..playboy Swanson dated after moving to Southern California
Joseph P Kennedy
, Companion
, ```..born in 1888; involved in the late 1920s; produced three of Swanson's films including "Sadie Thompson" and "Queen Kelly"; later served as ambassador to Great Britain (1937-40); father of US President John F Kennedy and US Senators Robert F Kennedy and Edward M Kennedy; died in 1969
Marshall Neilan
, Companion
, ```..involved in the early 1920s; Swanson's husband Herbert Somborn sued her for divorce based on her relationship with Neilan
Golden Globe Award Best Actress- Drama "Sunset Boulevard" 1950
National Board of Review Award Best Actress "Sunset Boulevard" 1950
1974 Acted in final film, "Airport 1975"
1974 TV-movie debut, "Killer Bees" (ABC)
1970 Succeeded Eileen Heckart in the role of the overprotective mother of a blind man in the comedy-drama "Butterflies Are Free" on Broadway; later toured with the play
1967 Made rare musical appearance as a guest on "The Carol Burnett Show" (CBS)
1966 Appeared in an episode of the CBS sitcom "The Beverly Hillbillies"
1961 Guest starred on "Dr. Kildare"
1953 Hosted and acted in the syndicated TV show "Crown Theater With Gloria Swanson" (aka "The Gloria Swanson Show")
1951 Returned to Broadway in "Twentieth Century"
1951 Made TV appearance in an episode of "Hollywood Opening Night"
1950 Resumed screen career with her signature role of Norma Desmond in "Sunset Boulevard", directed by Billy Wilder; earned third Best Actress Academy Award nomination
1941 Made a screen comeback in "Father Takes a Wife"
1934 Played last starring role for seven years in the musical comedy "Music in the Air"; temporarily retired
1933 Went to Great Britain to star in "Perfect Understanding"
1929 Garnered second Best Actress Oscar nomination for "The Trespasser", her first talking picture
1928 Received first Best Actress Academy Award nomination for title role in "Sadie Thompson"
1928 Starred in the silent film "Queen Kelly", produced by Kennedy and directed by Erich von Stroheim; Swanson put together a version for release in Europe but it was a box office disappointment; footage l
1927 Bankrolled by Joseph P Kennedy; formed own production company, with films released through United Artists
1927 Experienced box office flop with "The Love of Sunya"
1926 Left Paramount
1925 Starred in "Madame Sans Gene", filmed on location in France
1924 First did her Chaplin impression on screen in "Manhandled"
1922 Teamed on screen with Valentino in "Beyond the Rocks"
1919 Moved to Cecil B DeMille's unit at Paramount; began starring in series of sophisticated bedroom farces including "Don't Change Your Husband" and "Male and Female"
1917 Followed Sennett when he left Triangle to join Paramount
1916 Went to Hollywood with Wallace Beery; both hired by Mack Sennett's Keystone company
1915 Became an extra at Essanay studios in Chicago
1915 First acting role, "Elvira Farina"
Returned to Triangle; starred in dramas
