May McAvoy
May McAvoy | |
|---|---|
 McAvoy in 1922 | |
| Born | September 8, 1899 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | April 26, 1984 (aged 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1917–1959 |
| Spouse |
Maurice Cleary
(m. 1929; div. 1940) |
| Children | 1 |
May McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984)[1] was an American actress who worked mainly during the silent-film era. Some of her major roles are Laura Pennington in The Enchanted Cottage, Esther in Ben-Hur, and Mary Dale in The Jazz Singer.
Life and career
May McAvoy was born in 1899 in New York City, the only child to Julia A. Reilly McAvoy.
McAvoy debuted as an extra in the film Hate in 1917.[2] After appearing in more than three dozen films, she co-starred with Ramón Novarro and Francis X. Bushman in director Fred Niblo's 1925 production of Ben-Hur released by MGM. She also portrayed Lady Windermere in Ernst Lubitsch's Lady Windermere's Fan (1925).
in addition to acting in The Jazz Singer, McAvoy coached Al Jolson as he made his film debut.[3] Although her voice was not heard in The Jazz Singer, she spoke in several other films, including the second sound film released by Warner Brothers, The Terror, which was directed by Roy Del Ruth and co-starred Conrad Nagel.
For years, a rumor circulated that McAvoy retired from the screen at the transition to sound films because of a lisp or speech impediment.[4] In truth, she married the treasurer of United Artists, who asked her not to work.[4]
Later, she returned to films and played small, uncredited roles during the 1940s and 1950s, making her final film appearance in a small part of the 1959 version of Ben-Hur.
McAvoy was the Rose Queen in the Rose Parade in 1923.[5]
Personal life
McAvoy married banker Maurice Cleary on June 26, 1929,[6] with whom she had a son named Patrick,[1] and divorced him in 1940.[7]
Death
On April 26, 1984, McAvoy died at the age of 84 from the after effects of a heart attack suffered the previous year.[2] She is interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.[1]
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, May McAvoy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1731 Vine Street.[8]
Filmography
- Silent
- Hate (1917) as May Garvan
- To Hell with the Kaiser! (1918) (*lost) as Wounded Girl
- A Perfect Lady (1918) as Claire Higgins
- I'll Say So (1918) as Minor Role (uncredited)
- Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1919) (*extant) as Australy Wiggs
- The Woman Under Oath (1919) (*extant) as Edith Norton
- Love Wins (1919)
- The Way of a Woman (1919) (*extant) as Grace Lee
- My Husband's Other Wife (1920) as Nettie Bryson
- The Sporting Duchess (1920) (*lost) as Mary Aylmer
- Man and His Woman (1920) as Eve Cartier
- The House of the Tolling Bell (1920) as Lucy Atheron
- The Forbidden Valley (1920) as Morning Glory
- The Devil's Garden (1920) (*lost) as Norah
- The Truth About Husbands (1920) (*extant; Library of Congress)
- Sentimental Tommy (1921, Paramount) (*lost) as Grizel
- A Private Scandal (1921) as Jeanne Millett
- Everything for Sale (1921) as Helen Wainwright
- Morals (1921) (*extant) as Carlotta
- A Virginia Courtship (1921) (*lost) as Prudence Fairfax
- A Homespun Vamp (1922) (*lost) as Meg Mackenzie
- Through a Glass Window (1922) as Jenny Martin
- The Top of New York (1922) (*lost) as Hilda O'Shaunnessey
- A Trip to Paramountown (1922, Short) (*extant) as Herself
- Clarence (1922, Paramount) (*lost) as Cora Wheeler
- Kick In (1922, Paramount) (*extant) as Myrtle
- Grumpy (1923, Paramount) (*extant) as Virginia Bullivant
- Only 38 (1923 Paramount) (*lost) as Lucy Stanley
- Her Reputation (1923, Ince / Associated First National) (*lost) as Jacqueline Lanier
- Hollywood (1923, Paramount) as Herself (*lost)
- West of the Water Tower (1923, Paramount) (*lost) as Bee Chew
- The Enchanted Cottage (1924, Asso.FirstNational) (*extant; Library of Congress) as Laura Pennington
- The Bedroom Window (1924, Paramount) (*extant; Library of Congress) as Ruth Martin
- Tarnish (1924, Goldwyn) (*lost) as Letitia Tevis
- Three Women (1924, Warner Brothers) (*extant) as Jeannie Wilton
- Married Flirts (1924, Goldwyn) (*lost) as Herself, Guest at party
- The Mad Whirl (1925, Universal) (*extant; Library of Congress) as Cathleen Gillis
- Tessie (1925, ArrowFilm) (*lost) as Tessie
- Ben-Hur (1925, MGM) (*extant) as Esther
- Lady Windermere's Fan (1925, Warner Brothers) (*extant) as Lady Windermere
- Calf-Love (1926, Short)
- The Road to Glory (1926, Fox) (*lost) as Judith Allen
- My Old Dutch (1926, Universal) (*extant) as Sal Gratton
- The Passionate Quest (1926, Warner Brothers) (*lost; fragment Library of Congress) as Rosina Vonet
- The Savage (1926, First National) (*lost) as Ysabel Atwater
- The Fire Brigade (1926, MGM) (*extant) as Helen Corwin
- Matinee Ladies (1927, Warner Brothers) (*lost) as Sallie Smith
- Irish Hearts (1927, Warner Brothers) (*lost) as Sheila
- Sound
- Slightly Used (1927 Vitaphone / Warner Brothers) (*lost; first of McAvoy's films with Vitaphone track of effects and music) as Cynthia Martin
- The Jazz Singer (1927 Vitaphone / Warner Brothers) (*extant) as Mary Dale
- A Reno Divorce (1927 Vitaphone / Warner Brothers) (*lost) as Carla
- If I Were Single (1927 Vitaphone / Warner Brothers) as May Howard
- The Little Snob (1928 Vitaphone / Warner Brothers) (*lost) as May Banks
- Sunny California (1928, Short)
- The Lion and the Mouse (1928 Vitaphone / WarnerBrothers) (*extant) as Shirley Ross
- Caught in the Fog (1928 Vitaphone / Warner Brothers) (*extant; 35mm British Film Institute) The Girl
- The Terror (1928 Vitaphone / Warner Brothers) (*extant) as Olga Redmayne
- Stolen Kisses (1929 Vitaphone / Warner Brothers) (*lost) as May Lambert
- No Defense (1929 Vitaphone / Warner Brothers) (*lost) as Ruth Harper
- Two Girls on Broadway (1940) as Chatworth's Secretary (uncredited)
- The New Pupil (1940, Short) as Sally's mother
- The Phantom Raiders (1940) as Middle Telephone Operator (uncredited)
- Dulcy (1940) as Miss Murphy - Van Dyke's Secretary (uncredited)
- Third Finger, Left Hand (1940) as Telephone Operator (uncredited)
- Whispers (1941, Short) as Gossip (uncredited)
- 1-2-3 Go! (1941, Short) as Miss Jones, nurse
- Love Crazy (1941) as Sanity Hearing Secretary (uncredited)
- The Getaway (1941) as Duff's Secretary (uncredited)
- Ringside Maisie (1941) as 1st Nurse (uncredited)
- Main Street on the March! (1941, Short) as Window Shopper (uncredited)
- Born to Sing (1942) (uncredited)
- Mr. Blabbermouth! (1942, Short) as Wife (uncredited)
- Assignment in Brittany (1943) as Nurse (uncredited)
- My Tomato (1943, Short) as Gidge's Customer (uncredited)
- Two Girls and a Sailor (1944) as Dowager (uncredited)
- Movie Pests (1944, *short) as Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
- Barbary Coast Gent (1944) (scenes deleted)
- Week-End at the Waldorf (1945) (uncredited)
- Till the Clouds Roll By (1946) as Well-Wisher after Roberta (uncredited)
- The Romance of Rosy Ridge (1947) as Wife (uncredited)
- The Unfinished Dance (1947) as Ronsell's Secretary (uncredited)
- A Date with Judy (1948) as Dance Attendee (uncredited)
- Luxury Liner (1948) as Woman (uncredited)
- The Yellow Cab Man (1950) as (uncredited)
- Mystery Street (1950) as Nurse (uncredited)
- Watch the Birdie (1950) (uncredited)
- The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) as Pebbel's Secretary (uncredited)
- Executive Suite (1954) as Grimm's Secretary (uncredited)
- The Tender Trap (1950) as Visitor to Home Show (uncredited)
- Ransom! (1956) as Miss May (uncredited)
- The Wings of Eagles (1957) as Nurse (uncredited)
- Designing Woman (1957) as Boston Wardrobe Woman (uncredited)
- Gun Glory (1957) as Woman (uncredited)
- Jailhouse Rock (1957) (uncredited)
- Ben-Hur (1959) as Woman in Crowd (uncredited) (final film role)
References
- ^ a b c "Original Jazz Singer' Star May Mcavoy Dies At 82 ". Gainesville Sun. May 3, 1984. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
- ^ a b "May Mcavoy Dies; Jolson's Leading Lady". Schenectady Gazette. May 4, 1984. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
- ^ Berg, A. Scott (1998). Goldwyn: A Biography. Penguin. ISBN 978-1-101-49735-7. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ a b Lamparski, Richard (1982). Whatever Became Of ...? Eighth Series. New York: Crown Publishers. pp. 190–1. ISBN 0-517-54855-0.
- ^ Kleiner, Dick (January 16, 1983). "Former queen was the only actress chosen". Manitowoc Herald-Times. Wisconsin, Manitowoc. Newspaper Enterprise. p. 36. Retrieved March 6, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "May Mcavoy Is Married". San Jose News. June 27, 1929. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
- ^ "May McAvoy Wins Divorce and Discloses Her Poverty". Los Angeles Times. November 20, 1940. p. 9. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
Once one of the highest salaried actresses in the motionpicture industry. May McAvoy disclosed yesterday in divorcing Maurice G. Cleary. former banker, that of late she was forced to seek financial aid from the Motion Picture Relief Fund.
- ^ "Walk Of Fame Uses Plenty Of Celebrity Footprints". Record-Journal. August 13, 1989. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
External links
- May McAvoy at IMDb
- May McAvoy at AllMovie
- May McAvoy at Find a Grave
- Photography and bibliography
- May McAvoy portrait gallery NY Public Library (Billy Rose collection)
