Norma Talmadge is an American actress who shone on screens during the silent film era. For some time she was also involved in production activities. For her contribution to the development of the American film industry, she was awarded a personalized star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
During her career in cinema, Norma Talmadzh managed to star in more than 150 films, among which there were many short films. She also produced 23 projects, first dabbling in such a role in 1917.
The movie star gained particular popularity in the period 1910-1920s. However, when the silent movie ceased to be in demand, Norma went into the shadows. For some time she still tried to assert herself, worked on the radio. But in the end, by the 1930s, the artist finally completed her creative career.
There is one interesting fact in the biography of Norma Talmadge. In the early spring of 1927, she accidentally left a trail on the wet asphalt in front of the Chinese Gauman Theater. After that, the tradition arose to leave prints of palms and shoes in this place.
Biography facts
The real birthplace of the future Hollywood silent film star is Jersey City, located in the United States. However, in the old records you can find mention of another settlement - Niagara Falls. This confusion arose because Norma's mother thought that Jersey City did not sound very presentable.
Norma Mary Talmadge was born in 1894. However, a completely different date is engraved on her tombstone - 1897. The actress's birthday: May 2. She became the eldest child in the family. After her, 2 more girls were born - Natalie and Constance. All 3 sisters eventually became actresses.
The father of the family was named Frederick L. Talmadge. What he did, unfortunately, is unknown. Mother - Margaret Talmadge - tried to build an acting career at the same time with her children. However, she only appeared in one film, A Girl of the Timber Claims, released in 1917. Before trying to connect her life with art and creativity, Margaret lived a normal life. At the time when Frederic broke off relations with her and left, leaving with 3 children, she took up any job. The family lived very poorly, for a long time Margaret worked as a laundress in order to somehow make ends meet. She died in 1933 from pneumonia caused by the flu.
From an early age, Norma was interested in creativity, art, entertainment and fashion. Educated at Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, she tried to develop her natural talents. She took part in school performances, took acting lessons. It is worth noting that such famous people as Jane Cole, Barbara Streisand, Barbara Stanwick studied at the educational institution from which Talmadge graduated in 1911.
The girl began her career at the age of 14. However, she did not make her stage or film debut. Norma managed to conclude a contract with a modeling agency. Over the next several years, she worked with various brands and companies, appearing in advertising. It was then that a pretty and clearly talented girl was noticed by representatives of the Vitagraph film studio, located at that time in New York. Norma Talmadzh received an offer to try her hand at cinema, to which she immediately gave her consent.
Having signed a contract with Vitagraph, Norma has worked with this company for over 5 years. During this time, she starred in a huge number of short films. Some of them became successful and popular, while others turned out to be completely disastrous. However, the entire further career in Hollywood developed for Talmadge in the best possible way. Unfortunately, the actress did not succeed in adapting to a situation where silent films were no longer interesting. Perhaps, if she had overcome this milestone, her career would not have ended in 1930, when a couple of new sound films with her participation failed at the box office.
In the period from 1917 to 1929, the artist acted as a producer. She was a co-owner of First National, a production agency that her first husband started. Among the films that Norma has worked on, one can single out: "Panthea", "Yes or No", "Sign on the Door", "Within the Law", "Lady", "Controversial Woman", "New York Nights".
In 1927, Norma Talmadj, together with her sisters, opened Talmadge Park real estate development. This neighborhood in San Diego now has streets named after Norma, Natalie, and Constance. In addition, Hollywood also has a named street of the Talmadge sisters.
Film career
The young actress performed her first roles in short films. She made her debut in the 1910 film A Broken Spell. In the same year she appeared in such successful films as "Uncle Tom's Cabin", "In Neighboring Kingdoms". Norma Talmadzh performed her debut role in big cinema in "The Household Pest", the film was released in the same year 1910.
Until 1916, the artist starred in a huge number of short films. Among them are the following projects: "A History of Two Cities", "Forgotten; or, An Answered Prayer", "A Romance of Wall Street", "Mrs. 'Enry' Awkins", "Captain Barnacle's Waif", "Just Show People "," Omens and Oracles "," Vampire of the Desert "," An Old Man's Love Story "," The Hero "," Peacemaker "," The Criminal ".
Then, until the end of her acting career, Norma Talmadzh worked on the set of feature films. They were very popular in the states, and the actress's natural talent was highly regarded in Hollywood. The films are worthy of special attention: "The Devil's Needle", "Panthea", "By Right of Acquisition", "Daughter of Two Worlds", "The Feat of a Woman", "With a Smile on Her Face", "Within the Law", "Song of Love", " Camilla."
The last films for Norma Talmadge were films: "New York Nights" and "Du Barry, Woman of Passion."
After completing her career in 1930, the artist worked for some time on the radio host of the show, which her second husband was engaged in. However, the ratings of this show quickly crawled down, after a couple of years the program was closed. This concludes the work in the entertainment industry for Norma.
Personal life and death
Norma Talmadzh married three times in her life. However, she did not have children in any marriage.
The first husband of the actress was the producer Joseph M. Schenk. They signed in the fall of 1916. The divorce took place in the early 1930s.
The second time Norma went down the aisle with George Jessell, who worked on the radio. They became husband and wife in 1934. However, this marriage ended in divorce in 1939.
The artist's third husband was the doctor Carvel James. Their wedding took place in 1946. Norma lived with this person until her death.
When her film career was over, Norma began to lead a quiet life, trying not to attract the attention of the press. She suffered from arthritis for a long time, was forced to take powerful painkillers.
In 1957, the artist suffered several strokes. She ended up passing away in Las Vegas before Christmas that same year. The cause of death was pneumonia. At that time, Norma was 63 years old.
The famous actress of the silent film era was buried on the territory of the Hollywood Forever cemetery, which is located in Hollywood. Later, her younger sisters were buried next to her.
