Marguerite De La Motte (June 22, 1902 – March 10, 1950) was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film era.
Early years[edit]
Born in Duluth, Minnesota,[1] De La Motte was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph De La Motte.[2] She was a 1917 graduate of the Egan School of drama, music, and dancing.[3]
De La Motte began her entertainment career studying ballet under Anna Pavlova.[4] In 1919, she became the dance star of Sid Grauman on the stage of his theater. In 1918, at the age of 16, she made her screen debut in the Douglas Fairbanks-directed romantic comedy film Arizona. In 1920, both of her parents died, her mother in January in an automobile accident[5] and her father in August from heart disease. Film producer J.L. Frothingham assumed guardianship of her[6] and her younger brother.
Career[edit]
De La Motte spent the 1920s appearing in numerous films, often cast by Douglas Fairbanks to play opposite him in swashbuckling adventure films such as 1920's The Mark of Zorro and The Three Musketeers. She developed a close friendship with Fairbanks and his wife, actress Mary Pickford. Her career as an actress slowed dramatically at the end of the silent film era of the 1920s. She did continue acting in bit parts through the sound era and made her final appearance in the 1942 film Overland Mail opposite both Noah Beery Sr. and Noah Beery Jr., as well as Lon Chaney Jr.
Personal life[edit]
De La Motte was married twice. She first wed silent film actor John Bowers in 1924, who was then a matinee idol of the silver screen. The couple were separated at the time when Bowers committed suicide in 1936. De La Motte later married attorney Sidney H. Rivkin whom she divorced after four years of marriage.[7] Her cousin, Clete Roberts, was an American war correspondent and journalist, who appeared in two episodes of the television series M*A*S*H* in the 1970s.
Later years[edit]
After her film career ended, De La Motte worked as an inspector in a southern California war plant during World War II. Later she came to San Francisco, California, where she worked in the Red Cross office.[7]
Death[edit]
On March 10, 1950, De La Motte died of cerebral thrombosis in San Francisco at the age of 47.[8]
Recognition[edit]
On February 8, 1960, De La Motte was awarded a star in the Motion Pictures section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6902 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood, California.[9]
Filmography[edit]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1918 | Arizona | Lena | Lost film |
1919 | Josselyn's Wife | Lizzie | Lost film |
A Sagebrush Hamlet | Dora Lawrence | ||
The Pagan God | Beryl Addison | ||
For A Woman's Honor | Helen Rutherford | Lost film | |
Dangerous Waters | Cora Button | ||
In Wrong | Millie Fields | ||
1920 | The Hope | Lady Brenda Carylon | |
Trumpet Island | Eve de Merincourt | ||
The U.P. Trail | Allie Lee | ||
The Sagebrusher | Mary Warren | ||
The Mark of Zorro | Lolita Pulido | ||
The Broken Gate | Anne Oglesby | Lost film | |
1921 | The Nut | Estrell Wynn | |
The Ten Dollar Raise | Dorothy | ||
The Three Musketeers | Constance Bonacieux | ||
1922 | Shadows | Sympathy Malden | |
Shattered Idols | Sarasvati | ||
The Jilt | Rose Trenton | ||
Fools of Fortune | Marion DePuyster | ||
1923 | The Famous Mrs. Fair | Sylvia Fair | |
What a Wife Learned | Sheila Dorne | ||
Scars of Jealousy | Helen Meanix | ||
Just Like a Woman | Peggy Dean | ||
A Man of Action | Helen Sumner | ||
Wandering Daughters | Bessie Bowden | ||
Desire | Ruth Cassell | ||
Richard the Lion-Hearted | Lady Edith Plantagenet | Lost film | |
1924 | The Beloved Brute | Jacinta | |
Behold This Woman | Sophie | ||
The Clean Heart | Essie Bickers | ||
East of Broadway | Judy McNulty | ||
When a Man's a Man | Helen Wakefield | ||
Gerald Cranston's Lady | Angela | ||
Those Who Dare | Marjorie | ||
In Love with Love | Ann Jordan | ||
1925 | Cheaper to Marry | Doris | |
Daughters Who Pay | Sonia Borisoff/Margaret Smith | ||
Flattery | Betty Biddle | ||
Children of the Whirlwind | Maggie | ||
Off the Highway | Ella Tarrant | ||
The People vs. Nancy Preston | Nancy Preston | ||
The Girl Who Wouldn't Work | Mary Hale | ||
1926 | Red Dice | Beverly Vane | Lost film |
Meet the Prince | Annabelle Ford | Lost film | |
Fifth Avenue | Barbara Pelham | Lost film | |
Hearts and Fists | Alexia Newton | ||
The Last Frontier | Beth | ||
The Unknown Soldier | Mary Phillips | ||
Pals in Paradise | Geraldine "Jerry" Howard | Lost film | |
1927 | The Final Extra | Ruth Collins | |
Held by the Law | Mary Travis | ||
The Kid Sister | Helen Hall | ||
Ragtime | Beth Barton | ||
Broadway Madness | Maida Vincent | ||
1929 | The Iron Mask | Constance | |
Montmartre Rose | Jeanne | ||
1930 | Shadow Ranch | Ruth Cameron | |
1934 | A Woman's Man | Gloria Jordan | |
1941 | Reg'lar Fellers | Mrs. Dugan | |
1942 | The Man Who Returned to Life | Mrs. Hibbard | |
Overland Mail | Rose, the Waitress |
References[edit]
- Notes
- ^ Katchmer, George A. (2009). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. p. 92. ISBN 9781476609058. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
- ^ "(photo caption)". The New York Times. New York, New York City. January 28, 1917. p. 42. Retrieved September 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "(Egan School advertisement)". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. September 9, 1919. p. 56. Retrieved September 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Miss de la Motte, Once Dancer, Now Shines as Dramatic Screen Star". Star Tribune. Minnesota, Minneapolis. April 25, 1920. p. 54. Retrieved September 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Here and There With the Stars". Vancouver Daily World. Canada, Vancouver, British Columbia. January 17, 1920. p. 19. Retrieved September 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Movie Star Can's Spend Her Pay Check Unless Guardian Says So". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. September 6, 1920. p. 18. Retrieved September 27, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ ab Brettell, Andrew; King, Noel; Kennedy, Damien; Imwold, Denise (2005). Cut!: Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies. Leonard, Warren Hsu; von Rohr, Heather. Barrons Educational Series. p. 71. ISBN 0-7641-5858-9.
- ^ "Miss De La Motte, 47, Star of Silent Films". The New York Times. 1950-03-11. p. 15.
- ^ "Marguerite De La Motte". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
- Bibliography
- "Marguerite De La Motte III". New York Times. February 28, 1950. p. 21.
External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marguerite De La Motte. |
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