Janet Gaynor
Janet Gaynor (born October 6, 1906 in Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , † September 14, 1984 in Palm Springs , California , actually Laura Gainor ) was an American actress. In the late 1920s and 1930s she was particularly successful as an actress for young naive people and formed a popular screen couple alongside Charles Farrell . At the Academy Awards in 1929 she won the first Oscar for best actress .
Life
Janet Gaynor was born Laura Gainor in 1906. After graduating from high school in San Francisco, she went to Hollywood . After numerous appearances as an extra in short films for various studios, she made her breakthrough in 1926 in The Johnstown Flood alongside George O'Brien . In the same year Gaynor, who meanwhile had a studio contract with Fox Film Corporation , was voted one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars of the Year. The rise to stardom managed Gaynor in 1927 on the side of Charles Farrell in Luck in the attic of Frank Borzage . After the resounding success, the two actors built their studio under the title "America's Favorite Lovebirds" as a screen couple and as competition to the established couples John Gilbert and Greta Garbo as well as Ronald Colman and Vilma Bánky . In 1927 Gaynor starred in Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's first US film, Sunrise - A Song of Two People . In 1929 Gaynor received the first Oscar / Best Actress for her appearances in Das Glück in der Mansarde and Sunrise - A Song of Two People and Angels of the Road . With the musical Sunny Side Up Gaynor and Farrell in 1929 managed the transition to talkies . In the early 1930s, Janet Gaynor was Fox Film Corporation's biggest star, ahead of Will Rogers . The actress was often seen as a young naive in remakes of Mary Pickford classics, such as Daddy Long Legs and Tess of the Storm Country . Excursions into serious roles such as in The Man Who Came Back were not accepted by the audience. Janet Gaynor's position as the leading naive in Hollywood was also noted by noted columnist Elizabeth Yeaman in her April 4, 1932 column:
“Janet Gaynor is an unusual example of a movie star who in all the years of his career has never tried to add a little more cosmopolitanism to his image. Even in the last two years, when cosmopolitanism seemed to be the indispensable requirement for a star. Norma Shearer , Greta Garbo , Joan Crawford , Kay Francis , Ruth Chatterton , Carole Lombard , Constance Bennett and Ann Harding , they have all already made their excursions into cosmopolitanism. Only Janet Gaynor has remained the naive, sweet, little orphan on the screen and still has one of the biggest following in the film industry. "
In many respects, 1934 was the climax and turning point in Janet Gaynor's career. Although she was voted the most popular female star at the box office that year, Shirley Temple , of all places, was signed to her home studio as the star who was supposed to take over the title "America's Sweetheart" from Janet. After the old Fox studio went bankrupt and merged to form 20th Century Fox , Janet Gaynor's star began to decline rapidly. She left the studio in 1936 and first shot the comedy Kleinstadtmädel with Robert Taylor for MGM . Later that year she was featured by David O. Selznick for A Star Goes Up , the remake of What Price Hollywood? , signed. She received a fee of $ 100,000 plus a 10% profit share for her participation. The actress was nominated again for the Oscar for best actress for her role. The film's success enabled her to sign a deal with Selznick for two films for a fee of $ 137,000 each. Immediately after the filming of Three Loves Has Nancy was finished , to everyone's surprise, the actress withdrew completely from the screen. She married Gilbert Adrian , MGM's chief costume designer, and even gave up the role of Melanie Hamilton in Gone With the Wind , which Selznick offered her.
Her first marriage to Jesse Lydell Pack lasted from 1929 to 1933. The connection with Adrian lasted until his death in 1959 and they had a son. In 1964 Gaynor married producer Paul Gregory (1920–2015), a third marriage , and this marriage lasted until her death. She was seriously injured in a car accident in 1982 along with Gregory and her fellow actor Mary Martin . Two years later, at the age of 77, she died of the long-term effects of the accident. A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6284 Hollywood Boulevard commemorates the actress.
Filmography
Films with Charles Farrell are marked with an asterisk *
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Awards
- Academy Awards 1929 : Oscar for best actress for Luck in the Attic , Street Angel and Sunrise - A Song of Two Humans
- Academy Awards 1938 : Oscar nomination for best leading actress for A Star Rises
Web links
- Janet Gaynor in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- short biography
- brief presentation of the career
- Images by Janet Gaynor In: Virtual History
Individual evidence
- ↑ Janet Gaynor is rather a unique example of a film star who never adopted sophistication, even during the past two years, when sophistication seemed to be the prerequisite for stardom. Norma Shearer , Greta Garbo , Joan Crawford , Kay Francis , Ruth Chatterton , Carole Lombard , Constance Bennett , and even Ann Harding , have all had their fling at screen sophistication. But Janet Gaynor has remained the naive, sweet, little foundling of the screen and at the same time retained one of the most enormous fan followings in the industry.
- ^ Sarah Baker, Lucky Stars - Janet Gaynor & Charles Farrell, 202.
- ^ Sarah Baker, Lucky Stars - Janet Gaynor & Charles Farrell, p. 213
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Gaynor, Janet |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Gainor, Laura |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | US-american actress |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 6, 1906 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Philadelphia , Pennsylvania |
| DATE OF DEATH | September 14, 1984 |
| Place of death | Palm Springs , California |