Noel Francis

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Noel Francis (1931)

Noel Francis (born Noel Frances Sweeney on August 31, 1906 in Temple , Texas , † October 30, 1959 in Los Angeles , California ) was an American actress . Francis began her career on Broadway before moving to Hollywood at the beginning of the sound film era in 1930 . After seven years and almost fifty film appearances, Francis ended her acting career in 1937.

Life

Noel Francis grew up in Dallas where she graduated from high school. After attending Southern Methodist University , she moved to New York , where she transferred to Columbia University .

At the age of 19, Francis was hired as a dancer for the Ziegfeld Follies on Broadway in 1925 . In the following years she worked several times for Florence Ziegfeld junior , including in a leading role in the musical Rio Rita, which he produced in 1927. In the film of the same name of the musical two years later, Francis could not take part, as she was at the side of during the filming Jimmy Durante was seen in the musical Show Girl .

Through her appearance on Show Girl , the Fox Film Corporation became aware of Francis and signed her. She made her film debut in 1930 in a small role in the musical film New Movietone Follies of 1930 . Francis received positive reviews for her performance in The New York Times , which earned her a small supporting role in John Ford's Up the River . However, since the hoped-for success for the actress did not materialize, Fox Film canceled her contract.

Just a short time after leaving Fox Film, Francis signed a contract with Warner Brothers . In the following two years she had her greatest success with roles in films such as Easy Money and Blonde Crazy , both starring alongside James Cagney . 1932 Francis played the role of Linda in Pursuing James A. alongside Paul Muni . Both the film and the lead actor Muni were nominated for an Academy Award .

Despite this success, Francis did not get any major roles in major Hollywood productions. Although she continued to be very active, most of her larger roles in the years that followed were in so-called B-movies . There were also some unimportant supporting roles in large productions such as Imitation of Life . Since she was dissatisfied with this situation, Francis decided to make a comeback on Broadway, which failed, however: The musical Satellite with her in the lead role was canceled after only one performance in November 1935. Francis therefore returned to Hollywood, but ended her acting career for good two years later.

Noel Francis continued to live in Los Angeles after retiring from the film business. She remained unmarried all her life. Francis died of breast cancer in her hometown on October 30, 1959, at the age of only 53. She was cremated the day after her death, her urn is kept in the columbarium of the Chapel of the Pines Crematory in Los Angeles.

Filmography (selection)

Noel Francis (1931)

Web links

Commons : Noel Francis  - Collection of Images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Some sources also give 1910 as the year of birth.
  2. ↑ Lynn Kear, James King: Evelyn Brent: The Life and Films of Hollywood's Lady Crook . McFarland, Jefferson 2009, ISBN 978-0-7864-5468-6 , 230.
  3. ^ Scott Wilson, Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons . McFarland, Jefferson 2016, ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4 , page 256.
personal data
SURNAME Francis, Noel
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Sweeney, Noel Frances
BRIEF DESCRIPTION US-american actress
DATE OF BIRTH August 31, 1906
PLACE OF BIRTH Temple , Texas , United States
DATE OF DEATH October 30, 1959
Place of death Los Angeles , California , United States