May McAvoy

Actor: May McAvoy

Born: Sep 18, 1901 in New York City, New York
Died: Apr 26, 1984 in Sherman Oaks, California
Occupation: Actor
Active: '20s
Major Genres: Drama, Comedy
Career Highlights: Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, The Jazz Singer, The Enchanted Cottage
First Major Screen Credit: Morals (1921)

Biography

Born into the upper class of New York City, she dropped out of high school and began looking for work as an actress. She quickly found work as a model and in advertising shorts, then in 1916 began playing extras in New York-based feature films. She debuted as an actress in Hate (1917), and within two years was playing leading ladies. A successful performance in Sentimental Tommy (1921) led to an invitation to Hollywood; already an established star when she was subsequently signed by Paramount, she increased her popularity playing innocent heroines. In 1923 she refused to appear scantily-dressed in a Cecil B. DeMille film, after which she had fewer and less important roles. She bought out her contract and began free-lancing at high prices; intelligent and discriminating in her choice of movies, she did very well. She made history by playing Al Jolson's leading lady in The Jazz Singer (1927), the first major talkie. She retired from the screen to get married in 1929; some have suggested that her career ended in the sound era because she lisped, but she denied this. In 1940 she was signed by MGM, but appeared only as an extra and in bit parts in a handful of films over the next two decades; it is said she signed to work as a lark. ~ All Movie Guide

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May McAvoy

Born	September 8, 1899(1899-09-08) New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	April 26, 1984 (aged 84) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years active	1917–1957
Spouse(s)	Maurice Cleary (1929–1973) (his death)

Publicity photo for the film The Jazz Singer (1927), featuring stars May McAvoy and Al Jolson

May McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984) was an American actress, who worked mainly during the silent film era. She starred in Hollywood's revolutionary part talking film, The Jazz Singer.

1 Career
2 Selected filmography
3 References
4 External links

Career

McAvoy made her film debut in 1917. After appearing in more than three dozen films, she co-starred with Ramon Novarro and Francis X. Bushman in director Fred Niblo's 1925 production of Ben-Hur released by MGM. The feature length film was one of the most lavish and spectacular productions of the silent movie era. She later starred with Al Jolson in the first sound film, The Jazz Singer. Although her voice was not heard in that film, she did speak in several other films, including the second "all-talkie" released by Warner Brothers, The Terror, directed by Roy Del Ruth and co-starring Conrad Nagel.

For years, a false rumor circulated that she retired from the screen at the transition to sound films due to a lisp or speech impediment.^[1] In truth, she married the treasurer of United Artists, who asked her not to work.^[1] Later, she returned to films and played small roles during the 1940s and 1950s, making her final film appearance in 1957.

She died in of a heart attack in 1984, and is interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, May McAvoy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1731 Vine Street.

Selected filmography

Hate (1917)
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch (1919)
Love Wins (1920)
Clarence (1922)
West of the Water Tower (1923)
Three Women (1924)
Ben-Hur (1925)
The Jazz Singer (1927)
A Reno Divorce (1927)
Caught in the Fog (1928)
The Terror (1928)
Stolen Kisses (1929)
Washington Road (1930, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer serial)
The New Pupil (1940)

References

^ ^a ^b Lamparski, Richard (1982). Whatever Became Of ...? Eighth Series. New York: Crown Publishers. pp. 190-1. ISBN 0-517-54855-0.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: May McAvoy

May McAvoy at the Internet Movie Database
May McAvoy at Find a Grave
Photography and bibliography

Persondata
NAME	McAvoy, May
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION	Film actress
DATE OF BIRTH	September 8, 1899
PLACE OF BIRTH	New York City, New York, U.S.
DATE OF DEATH	April 26, 1984
PLACE OF DEATH	Los Angeles, California, U.S.

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