Marguerite_De_La_Motte

Marguerite De La Motte

Marguerite De La Motte

American actress


Marguerite De La Motte (June 22, 1902 March 10, 1950) was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film era.

Quick Facts Born, Died ...
Marguerite De La Motte in The Three Musketeers (1921)

Early years

Marguerite De La Motte from the movie The Nut in 1921

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

De La Motte in 1921.
Still from the American western film The Sagebrusher (1920) with Noah Beery and Marguerite De La Motte

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

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. That marriage ended with Bowers's suicide in 1936. De La Motte later married attorney Sidney H. Rivkin whom she divorced after four years of marriage.[7] Her cousin,[citation needed] 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.[8]

Later years

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

On March 10, 1950, De La Motte died of cerebral thrombosis in San Francisco at the age of 47.[9]

Recognition

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.[10]

Filmography

More information Year, Title ...

References

Notes
  1. Katchmer, George A. (2009). A Biographical Dictionary of Silent Film Western Actors and Actresses. McFarland. p. 92. ISBN 9781476609058. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  2. "(photo caption)". The New York Times. New York, New York City. January 28, 1917. p. 42. Retrieved September 27, 2017 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. "(Egan School advertisement)". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. September 9, 1919. p. 56. Retrieved September 27, 2017 via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. "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. Open access icon
  5. "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. Open access icon
  6. "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. Open access icon
  7. 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.
  8. "Clete Roberts". TVGuide.com. Retrieved 2022-05-01.
  9. "Miss De La Motte, 47, Star of Silent Films". The New York Times. 1950-03-11. p. 15.
  10. "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.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Marguerite_De_La_Motte, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.