Born On This Day: Leslie Howard 1893-1943

03 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by in Anniversaries, Film, Jeanne Eagels, Theatre

≈ Comments Off on Born On This Day: Leslie Howard 1893-1943

Tags

, , , , , , , ,

(c) Kirklees Museums and Galleries; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation

Leslie Howard Steiner was born in Forest Hill, South London, on April 3, 1893. His mother, Lillian Blumberg, came from an upper middle-class family who initially disapproved of her choice of husband, the Hungarian Ferdinand Steiner. The Steiners briefly moved to Vienna, returning to London when the rift was healed. They had four more children, and changed their name to the less Germanic ‘Stainer’ at the outbreak of World War I. Continue reading →

Born On This Day: Laurette Taylor 1883-1946

01 Friday Apr 2016

Posted by in Anniversaries, Film, Jeanne Eagels, Theatre

≈ Comments Off on Born On This Day: Laurette Taylor 1883-1946

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

tumblr_nrnim0B3u11u71n1vo1_540

Loretta Helen Cooney was born in Harlem, New York on April 1, 1883, to Irish parents. Her mother, Elizabeth Dorsey, was the owner of a successful millinery, and the family breadwinner. Loretta had two younger siblings. A gifted mimic, she was encouraged by Elizabeth to pursue a life on the stage, though her father, James Cooney, disapproved. Continue reading →

Born On This Day: Gloria Swanson 1899-1983

27 Sunday Mar 2016

Posted by in Anniversaries, Film, Jeanne Eagels

≈ Comments Off on Born On This Day: Gloria Swanson 1899-1983

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

tumblr_o2bcohLpRP1r7ws74o1_500

Gloria May Josephine Swanson was born in Chicago on March 27, 1899. Her father was in the US army, and the family moved frequently during her childhood. After an aunt took her to visit Essanay Studios in Chicago, she left school to work as an extra. She made an uncredited debut in The Song of Soul, and acted alongside Charlie Chaplin in His New Job (1915.) Continue reading →

Born On This Day: Joan Crawford 1904-1977

23 Wednesday Mar 2016

Posted by in Anniversaries, Film, Jeanne Eagels

≈ Comments Off on Born On This Day: Joan Crawford 1904-1977

Tags

, , , , ,

joan67

Lucille Fay LeSueur was born in San Antonio, Texas, on March 23, 1904. Her father, Thomas E. LeSueur, abandoned her mother, Anna Bell Johnson, and her two eldest children, while she was still pregnant. Anna began a new relationship with Henry J. Cassin, and the family lived with him in Lawton, Oklahoma, where he ran the Ramsey Opera House. After Cassin was accused of embezzling, the family moved to Kansas City, Missouri in 1916. Continue reading →

Born on This Day: Thomas L. Chadbourne 1871-1938

21 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by in Anniversaries, Jeanne Eagels

≈ Comments Off on Born on This Day: Thomas L. Chadbourne 1871-1938

Tags

, , ,

ThomasLChadbourne JELR

Thomas Lincoln Chadbourne was born in Houghton, Michigan on March 21, 1871. He was named after his father, a lawyer. At the age of six, Thomas saw his three year-old sister die after running through glass. A rebellious child, he was expelled from every school he attended. Continue reading →