Actress Norma Shearer: biography, personal life, filmography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Norma Shearer is an American actress who has created many vivid images in films. Do you want to know where she was born and trained? How did her career and personal life develop? The article contains all the necessary information about her.

Norma Shearer: biography, family

She was born in 1902 (August 10) in the Canadian city of Montreal. In what family was the future Hollywood star brought up? Her father, Andrew Shearer, had a successful construction business. And her mother, Edith, was not a model housewife. She often left home, cheated on her husband and dabbled in drugs. At the same time, Edith was an incredibly beautiful and interesting woman.

Mother wanted her daughter to study at a music school and become an outstanding pianist. Indeed, she could achieve unprecedented heights in this direction. The girl had perfect hearing and a good sense of rhythm. But Norma had another dream - to become an actress. Upon learning of this, her mother laughed. She openly announced to the girl that she had an inappropriate appearance. An actress must be beautiful. Norma Shearer knew about her shortcomings: a full figure, short legs, broad shoulders and slightly slanting eyes. But she wantedbelieve in a miracle.

Hard Times

To prove her worth, 14-year-old Norma went to a local beauty pageant. At that time, she managed to lose weight, choose the right makeup and so on. As a result, the girl was recognized as the winner of the competition. It would seem that her path to achieving the goal begins with a joyful event. But fate has prepared many trials for our heroine.

In 1918, the company owned by her father went bankrupt. Another unpleasant situation happened - Norma's older sister suddenly became mentally ill. The family had to sell a house in one of the best areas of Montreal and move to a poor suburb. All these difficulties did not break, but, on the contrary, strengthened the character of the girl. She set a goal for herself: to become rich and famous.

The mother of our heroine decided to divorce her unlucky husband. The woman took her daughters with her and moved to a cheap boarding house. A few months later, Norma's mother sold Norma's piano. With the proceeds, Edith bought three tickets to New York. She believed that her youngest daughter could succeed in the big city.

17-year-old Norma wanted to be on the Siegfred show. She had a recommendation with her, written by one of the owners of a theater troupe in Montreal. But Forens didn't even read it. He looked at Norma appraisingly and chuckled. Siegfred said that plump girls with slanted eyes in his troupe should not.

The youngest member of the Shearer family was not going to give up. One day she learned that Universal Pictures needed sevenattractive girls. Our heroine, along with her sister, went to audition. In the end, she managed to stand out from the crowd and get a job.

Norma Shearer: films with her participation

When did the persistent and purposeful girl first appear on the screens? This happened in 1920. Shearer received a cameo role as a dancer in the film Way East. Her first and last names were not even listed in the credits. But this did not upset the young actress at all. After all, she received invaluable experience in the frame.

Norma Shearer got her first notable role in 1921. The picture was called "Thieves". The image created by her fell in love with the audience. Thanks to filming in this tape, the actress was noticed by producer Hal Roch. In 1923, he contacted her and offered her a job in Hollywood. The young girl could not miss such a chance.

Hollywood career and fateful meeting

In the spring of 1923, Norma came to Los Angeles with her mother. Our heroine signed a contract with the Mayer Company. Soon she was introduced to the vice president of the company, Irving Thalberg. It was he who ensured her promotion in the world of cinema. If in 1925 Shearer received $ 1,000 for a week of shooting, then by 1930 her fee had increased 5 times.

At first, Norma and Irving Thalberg had a working and friendly relationship. But after some time, they realized that they had deep feelings for each other. In September 1927, the lovers got married. Shortly before this, Norma converted to Judaism. She wanted to haveeverything was in common with her husband, even religion.

In 1930, the couple became parents for the first time. Their son was born. The boy was named after his father - Irving. In 1935, another replenishment happened in the family of Thalberg and Shearer. They have a charming daughter, Katherine.

Loss

Norma's husband had poor eyesight since childhood. Our heroine tried to help him, took him to the doctors. However, this did not give results. In 1936, Irving contracted double pneumonia. The disease gave a complication of the heart. September 14, 1936 Thalberg left this world. A famous actress became a widow.

In the form of the Empress

"Marie Antoinette" - a film that was released in 1938. The main female role went to Norma. And she 100% coped with the tasks assigned to her.

Norma Shearer (Marie Antoinette) looked dazzling in lavish jeweled outfits. It took the hairdressers several hours to create a high hairstyle. But the result is worth it.

Realistic scenery, luxurious costumes, incredible hairstyles, a good cast - all this was prepared for the filming of the film "Marie Antoinette". The film was watched by millions of people. In terms of popularity, he even overtook the tape "Gone with the Wind".

Achievements

During her career, our heroine has performed dozens of roles. Listed below are her most striking and memorable film credits:

• Bootleggers (1922) - Helen Barnes.
• "Divorce" (1930) - Jerry Bernard Martin.
• "Free Soul" (1931) - Jan Ashe.
• "Romeo and Juliet" (1936) - the main female role.
• "Women" (1939) - Mary Hynes.
• Her Cardboard Lover (1942) - Consuelo Croyden.

In 1930 she won an Oscar. A professional jury recognized her as the winner in the nomination "Best Actress" (for her role in the film "Divorce").

Norma Shearer is an actress with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And this is the best reward for her efforts and love for art.

Retirement

In 1942, Norma announced her retirement from big cinema. Not the last role in this was played by her "eternal" rival - Joan Crawford. She spread dirty rumors about the actress. For example, Crawford considered her mediocrity. Allegedly, she became a star only thanks to the efforts of her husband. Norma is tired of constant discussions about her appearance, career and personal life.

After Thalberg's death, the actress could not find a new father for her children. At various times, she was credited with novels with Howard Hughes, Mickey Rooney and James Stewart. It is possible that the same Joan Crawford was the author of such rumors. But in 1942, the famous actress got married a second time. Her chosen one was ski instructor Martin Arroudzh. Norm was not at all embarrassed by the fact that he was 12 years younger. Envious people and ill-wishers predicted a quick collapse of this marriage. However, the couple lived together for a long time. Few people know that until her death, the actress calledher second husband, Irving. And he didn't take offense at that.

Norm Schirrer passed away on June 12, 1983. She died from a complicated form of pneumonia. She was 80 years old. The great artist found her last shelter in the city of Glendale (California). She was buried in the same mausoleum with her beloved husband, Irving Thalberg. She herself asked relatives about this a few days before her death.

In closing

Today we remembered another bright and talented actress. Norma Shearer made his contribution to the development of world cinematic art. She lived a long and eventful life. Fans called her none other than "Queen Norma" and "First Lady of MGM".