Jeanne Eagels

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeanne_Eagels

Jeanne Eagels (June 26, 1890 – October 3, 1929) was an American actress on Broadway and in several motion pictures.[1] She was a former Ziegfeld Follies Girl who went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of sound films.

She was posthumously considered for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her 1929 role in The Letter after dying suddenly that year at the age of 39. That nomination was the first posthumous Oscar consideration for any actor, male or female.

Jeanne Eagels (June 26, 1890 – October 3, 1929) was an American actress on Broadway and in several motion pictures. She was a former Ziegfeld Follies Girl who went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of sound films.

She was posthumously considered for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her 1929 role in The Letter after dying suddenly that year at the age of 39. That nomination was the first ever posthumous Oscar consideration for any actor, male or female.

Early life

Jeanne Eagels was born in Kansas City, Missouri to Edward and Julia Sullivan Eagles (1865–1945) on June 26, 1890 of German and Irish descent. Her parents were married on April 26, 1886 in Platte City, Platte County, Missouri. Although many biographies state that her birth name was Amelia Jeanne Eagles, her actual birth name was Eugenia Eagles according to both the 1900 and 1910 United States Federal Censuses for Kansas City, Missouri. Her sister, Edna, also had a daughter named Eugenia. According to her obituary and census records, she was the second oldest child. Her siblings were Edna, George, Helen, Leo, and Paul, who were also born in Missouri, according to the 1900 and 1910 U.S. Censuses.

Her father died on February 15, 1910 in Kansas City, leaving his 44-year-old widow with six children to raise. Eagels attended St. Joseph's parochial school and Morris Public School. She quit school shortly after her first communion to work as a cash girl in a department store.

Career

It was in Kansas City that she began her acting career, appearing in a variety of small venues at a very young age. She left Kansas City around the age of 15 and toured the Midwest with the Dubinsky Brothers' traveling theater show. At first, she was a dancer, but in time she went on to play the leading lady in several comedies and dramas put on by the Dubinskys. She married Morris Dubinsky, who frequently played villain roles.

Around 1911, she moved to New York City, working in chorus lines and eventually becoming a Ziegfeld Girl. Her hair was brown, but she bleached it when she went to New York. During this period, one of her acting coaches was Beverly Sitgreaves. Eagels was in the supporting cast of Mind The Paint Girl at the Lyceum Theatre in September 1912. Eagels played opposite George Arliss in three successive plays in 1916 and 1917.

In 1915, she appeared in her first motion picture. She also made three films for Thanhouser Film Corporation in 1916-17.

In 1918, she appeared in Daddies, a David Belasco production. She quit this show due to illness and subsequently travelled to Europe. She appeared in several other Broadway shows between 1919 and 1921.

In 1922, she made her first appearance as a star in the play Rain, by John Colton, based on a short story by W. Somerset Maugham. Eagels played her favorite role, that of Sadie Thompson, a free-wheeling and free-loving spirit who confronts a fire-and-brimstone preacher on a South Pacific island. She went on tour with Rain for two more seasons, and returned to Broadway to give a farewell performance in 1926.

In 1925, Eagels married Edward Harris "Ted" Coy, a former Yale University football star turned stockbroker. They had no children and divorced in 1928.

In 1926, Eagels was offered the part of Roxie Hart in Maurine Dallas Watkins's play Chicago, but Eagels walked out of this role during rehearsals. She next appeared in the comedy Her Cardboard Lover (1927), in which she appeared on stage with Leslie Howard. She then went on tour with Her Cardboard Lover for several months. After missing some performances due to ptomaine poisoning, Eagels returned to the cast in July 1927 for an Empire Theater show.

After a season on Broadway, she took a break to make a movie. She appeared opposite John Gilbert in the MGM film Man, Woman and Sin (1927), directed by Monta Bell.

In 1928, after failing to appear for a performance in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Eagels was banned by Actors Equity from appearing on stage for 18 months. The ban did not stop Eagels from working in film, and she made two "talkies" for Paramount Pictures, including The Letter and Jealousy (both released in 1929).

Death and legacy

Just before she was to return to the Broadway stage in a new play, Eagels died suddenly upon visiting a private hospital in New York City on October 3, 1929 at the age of 39. Medical examiners disagreed on the cause of death--there were three separate coroner's reports, all reaching different conclusions--but the available evidence pointed to the effects of alcohol, a tranquilizer, or heroin. After services in New York, Eagels received a second funeral service when her body was returned to Kansas City, where she was buried in Calvary Cemetery.

She was survived by her mother Julia Eagles and several brothers and sisters.

Eagels was posthumously nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Letter, but the Oscar went to Mary Pickford for the film Coquette.

In 1957, a mostly fictionalized film biography entitled Jeanne Eagels was made by Columbia Pictures, starring Kim Novak as Eagels.

Filmography

The House of Fear (1915)

The World and the Woman (1916)

The Fires of Youth (1917)

Under False Colors (1917)

The Cross Bearer (1918)

The Madonna of the Slums (1919)

Man, Woman and Sin (1927)

The Letter (1929)

Jealousy (1929)

Jeanne Eagels (1890-1929) was one of the greatest actresses of the early 20th Century. Open any comprehensive book on the Broadway stage or film of the 1920s and you will almost certainly see references to the "legendary Jeanne Eagels" and her death at age 39 from a drug overdose. What makes her legendary as an actress, however, is rarely described in depth. She is justifiably remembered for creating the character of Sadie Thompson, the floozy stranded in Pago Pago in the John Colton/Clemence Randolph play "Rain." This play ran on Broadway for over 648 performances, still one of the record holders for longevity 80 years later. During its Broadway run, Eagels missed only an estimated 18-28 performances, which testifies to her stamina, if not her commitment to acting. Nationwide, Eagels was seen in "Rain" by over 1 million theater-goers. Actress. She was a former Ziegfeld Follies Girl who went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of sound films. Born Eugenia Eagles, the second of six children, she moved with her family at the age of 2 to Kansas City, Missouri where she often appeared in Kansas City pageants and festivals. When she was 10 years old, her father died and she quit school to work in a department store to help support her family. At the age of 15, she left home and toured the Midwest with the Dubinsky Brothers' traveling theater show, first as a dancer, but later she went played the leading lady in several comedies and dramas put on by the Dubinskys. She married Morris Dubinsky, who frequently played the villain roles. Around 1911 she moved to New York City, New York, working in chorus lines and eventually became a Ziegfeld Girl. Her hair color was naturally brown but she bleached it when she went to New York. She changed the spelling of her name from Eagles to Eagels because she thought it looked better in lights. She was in the supporting cast of "Mind The Paint Girl" at the Lyceum Theatre in September 1912 and played opposite George Arliss in three successive plays in 1916 and 1917. In 1915 she appeared in her first motion picture "House of Fear" and the following two years made three films for Thanhouser Film Corporation, "The World and the Woman (1916), "The Fires of Youth" (1917), and "Under False Colors" (1917). In 1918 she appeared in the film "The Cross Bearer" and the following year she did "The Madonna of the Slums." In 1922, she made her first appearance as a star in the play "Rain," by John Colton, based on a short story by W. Somerset Maugham. She played her favorite role, that of Sadie Thompson, a free-wheeling and free-loving spirit who confronts a fire-and-brimstone preacher on a South Pacific island and the critics hailed her portrayal as sensational. She toured with "Rain" for two more seasons and returned to Broadway to give a farewell performance in 1926. In 1925 she married Edward Harris "Ted" Coy, a former Yale University football star turned stockbroker and they divorced three years later. In 1926 she was offered the part of Roxie Hart in Maurine Dallas Watkins's play "Chicago," but she walked out of this role during rehearsals. She next appeared in the comedy "Her Cardboard Lover" (1927) with actor Leslie Howard and toured with the show for several months. After missing some performances due to ptomaine poisoning, she returned to the cast in July 1927 for an Empire Theater show. After a season on Broadway, she took a break to make a movie, appearing opposite John Gilbert in the MGM film "Man, Woman and Sin" (1927). When she failed to appear for a performance at Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1928, she was banned by Actors Equity from appearing on stage for 18 months. However, the ban did not prevent her from working in film, and she made two "talkies" for Paramount Pictures, "The Letter" and "Jealousy" (both 1929). Just before she was to return to the Broadway stage in a new play, she died suddenly upon visiting a private hospital in New York City, New York, at the age of 39. Medical examiners disagreed on the cause of death; there were three separate coroner's reports, all reaching different conclusions, but the available evidence pointed to the effects of alcohol, a tranquilizer, or heroin. She was posthumously nominated for the third annual Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in "The Letter," the first posthumous Oscar consideration for any actor. The Oscar ended up going to Mary Pickford for the film "Coquette." In 1957, a mostly fictionalized film biography titled "Jeanne Eagels" was made by Columbia Pictures, starring actress Kim Novak as Eagels. (bio by: [fg.cgi?page=mr&MRid=47016546" target="_blank William Bjornstad)] Maintained by: Find A Grave Record added: Apr 15, 2001

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