Gwen Lee
Encyclopedia
Gwen Lee was an American film actress from Hastings, Nebraska
. Her given name was Gwendolyn Lepinski.
in August 1925. Almost immediately she was cast in two MGM films, I'll Tell The World and A Little Bit of Broadway, produced by Robert Z. Leonard
. At the end of the month, she acted with Mae Murray
in The Masked Bride
, directed by Christy Cabanne
. By September 1925, Lee was selected by MGM officials to represent the Culver City, California
studio as a beauty contestant for the Eastern Star Fashion and Home Exposition, which was held in October. Occasionally Gwen appeared in movies only briefly, but received notice for her chic attire. One such instance was in the MGM Edmund Goulding
production of Sally, Irene and Mary
(1925).
She was a WAMPAS Baby Star
in 1928.
Her career continued for almost a decade into the era of sound motion pictures. Lee played Marjory in Untamed
(1929), with Joan Crawford
and Robert Montgomery
. She appeared again with Crawford and Marie Prevost
in the prison drama Paid
(1930). In 1931, she was in The Galloping Ghost, with famed football running back Red Grange
, and the crime drama, The Lawless Woman, with Vera Reynolds
. She made a western, Broadway To Cheyenne (1932), with Rex Bell. Her final film roles were in Man-Proof and Paroled From The Big House, both in 1938.
Superior Court. Lee's mother dropped the suit in April, citing improvement in her daughter's health. That same year, she was also sued by two clothiers for nonpayment.
Gwen Lee died in Reno, Nevada
in 1961.
Hastings, Nebraska
Hastings is a city in and the county seat of Adams County, Nebraska, United States. It is the principal city of the Hastings, Nebraska Micropolitan Statistical Area, which consists of Adams and Clay counties. The population was 24,907 at the 2010 census...
. Her given name was Gwendolyn Lepinski.
Acting career
Lee began as a model and was discovered by a casting director. She signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
in August 1925. Almost immediately she was cast in two MGM films, I'll Tell The World and A Little Bit of Broadway, produced by Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Z. Leonard
Robert Zigler Leonard was an American film director, actor, producer and screenwriter.He was born in Chicago, Illinois...
. At the end of the month, she acted with Mae Murray
Mae Murray
Mae Murray was an American actress, dancer, film producer, and screenwriter. Murray rose to fame during the silent film era and was known as "The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips" and "The Gardenia of the Screen"....
in The Masked Bride
The Masked Bride
The Masked Bride is a silent drama film, directed by Christy Cabanne and starring Mae Murray, Francis X. Bushman and Basil Rathbone. Originally helmed by Josef von Sternberg, the director followed the footsteps of Erich von Stroheim in walking out of a Mae Murray movie, this time after two weeks...
, directed by Christy Cabanne
Christy Cabanne
Christy Cabanne , born William Christy Cabanne, was an American film director, screenwriter and silent film actor. Christy Cabanne was, along with Sam Newfield and William Beaudine, one of the most prolific directors in the history of American film.-Biography:Cabanne graduated from the U.S...
. By September 1925, Lee was selected by MGM officials to represent the Culver City, California
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...
studio as a beauty contestant for the Eastern Star Fashion and Home Exposition, which was held in October. Occasionally Gwen appeared in movies only briefly, but received notice for her chic attire. One such instance was in the MGM Edmund Goulding
Edmund Goulding
Edmund Goulding was a British film writer and director. As an actor early in his career he was one of the 'Ghosts' in the 1922 British made Paramount silent Three Live Ghosts alongside Norman Kerry and Cyril Chadwick. Also in the early 20s he wrote several screenplays for star Mae Murray and...
production of Sally, Irene and Mary
Sally, Irene and Mary
Sally, Irene, and Mary is a 1925 film starring Constance Bennett, Sally O'Neil, and Joan Crawford. The film takes a behind-the-scenes look at the romantic lives of three chorus girls and the way their preferences in men affect their lives....
(1925).
She was a WAMPAS Baby Star
WAMPAS Baby Stars
The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers in the United States which honored thirteen young women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. They were selected from 1922 to 1934, and annual...
in 1928.
Her career continued for almost a decade into the era of sound motion pictures. Lee played Marjory in Untamed
Untamed (1929 film)
Untamed is a 1929 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer drama/comedy/romance motion picture starring Joan Crawford and Robert Montgomery. Others in the cast include Ernest Torrence, Holmes Herbert, Gwen Lee, and Lloyd Ingraham....
(1929), with Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford
Joan Crawford , born Lucille Fay LeSueur, was an American actress in film, television and theatre....
and Robert Montgomery
Robert Montgomery (actor)
Robert Montgomery was an American actor and director.- Early life :Montgomery was born Henry Montgomery, Jr. in Beacon, New York, then known as "Fishkill Landing", the son of Mary Weed and Henry Montgomery, Sr. His early childhood was one of privilege, since his father was president of the New...
. She appeared again with Crawford and Marie Prevost
Marie Prevost
Marie Prevost was a Canadian-born actress of the early days of cinema. During her twenty year career, she made 121 silent and talking pictures.-Early life:...
in the prison drama Paid
Paid (1930 film)
Paid is a 1930 American drama film starring Joan Crawford, Robert Armstrong, and Kent Douglass in a story about a wrongly accused ex-convict who seeks revenge, within the law, on those who sent her to prison. The film was adapted by Lucien Hubbard and Charles MacArthur from the play, Within the...
(1930). In 1931, she was in The Galloping Ghost, with famed football running back Red Grange
Red Grange
Harold Edward "Red" Grange, nicknamed "The Galloping Ghost", was a college and professional American football halfback for the University of Illinois, the Chicago Bears, and for the short-lived New York Yankees. His signing with the Bears helped legitimize the National Football League...
, and the crime drama, The Lawless Woman, with Vera Reynolds
Vera Reynolds
-Early life and career:Born in Richmond, Virginia in 1899, she started out as a dancer, worked as one of the Sennett Bathing Beauties, and became a leading lady in silent motion pictures. Among her film credits are starring roles in Sam Wood's Prodigal Daughters , and Cecil B...
. She made a western, Broadway To Cheyenne (1932), with Rex Bell. Her final film roles were in Man-Proof and Paroled From The Big House, both in 1938.
Personal life
Lee was sued by her mother, Etta Lepinski, in March 1932. The then 27-year-old was charged in a petition for guardianship. The suit alleged that she was incompetent to handle her affairs, specifically she was incapable of managing her jewelry and personal property, valued in excess of $1,000 ($15,700 in 2010). The case was filed in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
Superior Court. Lee's mother dropped the suit in April, citing improvement in her daughter's health. That same year, she was also sued by two clothiers for nonpayment.
Gwen Lee died in Reno, Nevada
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
in 1961.