Marguerite De La Motte
Encyclopedia
Marguerite De La Motte was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film
era.
, De La Motte began her entertainment career studying ballet under Anna Pavlova. 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, Sr directed romantic comedy film Arizona. That same year she lost both of her parents in an automobile accident and film producer J.L. Frothingham assumed guardianship of her and her younger sister.
De La Motte spent the 1920s appearing in numerous films, often cast by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. 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
. De La Motte would also appear opposite such notable actors of the "Roaring Twenties
" as Bela Lugosi
, Milton Sills
, Conrad Nagel
, Owen Moore
, Lon Chaney
, John Gilbert
and Noah Beery, Sr.
De La Motte's 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.
actor John Bowers
in 1924, who was then a matinee idol of silver screen. The couple were separated at the time when Bowers committed suicide in 1936. De La Motte later married attorney Sidney H. Rivkin whom she later divorced after four years of marriage. Marguerite's cousin was Clete Roberts
, American war correspondent and journalist, who appeared in two episodes of M*A*S*H* in the 1970s. In the 1930s when Roberts moved to Los Angeles he was Marguerite's houseguest and drove her Marmon convertible car.
. Later she came to San Francisco, California
, where she worked in the Red Cross office.
On March 10, 1950, De La Motte died of cerebral thrombosis
in San Francisco in 1950, three months short of her 48th birthday. For her contribution as an actress to the motion picture industry, Marguerite De La Motte was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6902 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood, California.
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
era.
Career
Born in Duluth, MinnesotaDuluth, Minnesota
Duluth is a port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is the county seat of Saint Louis County. The fourth largest city in Minnesota, Duluth had a total population of 86,265 in the 2010 census. Duluth is also the second largest city that is located on Lake Superior after Thunder Bay, Ontario,...
, De La Motte began her entertainment career studying ballet under Anna Pavlova. In 1919 she became the dance star of Sid Grauman
Sid Grauman
Sidney Patrick Grauman was an American showman who created one of Southern California's most recognizable and visited landmarks, Grauman's Chinese Theater. He was the son of David Grauman who died in 1921 in Los Angeles, California and Rosa Goldsmith...
on the stage of his theater. In 1918, at the age of 16, she made her screen debut in the Douglas Fairbanks, Sr directed romantic comedy film Arizona. That same year she lost both of her parents in an automobile accident and film producer J.L. Frothingham assumed guardianship of her and her younger sister.
De La Motte spent the 1920s appearing in numerous films, often cast by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. to play opposite him in swashbuckling adventure films such as 1920's The Mark of Zorro
The Mark of Zorro (1920 film)
The Mark of Zorro is a 1920 silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks and Noah Beery. This genre-defining swashbuckler adventure was the first movie version of The Mark of Zorro...
and The Three Musketeers
The Three Musketeers (1921 film)
__notoc__The Three Musketeers is an American silent film based on the novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, père. It was directed by Fred Niblo and starred Douglas Fairbanks as d'Artagnan. The film originally had scenes filmed in the Handschiegl Color Process...
. She developed a close friendship with Fairbanks and his wife, actress Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford
Mary Pickford was a Canadian-born motion picture actress, co-founder of the film studio United Artists and one of the original 36 founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences...
. De La Motte would also appear opposite such notable actors of the "Roaring Twenties
Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties is a phrase used to describe the 1920s, principally in North America, but also in London, Berlin and Paris for a period of sustained economic prosperity. The phrase was meant to emphasize the period's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism...
" as Bela Lugosi
Béla Lugosi
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó , commonly known as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian actor of stage and screen. He was best known for having played Count Dracula in the Broadway play and subsequent film version, as well as having starred in several of Ed Wood's low budget films in the last years of his...
, Milton Sills
Milton Sills
Milton Sills was a highly successful American stage and film actor of the early twentieth century....
, Conrad Nagel
Conrad Nagel
Conrad Nagel was an American screen actor and matinee idol of the silent film era and beyond. He was also a well-known television actor and radio performer.-Biography:...
, Owen Moore
Owen Moore
Owen Moore was an Irish-born actor in American films, appearing in more than 279 movies spanning from 1908 to 1937.-Life and career:...
, Lon Chaney
Lon Chaney, Sr.
Lon Chaney , nicknamed "The Man of a Thousand Faces," was an American actor during the age of silent films. He was one of the most versatile and powerful actors of early cinema...
, John Gilbert
John Gilbert (actor)
John Gilbert was an American actor and a major star of the silent film era.Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw...
and Noah Beery, Sr.
Noah Beery, Sr.
Noah Nicholas Beery was an American actor, who appeared in films from 1913 to 1945.-Early life:His parents originally came from Switzerland. Beery was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He and his brothers William C. Beery and Wallace Beery became Hollywood actors...
De La Motte's 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
Overland Mail
Overland Mail is a Universal movie serial. It was edited into a film version called The Indian Raiders in 1956.-Cast:* Lon Chaney, Jr. as Jim Lane* Helen Parrish as Barbara Gilbert* Noah Beery, Jr. as Sierra Pete...
opposite both Noah Beery, Sr. and Noah Beery, Jr.
Noah Beery, Jr.
Noah Lindsey Beery , known professionally as Noah Beery, Jr. or just Noah Beery, was an American actor specializing in warm, friendly character parts similar to the ones played by his uncle Wallace Beery, although Noah Beery, Jr., unlike his uncle, seldom broke away from playing supporting...
, as well as Lon Chaney, Jr.
Lon Chaney, Jr.
Lon Chaney, Jr. , born Creighton Tull Chaney, was an American character actor. He was best known for his roles in monster movies and as the son of famous silent film actor, Lon Chaney...
Personal life
De La Motte was married twice. She first wed silent filmSilent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
actor John Bowers
John Bowers
John Bowers was an American stage and silent film actor who starred in ninety-four films including short subjects.-Biography:...
in 1924, who was then a matinee idol of silver screen. The couple were separated at the time when Bowers committed suicide in 1936. De La Motte later married attorney Sidney H. Rivkin whom she later divorced after four years of marriage. Marguerite's cousin was Clete Roberts
Clete Roberts
Clete Roberts was a pioneer in Los Angeles local broadcast journalism. The urbane, mustachioed newscaster was a fixture on Southern California television screens for over thirty years.-KNXT Channel 2:...
, American war correspondent and journalist, who appeared in two episodes of M*A*S*H* in the 1970s. In the 1930s when Roberts moved to Los Angeles he was Marguerite's houseguest and drove her Marmon convertible car.
Later years and death
After her film career ended, De La Motte worked as an inspector in a southern California war plant during World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Later she came to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, where she worked in the Red Cross office.
On March 10, 1950, De La Motte died of cerebral thrombosis
Thrombus
A thrombus , or blood clot, is the final product of the blood coagulation step in hemostasis. It is achieved via the aggregation of platelets that form a platelet plug, and the activation of the humoral coagulation system...
in San Francisco in 1950, three months short of her 48th birthday. For her contribution as an actress to the motion picture industry, Marguerite De La Motte was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6902 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood, California.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1918 | Arizona | Lena | |
| 1919 | A Sagebrush Hamlet | Dora Lawrence | Credited as Marguerite de LaMotte |
| 1920 | The Mark of Zorro The Mark of Zorro (1920 film) The Mark of Zorro is a 1920 silent film starring Douglas Fairbanks and Noah Beery. This genre-defining swashbuckler adventure was the first movie version of The Mark of Zorro... |
Lolita Pulido | |
| 1920 | The Broken Gate | Anne Oglesby | |
| 1921 | The Ten Dollar Raise | Dorothy | |
| 1922 | Fools of Fortune | Marion DePuyster | |
| 1923 | The Famous Mrs. Fair The Famous Mrs. Fair The Famous Mrs. Fair is a silent drama film produced by Louis B. Mayer, distributed through Metro Pictures, and directed by Fred Niblo. The film is based on the Broadway play of the same name by James Forbes that had starred Blanche Bates in the 1919 theatre season. This is now considered a lost... |
Sylvia Fair | |
| 1924 | The Beloved Brute | Jacinta | |
| 1925 | Daughters Who Pay Daughters Who Pay Daughters Who Pay is a 1925 drama film directed by George Terwilliger, starring Marguerite De La Motte and featuring Béla Lugosi.-Cast:* Marguerite De La Motte — Sonia Borisoff / Margaret Smith* John Bowers — Dick Foster... |
Sonia Borisoff/Margaret Smith | |
| 1926 | Pals in Paradise | Geraldine "Jerry" Howard | |
| 1926 | The Last Frontier The Last Frontier (1926 film) -Cast:* William Boyd as Tom Kirby* Marguerite De La Motte as Beth* Jack Hoxie as Buffalo Bill Cody* J. Farrell MacDonald as Wild Bill Hickok* Frank Coghlan Jr. as Buddy * Mitchell Lewis as Lige* Gladys Brockwell as Cynthia Jaggers... |
||
| 1926 | Pals in Paradise Pals in Paradise Pals in Paradise is a 1926 silent drama film directed by George B. Seitz. The film was shot in Europe.-Cast:* Rudolph Schildkraut as Abraham Lezinsky* John Bowers as Bill Harvey* Marguerite De La Motte as Geraldine 'Jerry' Howard... |
||
| 1927 | The Final Extra | Ruth Collins | Credited as Margaret DeLaMotte |
| 1929 | The Iron Mask The Iron Mask The Iron Mask is a part-talkie film adaptation of the last section of the novel The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas, père, which is itself based on the French legend of The Man in the Iron Mask... |
Constance | |
| 1930 | Shadow Ranch | Ruth Cameron | |
| 1934 | A Woman's Man | Gloria Jordan | |
| 1941 | Reg'lar Fellers | Mrs. Dugan | |
| 1942 | The Man Who Returned to Life | Mrs. Hibbard | Uncredited |