May McAvoy
Encyclopedia
May McAvoy was an American actress, who worked mainly during the silent film
era. She starred in Hollywood's revolutionary part talking
film, The Jazz Singer
.
and Francis X. Bushman
in director Fred Niblo
's 1925 production of Ben-Hur
released by MGM. The feature length film was one of the most lavish and spectacular productions of the silent movie era. She later starred with Al Jolson
in the first sound film, The Jazz Singer. Although her voice was not heard in that film, she did speak in several other films, including the second "all-talkie" released by Warner Brothers, The Terror, directed by Roy Del Ruth and co-starring Conrad Nagel
.
For years, a false rumor circulated that she retired from the screen at the transition to sound films due to a lisp or speech impediment. In truth, she married the treasurer of United Artists
, who asked her not to work. Later, she returned to films and played small roles during the 1940s and 1950s, making her final film appearance in 1957.
in 1984, and is interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery
in Culver City, California
.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, May McAvoy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 1731 Vine Street.
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. She starred in Hollywood's revolutionary part talking
Sound film
A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades would pass before sound motion pictures were made commercially...
film, The Jazz Singer
The Jazz Singer (1927 film)
The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...
.
Career
McAvoy made her film debut in 1917. After appearing in more than three dozen films, she co-starred with Ramón NovarroRamón Novarro
Ramón Novarro was a Mexican leading man actor in Hollywood in the early 20th century. He was the next male "Sex Symbol" after the death of Rudolph Valentino...
and Francis X. Bushman
Francis X. Bushman
Francis Xavier Bushman was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. His matinee idol career started in 1911 in the silent film His Friend's Wife, but it did not survive the silent screen era....
in director Fred Niblo
Fred Niblo
Fred Niblo was an American pioneer film actor, director and producer.-Biography:He was born Frederick Liedtke in York, Nebraska, to a French mother and a father who had served as a captain in the American Civil War and was wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg...
's 1925 production of Ben-Hur
Ben-Hur (1925 film)
Ben-Hur is a 1925 silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It was a blockbuster hit for newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the second film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace...
released by MGM. The feature length film was one of the most lavish and spectacular productions of the silent movie era. She later starred with Al Jolson
Al Jolson
Al Jolson was an American singer, comedian and actor. In his heyday, he was dubbed "The World's Greatest Entertainer"....
in the first sound film, The Jazz Singer. Although her voice was not heard in that film, she did speak in several other films, including the second "all-talkie" released by Warner Brothers, The Terror, directed by Roy Del Ruth and co-starring 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:...
.
For years, a false rumor circulated that she retired from the screen at the transition to sound films due to a lisp or speech impediment. In truth, she married the treasurer of United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, who asked her not to work. Later, she returned to films and played small roles during the 1940s and 1950s, making her final film appearance in 1957.
Death
She died in of a heart attackMyocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in 1984, and is interred in the Holy Cross Cemetery
Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City
Holy Cross Cemetery is a Roman Catholic cemetery at 5835 West Slauson Avenue in Culver City, California, operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles....
in 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...
.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, May McAvoy has 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 1731 Vine Street.
Selected filmography
- Hate (1917)
- Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage PatchMrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage PatchMrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch is a 1934 comedy-genre film, directed by Norman Taurog, and based on the 1901 novel by Alice Hegan Rice. It also appeared as a radio series between 1936 and 1938. It is one of two movies that feature a rare film performance by famed Broadway stage actress Pauline...
(1919) - Love Wins (1920)
- Clarence (1922)
- West of the Water Tower (1923)
- HollywoodHollywood (1923 film)Hollywood was a silent comedy film directed by James Cruze, co-written by Frank Condon and Thomas J. Geraghty, and released by Paramount Pictures.The film has become famous as having featured cameos of more than thirty famous Hollywood stars...
(1923) - Three Women (1924)
- The Enchanted CottageThe Enchanted Cottage (1924 film)The Enchanted Cottage is a silent drama film based upon a play by Arthur Wing Pinero, and directed by John S. Robertson.The film was produced by Richard Barthelmess, through his company Inspiration, and released through Associated First National...
(1924) - Ben-HurBen-Hur (1925 film)Ben-Hur is a 1925 silent film directed by Fred Niblo. It was a blockbuster hit for newly merged Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the second film based on the novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace...
(1925) - The Fire BrigadeThe Fire Brigade__notoc__The Fire Brigade, also called Fire! is a silent film directed by William Nigh.Film historian Kevin Brownlow used scenes from this film's climax to open his 13-hour documentary Hollywood...
(1926) - The Jazz SingerThe Jazz Singer (1927 film)The Jazz Singer is a 1927 American musical film. The first feature-length motion picture with synchronized dialogue sequences, its release heralded the commercial ascendance of the "talkies" and the decline of the silent film era. Produced by Warner Bros. with its Vitaphone sound-on-disc system,...
(1927) - A Reno Divorce (1927)
- The Lion and the MouseThe Lion and the Mouse (1928 film)The Lion and the Mouse is a 1928 part-silent/part-sound drama film produced and distributed by the Warner Brothers. It's based on the very successful 1905 play by Charles Klein. The picture was directed by Lloyd Bacon and marks the first time Lionel Barrymore spoke from the screen...
(1928) - Caught in the Fog (1928)
- The Terror (1928)
- Stolen Kisses (1929)
- Washington Road (1930) MGMMetro-Goldwyn-MayerMetro-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...
serial - The New PupilThe New PupilThe New Pupil is a 1940 Our Gang short comedy film directed by Edward Cahn. It was the 190th Our Gang short that was released.-Plot:...
(1940)
External links
- Photography and bibliography
- May McAvoy portrait gallery NY Public Library (Billy Rose collection)