Norma Shearer is an American actress who created many vivid images in the movie. Want to know where she was born and studied? How was her career and personal life? The article contains all the necessary information about it.
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 an exemplary mistress. 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, became an outstanding pianist. And indeed, she could achieve unprecedented heights in this direction. The girl had perfect hearing and a good sense of rhythm. But Norma had a different dream - to become an actress. Upon learning of this, her mother laughed. She openly announced to the girl that she had the wrong appearance. The actress must be beautiful. Norma Shearer was aware of her flaws: a full figure, short legs, broad shoulders and slightly slanting eyes. But she wanted to believe in a miracle.
Hard times
To prove her worth, 14-year-old Norma went to a local beauty contest. 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 contest. It would seem that her path to achieving the goal begins with a joyful event. But fate prepared for our heroine many trials.
In 1918, a company owned by her father went bankrupt. Another unpleasant situation happened - Norma's older sister suddenly got a mental illness. The family had to sell the house in one of the best areas of Montreal and move to the poor suburb. All these difficulties did not break, but, on the contrary, strengthened the character of the girl. She set a goal: to become rich and famous.
The mother of our heroine decided to divorce her loser husband. The woman took her daughters with her and moved to a cheap boarding house. A few months later, her mother sold Norma's piano. With the proceeds, Edith bought three tickets to New York. She believed that in the big city her youngest daughter could succeed.
17-year-old Norma wanted to get on the Siegfred show. With her, she had a recommendation written by one of the owners of a theater troupe in Montreal. But Forens did not even read it. He looked appraisingly at Norma and grinned. Siegfred said that full girls with slanting eyes did not belong in his troupe.
The younger representative of the Shearer family was not going to give up. One day, she found out that Universal Pictures needed seven attractive girls. Our heroine and her sister went to the test. As a result, she managed to stand out among 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 got a cameo role as a dancer in the film "Way to the East." Her first and last names were not even indicated in the credits. But the young actress was not upset at all. After all, she received invaluable experience in the frame.
Norma Shearer got her first notable role in 1921. The picture was called "The Thieves." The image she created appealed to the audience. Thanks to the filming in this tape, the actress was noticed by producer Hal Roch. In 1923, he contacted her and offered a job in Hollywood. The young girl could not miss such a chance.
Career in Hollywood and the fateful meeting
In the spring of 1923, Norma and her mother arrived in Los Angeles. Our heroine has signed a contract with Mayer Company. Soon, she was introduced to the company's vice president, Irving Talberg. It was he who secured her advancement in the world of cinema. If in 1925, Shearer received $ 1,000 per week of shooting, then by 1930 the size of her fee had grown 5 times.
Initially, Norma and Irving Talberg were connected by working and friendly relations. But after some time they realized that they had deep feelings for each other. In September 1927, lovers played a wedding. Shortly before this, Norma adopted Judaism. She wanted her and her husband to have everything in common, even religion.
In 1930, the couple first became parents. Their son was born. The boy was named in honor of his father - Irving. In 1935, another replenishment occurred in the family of Thalberg and Shearer. They had a charming little daughter Catherine.
Loss
Norma's husband had poor eyesight since childhood. Our heroine tried to help him, drove to the doctors. However, this did not produce results. In 1936, Irving fell ill with bilateral pneumonia. The disease gave a heart complication. On September 14, 1936, Thalberg left this world. The famous actress became a widow.
In the image of the empress
“Marie Antoinette” is a film that was released in 1938. The main female role went to Norma. And she is 100% coped with the tasks assigned to her.
Norma Shearer (Marie Antoinette) She looked dazzling in magnificent dresses decorated with precious stones. It took several hours for hairdressers 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 shooting of the picture “Marie Antoinette”. The film was watched by millions of people. In popularity, he even overtook the Gone With the Wind tape.
Achievements
Over the course of her career, our heroine has performed dozens of roles. Listed below are her most vivid and memorable work in the movie:
- The 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 Hines.
- “Her Cardboard Lover” (1942) - Consuelo Croyden.
In 1930, she received the Academy Award. The professional jury recognized her as the winner in the nomination "Best Actress" (for her role in the film "Divorce").
Norma Shearer is an actress awarded 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 the big movie. 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 of her appearance, career and personal life.
After the death of Thalberg, the actress could not find a new father for her children. At different times, she was credited with novels with Howard Hughes, Mickey Rooney and James Stewart. It is possible that the author of such rumors was the same Joan Crawford. But in 1942, the famous actress married a second time. Her chosen one was the ski instructor Martin Arrowge. Norma was not completely embarrassed by the fact that he was 12 years younger. Envious and ill-wishers predicted a quick collapse of this marriage. However, the couple lived together for quite some time. Few people know that until her death, the actress called her second husband Irving. And he was not offended by this.
Norma Schirrer passed away on June 12, 1983. She died of a complicated form of pneumonia. She was 80 years old. The last shelter the great artist found in the city of Glendale (California). She was buried in the same mausoleum with her beloved husband - Irving Talberg. She herself asked relatives about this a few days before her death.
Finally
Today we remembered another bright and talented actress. Norma Shearer has contributed to the development of world cinema art. She lived a long and eventful life. Fans called her nothing more than “Queen of Norma” and “First Lady of MGM”.