Eleanor Boardman

Olive Eleanor Boardman August 19 1898 December 12 1991 was an American film actress of the silent era Olive Eleanor Boardman was born on August 19 1898 the youngest child to George W Boardman and Janice Merriam Jennie Stockman Boardman She had two older sisters named Merriam and Esther In 1920 she was working as a contractor Educated in Philadelphia Boardman originally acted on stage but she lost her voice while starring in The National Anthem She then entered a nationwide contest for new actors and actresses for silent films She was chosen from among 1000 competitors by Goldwyn Pictures as their New Face of 1922 Her initial screen test was unsuccessful but a second test resulted in a contract After several successful supporting roles she played the lead in Souls for Sale in 1923 That same year Boardmans growing popularity was reflected by her inclusion on the list of WAMPAS Baby Stars She appeared in more than 30 films during her career including director King Vidors The Crowd 1928 Her performance in that film is widely recognized as one of the outstanding performances in American silent film In 1932 after some success in sound films she parted ways with MGM Her final film was The Three Cornered Hat which was made in Spain in 1935 After that production she retired from acting and retreated from Hollywood Her last appearances were in an interview filmed for Kevin Brownlow and David Gills British documentary series Hollywood 1980 and the series MGM When the Lion Roars 1992