- Born
- Died
- Birth nameConstance Alice Talmadge
- Nicknames
- Dutch
- Connie
- The Vitagraph Tomboy
- Height5′ 6″ (1.68 m)
- Constance was blonde; star sister Norma Talmadge was brunette. She was buoyant and a comedienne; Norma was introspective and a tragedienne. Nicknamed "Dutch" by her stage mother Peg as she looked like a cherubic Little Dutch Boy, silver screen star Constance Talmadge was one of silent pictures' most popular and enduring stars of romantic comedy.
Born in Brooklyn in April 19, 1898 (various sources give different years ranging from 1897 to 1903), her New York City childhood was humbling and tragic. Their father Fred Talmadge was a chronic alcoholic who ultimately deserted his family, which included sister Natalie Talmadge, while all three girls were quite young. By the time Norma had become a commodity for Vitagraph Studios, Constance, in her early teens, begged to follow.
Constance's first comedy short for Vitagraph was In Bridal Attire (1914). As the two sisters were as different as night and day, professional jealousy never entered into the picture. In fact, all three sisters remained consistently loyal throughout their lives. Appearing in a number of two-reel comedies predominantly with comedian Billy Quirk, Constance drew major acclaim in the role of The Mountain Girl in D.W. Griffith's epic masterpiece Intolerance (1916). Her role was so inspiring that when Griffith re-issued her segment as a solo feature entitled The Fall of Babylon (1919), he re-shot her death scene ending so that her character would wind up living happily ever after.
Throughout the late '10s and early '20s the elegant Constance charmed audiences with a number of flapper-era comedy vehicles, many of them co-starring silent film great Harrison Ford (not related to the present-day star). These include A Pair of Silk Stockings (1918), Happiness a la Mode (1919), Romance and Arabella (1919), Wedding Bells (1921) and The Primitive Lover (1922). She grew so much in stature that she eventually formed her own production company. Constance, as did sister Norma, abruptly left films with the advent of sound. The notion that they willingly abandoned their careers while very much on top does not quite ring true. Both she and Norma's pronounced and rather squeaky Brooklyn accent did not prove all that suitable for talkies (particularly for the dramatic Norma) and it's more likely that they left Hollywood on their own terms before they were shunned.
Both sisters invested wisely in business ventures in later life. Married four times, Constance became reclusive and fell victim (as did sisters Norma and Natalie) to alcohol abuse in later years. She died of pneumonia in Los Angeles on November 23, 1973.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net
- SpousesWalter Michael Giblin(October 28, 1939 - May 1, 1964) (his death)Townsend Netcher(May 8, 1929 - January 5, 1939) (divorced)Alastair William Mackintosh(February 27, 1926 - October 15, 1927) (divorced)John Pialoglou(December 26, 1920 - June 1, 1922) (divorced)
- RelativesNorma Talmadge(Sibling)Natalie Talmadge(Sibling)
- Among the first people to place their footprints and handprints in the forecourt of Grauman's Chinese Theatre. To make her panel unique, she walked across it leaving five footprints. (To date, everyone else has stood in the cement leaving two footprints.) Her panel is located directly behind the box office.
- Constance Talmadge refused to take the voice test for the new talkie medium and made one last silent film in France before retiring from the screen after 83 films between 1914 and 1929.
- In 1927, the Talmadge sisters opened the Talmadge Park real estate development in San Diego, California, USA. Now known as the Talmadge district, the development contains streets named for each of the sisters. The district is located about one mile southwest of the San Diego State University campus.
- She and her sisters attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn, beginning a tradition of entertainment luminaries who attended this prestigious school. Among its students were Aline MacMahon, Jane Cowl, Beverly Sills, Barbara Stanwyck, Susan Hayward, Eli Wallach, Jeff Chandler, Mae West, Neil Diamond, Betty Comden, Mickey Spillane, Moe Howard and Lainie Kazan.
- First marriage was a double wedding; the other couple was Dorothy Gish and James Rennie.
- Screen actors are the funniest people in the world. I adore them.
- [to D.W. Griffith whenever she arrived on the set of Intolerance (1916)] Well, here I am. Your Majesty may begin at once.
- [to theatrical producer Leonard Sillman, after he asked her to appear on Broadway in the 1960s] Are you kidding? I couldn't act even when I was a movie star.
- [In a letter to sister Norma Talmadge, who was trying to keep her career going in talkies after Constance had retired] Quit pressing your luck, baby. The critics can't knock those trust funds Mama set up for us.
- The Dangerous Maid (1923) - $5,000 /week
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