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IMDbPro

Norma Talmadge(1894-1957)

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
Norma Talmadge, Photo By Lucas Kanarian, circa 1924, **I.V.
Norma Talmadge was born on May 26, 1895, in Jersey City, New Jersey. The daughter of an unemployed alcoholic and his wife, Norma did not have the idyllic childhood that most of us yearn for. Her father left the family on Christmas Day and his wife and three daughters had to fend for themselves. Her mother, Peggy, took in laundry to help make ends meet. By the time Norma was 14 she took up modeling. She was successful enough that she attracted the attention of studio chiefs in New York City (where the Vitagraph studio was located at the time). Norma landed a small role in The Household Pest (1910). With her mother's prodding, she landed other small roles with the studio in 1910, such as Uncle Tom's Cabin (1910), Love of Chrysanthemum (1910), A Dixie Mother (1910) and A Broken Spell (1910). By 1911 she was improving as an actress, so much so that she landed a good part in A Tale of Two Cities (1911). By 1913 she was Vitagraph's most promising young actress. In August of 1915 Norma and her mother left for California and the promise of success in the fledgling film industry there. Her first film in Hollywood was Captivating Mary Carstairs (1915). The film was not only a flop but the studio that made it, National Pictures, went out of business.

During this time her sister, Constance Talmadge, was working for legendary director D.W. Griffith. Constance managed to get Norma a contract with Griffith's company. Over the following eight months Norma made seven feature films and a few shorts. After the contract ran out, the family returned to the East Coast. In 1916 she met and married producer and businessman Joseph M. Schenck. With his backing they formed their own production company and turned out a number of films, the first of which was Panthea (1917). It was a tremendous hit, as was Norma. In 1920 the production company moved to Hollywood, where the big hits of the day were being produced. Her company produced hits such as The Wonderful Thing (1921), The Eternal Flame (1922) and The Song of Love (1923).

By 1928 Norma's popularity had begun to fade. Her film The Woman Disputed (1928) was a flop at the box-office. Her final film was Du Barry, Woman of Passion (1930). By that time "talkies" were all the rage, but Norma's voice did not lend itself to sound and she was out of work. She divorced Schenck and married George Jessel. Jessel had his own radio show and Norma was added to the cast to help its sagging ratings. She thought this might be the vehicle by which she would revive her stalled film career, but the show continued its decline and was ultimately canceled, and with it the hopes of rebuilding her shattered career. She was finished for good.

She divorced Jessel in 1939 and married Dr. Carvel James in 1946. She remained with him until she died of a stroke on Christmas Eve of 1957 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She was 62 and had been in a phenomenal 250+ motion pictures.
BornMay 26, 1894
DiedDecember 24, 1957(63)
BornMay 26, 1894
DiedDecember 24, 1957(63)
IMDbProStarmeter
See rank
  • Awards

Photos175

Norma Talmadge in Fifty-Fifty (1916)
Norma Talmadge in Yes or No (1920)
Norma Talmadge in Fifty-Fifty (1916)
Tully Marshall and Norma Talmadge in The Devil's Needle (1916)
Norma Talmadge in Going Straight (1916)
Norma Talmadge in Going Straight (1916)
Norma Talmadge and Lilyan Tashman in New York Nights (1929)
Ninon Fovieri, Georgie Stone, and Norma Talmadge in The Children in the House (1916)
Eugene O'Brien and Norma Talmadge in Graustark (1925)
Eugene O'Brien and Norma Talmadge in The Only Woman (1924)
Arthur Edmund Carewe, Joseph Schildkraut, and Norma Talmadge in The Song of Love (1923)
Robert Harron and Norma Talmadge in The Missing Links (1916)

Known for

Norma Talmadge in Camille (1926)
Camille
5.1
  • Marguerite Gautier (Camille)
  • 1926
Roscoe Karns, Gilbert Roland, and Norma Talmadge in New York Nights (1929)
New York Nights
5.6
  • Jill Deverne
  • 1929
Smilin' Through (1922)
Smilin' Through
7.1
  • Kathleen
  • Moonyeen
  • 1922
The Probation Wife (1919)
The Probation Wife
  • Josephine Mowbray
  • 1919

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Norma Talmadge in Du Barry, Woman of Passion (1930)
    Du Barry, Woman of Passion
  • Roscoe Karns, Gilbert Roland, and Norma Talmadge in New York Nights (1929)
    New York Nights
  • Marion Davies and William Haines in Show People (1928)
    Show People
    • (uncredited)
  • Arnold Kent, Gilbert Roland, and Norma Talmadge in The Woman Disputed (1928)
    The Woman Disputed
  • Norma Talmadge in The Dove (1927)
    The Dove
  • Norma Talmadge in Camille (1926)
    Camille
  • Norma Talmadge in Kiki (1926)
    Kiki
  • Marc McDermott and Norma Talmadge in Graustark (1925)
    Graustark
  • "The Lady" Norma Talmadge 1925 First National Pictures
    The Lady
  • "The Only Woman" Norma Talmadge, Sidney Olcott 1924 First National **I.V.
    The Only Woman
  • Norma Talmadge in Secrets (1924)
    Secrets
  • Arthur Edmund Carewe and Norma Talmadge in The Song of Love (1923)
    The Song of Love
  • Wallace Beery and Norma Talmadge in Ashes of Vengeance (1923)
    Ashes of Vengeance
  • Lew Cody, Eileen Percy, and Norma Talmadge in Within the Law (1923)
    Within the Law
  • Norma Talmadge in The Voice from the Minaret (1923)
    The Voice from the Minaret

Producer

  • Roscoe Karns, Gilbert Roland, and Norma Talmadge in New York Nights (1929)
    New York Nights
    • (uncredited)
  • Arnold Kent, Gilbert Roland, and Norma Talmadge in The Woman Disputed (1928)
    The Woman Disputed
  • Norma Talmadge in The Dove (1927)
    The Dove
  • Norma Talmadge in Camille (1926)
    Camille
  • Norma Talmadge in Kiki (1926)
    Kiki
  • Marc McDermott and Norma Talmadge in Graustark (1925)
    Graustark
  • "The Lady" Norma Talmadge 1925 First National Pictures
    The Lady
  • "The Only Woman" Norma Talmadge, Sidney Olcott 1924 First National **I.V.
    The Only Woman
  • Norma Talmadge in Secrets (1924)
    Secrets
  • Arthur Edmund Carewe and Norma Talmadge in The Song of Love (1923)
    The Song of Love
  • Wallace Beery and Norma Talmadge in Ashes of Vengeance (1923)
    Ashes of Vengeance
  • Lew Cody, Eileen Percy, and Norma Talmadge in Within the Law (1923)
    Within the Law
  • Norma Talmadge in The Voice from the Minaret (1923)
    The Voice from the Minaret
  • Norma Talmadge in The Eternal Flame (1922)
    The Eternal Flame
  • Smilin' Through (1922)
    Smilin' Through

Soundtrack

  • Arthur Edmund Carewe and Norma Talmadge in The Song of Love (1923)
    The Song of Love
    • ("The Song of Love")
  • Smilin' Through (1922)
    Smilin' Through
    • ("Smilin' Through")

Personal details

Edit
    • May 26, 1894
    • Jersey City, New Jersey, USA
    • December 24, 1957
    • Las Vegas, Nevada, USA(stroke)
    • December 4, 1946 - December 24, 1957 (her death)
  • (1937-38) Radio: Regular cast member (as herself) on "The George Jessel Show". Married to Jessel at the time, she was added to the show, which debuted in 1934, to bolster its sagging ratings. Ratings continued to slide, however, and the show was canceled at the end of the season--and with it Talmadge's hope of reviving her big-screen career.
  • Publicity listings
    • 2 Print Biographies
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 52 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 3 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Fooprints of the stars started accidentally when, in 1927, she stepped into wet cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater.
  • Quotes
    [on the type of roles she would like to play] Women who have some definite meaning in their lives... fire in their souls and true, wholesome romance in their hearts... not the last word in nobility, nor steeped in scarlet sins, but good enough to be real.
    • Within the Law
      (1923)
      $10,000 /week

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