John Gilbert

John Gilbert (July 10, 1899 - January 9, 1936) was an actor and major star of the silent film era. Image File history File links OhnGilbert-actor2. ... Image File history File links OhnGilbert-actor2. ... July 10 is the 191st day (192nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 174 days remaining. ... 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... January 9 is the 9th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... A silent film is a film which has no accompanying soundtrack. ...

Known as "the great lover," he rivaled even the great Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw. Though he was often cited as one of the high profile examples of an actor who was unsuccessful in making the transition to talkies, his decline as a star in fact had as much to do with studio politics and money as did the sound of his screen voice. Rudolph Valentino (Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina) (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926) was an Italian actor. ... A sound film (or talkie) is a motion picture with synchronized sound, as opposed to a silent movie. ...

Born John Cecil Pringle in Logan, Utah to stock company actor parents, he struggled through a childhood of abuse and neglect before coming to Hollywood as a teenager. He first found work as an extra with the Thomas Ince Studios, and soon became a favorite of Maurice Tourneur, who also hired him to write and direct several pictures. He quickly rose through the ranks, building his reputation as an actor in such films as Heart o' the Hills opposite Mary Pickford. In 1921, Gilbert signed a three year contract with Fox Film Corporation, where he was cast as a romantic leading man. Logan is a city located in Cache County, Utah. ... ... Thomas Harper Ince (November 6, 1882–November 20, 1924) was an American film director. ... Maurice Tourneur, born February 2, 1873 – died August 4, 1961, was an important international film director and screenwriter. ... Mary Pickford Mary Pickford (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979) was a Canadian-born motion picture star and co-founder of United Artists, known as Americas Sweetheart, Little Mary and the girl with the golden curls. ... 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Fox Film Corporation was an American company which produced motion pictures, formed in 1915 when founder William Fox merged two companies he had established in 1913: Greater New York Film Rental, a distribution firm, which was part of the Independents; and Fox (or Box, depending on the source) Office... Leading man or leading gentleman is an informal term for the actor who plays a secondary lead or supporting role, usually a love interest, to the leading actress in a film or play. ...

In 1924, he moved to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where he became a full-fledged star with such high-profile films as His Hour (directed by King Vidor and written by Elinor Glyn), [1] He Who Gets Slapped] (co-starring Lon Chaney, Sr. and Norma Shearer, and directed by Victor Sjöström), and [2] The Merry Widow] (directed by Erich von Stroheim and co-starring Mae Murray). In 1925, Gilbert was once again directed by King Vidor in the war epic The Big Parade, which became the second highest grossing silent film in cinema history. His performance in this film made him a major star. The following year, Vidor reunited Gilbert with two of his co-stars from that picture, Renée Adorée and Karl Dane, for the film La bohème which also starred Lillian Gish. 1924 (MCMXXIV) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ... For alternate meanings of MGM, see MGM (disambiguation). ... King Wallis Vidor (February 8, 1894 – November 1, 1982) was an American film director. ... Elinor Glyn (October 17, 1864 - September 23, 1943), born Nellie Sutherland in Jersey, was the author of It, Three Weeks, Beyond the Rocks, and other novels in a similarly softcore vein. ... Lon Chaney in The Phantom of the Opera Lon Chaney, Sr. ... Norma Shearer in Romeo and Juliet (1936) Norma Shearer (August 10, circa 1902 – June 12, 1983) was a naturalized U.S. citizen actress who had been born in Montreal, Quebec, the daughter of a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman. ... â–¶ (help· info), in US sometimes known as Victor Seastrom (born September 20, 1879 – January 3, 1960), was a Swedish actor, screenwriter, and film director. ... Erich von Stroheim (September 22, 1885 - May 12, 1957) was a filmmaker and actor, noted for his arrogant Teutonic character parts. ... Mae Murray (May 10, 1889 - March 23, 1965) was an American actress and dancer, who became known as The Girl with the Bee-Stung Lips and The Gardenia of the Screen. ... 1925 (MCMXXV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Big Parade is a 1925 silent film which tells the story of an idle rich boy who is shipped off to France to fight World War I, becomes friends with two working class men, experiences the horrors of trench warfare, and finds love with a French girl. ... Renée Adorée Renée Adorée (September 30, 1898–October 5, 1933) was a French actress. ... Karl Dane (October 12, 1886 – April 15, 1934) was a comedian and actor of the silent film era, and a sad example of the fate that befell many silent movie stars who were unable to make the transition to talkies. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Lillian Gish Lillian Diana de Guiche (October 14, 1893 – February 27, 1993), was an Oscar-nominated American actress, better known as Lillian Gish. ...

Gilbert married the highly successful film actress Leatrice Joy in 1922. The union produced a daughter, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain, but the tempestuous marriage only lasted two years. The couple divorced in 1924, with Joy charging that of Gilbert was a compulsive philanderer. Leatrice Joy Leatrice Joy (November 7, 1893 - May 13, 1985) was an American film actress best known for her career in the early silent film era. ... 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

That same year, Gilbert made Flesh and the Devil, his first film with Greta Garbo. They soon began a very public relationship, much to the delight of their fans. Gilbert planned to marry her, but Garbo got cold feet and never showed up for the ceremony. Despite their rocky off-screen relationship, they continued to generate box-office revenue for the studio, and MGM paired them in two more silents--Love, a modern adaptation of Anna Karenina, and A Woman of Affairs. Flesh and the Devil is a classic 1926 movie starring Greta Garbo and John Gilbert. ... Greta Garbo (September 18, 1905 – April 15, 1990) was a Swedish actress and a recipient of an Honorary Oscar for her unforgettable screen performances. ... Alla Tarasova as Anna Karenina. ...

Throughout his time at MGM, Gilbert had frequently clashed with studio head Louis B. Mayer over creative maters. While waiting to see if Garbo would show up for her wedding, Mayer allegedly made a rude remark to Gilbert that caused him to fly into a rage and physically attack the mogul. After that, Gilbert’s career began its downward slide. In spite of Mayer's disdain for the actor, Gilbert did have a powerful supporter in production head Irving Thalberg. The two were old friends and Thalberg made efforts to reinvigorate Gilbert's career, but Thalberg's failing health probably limited such efforts. Louis Burt Mayer (July 4, 1882 – October 29, 1957) was an early film producer, generally cited as the creator of the star system within Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in its golden years. ...

With the coming of sound, Gilbert’s career faltered, due as much to the quality of the projects he was given as the quality of his voice. It is likely urban legend that audiences actually laughed at the sound of Gilbert's voice, but it is true that Gilbert's cultured and refined manner of speech seemed at odds with his he-man image. Urban legends are a kind of folklore consisting of stories often thought to be factual by those circulating them (see rumor). ...

In 1932 MGM made the film Downstairs from Gilbert's original story, in which Gilbert played against type as a scheming, blackmailing chauffeur. The film was well received by critics, but did nothing to restore Gilbert's popularity. Shortly after making the film he married co-star Virginia Bruce; the couple divorced in 1934. In 1933, he starred opposite Garbo for the last time in Queen Christina; Garbo was top-billed and Gilbert's name beneath the title. The picture failed to revive his career. By that point, alcoholism had severely damaged his health, and he died of a heart attack without ever regaining his former reputation. 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Virginia Bruce (September 29, 1910–February 24, 1982) was an American actress and singer. ... 1934 (MCMXXXIV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... This highly fictionalized feature film, based on the life of Queen Christina of Sweden, starred Greta Garbo and John Gilbert and was released in December 1933. ... Alcoholism is the compulsive consumption of alcohol. ...

On his passing in 1936, John Gilbert was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. Gates of Forest Lawn Forest Lawn Memorial Park is a cemetery in Glendale, Los Angeles County, California. ... Nickname: The Jewel City Official website: http://www. ...

He was married four times, and had two daughters. His daughter Leatrice Gilbert Fountain (from his marriage to silent film actress Leatrice Joy), wrote a biography of her father's life that was published in 1985. Leatrice Joy Leatrice Joy (November 7, 1893 - May 13, 1985) was an American film actress best known for her career in the early silent film era. ...

John Gilbert has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1755 Vine Street and in 1994, he was honored with his image on a United States postage stamp designed by caricaturist Al Hirschfeld. An example of a Hollywood Walk of Fame star, for the film actress Carole Lombard. ... This article lists people who have been featured on United States postage stamps. ... Al Hirschfeld photographed by Carl Van Vechten, 1955 Albert Hirschfeld (June 21, 1903 – January 20, 2003) was an American caricaturist, best known for his simple black and white satirical portraits of celebrities and Broadway stars. ...

References

• Bangley, Jimmy (1999). “Interview with Leatrice Gilbert Fountain.”. Retrieved May 6, 2005.
• DeBartolo, John (2001). “Man, Woman and Sin.” Retrieved May 6, 2005.
• Fountain, Leatrice Gilbert (1985). Dark Star: the untold story of the meteoric rise and fall of legendary silent screen star John Gilbert. New York: St. Martin’s Press. ISBN 0312182759.
• Golden Silents (2004). “John Gilbert, Silent and Sound Film Star, Actor, Director, Writer.” Retrieved May 5, 2005.
• Lussier, Tim (2002). “Merry Widow” commentary. Retrieved May 6, 2005.
• Marowitz, Charles (May 2001). “Silent Writes.” Written By.
• Silents Are Golden (2005). Cossacks, Flesh and the Devil, He Who Gets Slapped, His Hour, La Boheme, Love, Merry Widow, Show, Twelve Miles Out, Woman of Affairs. In “Vintage Reviews.” Retrieved May 6, 2005.
• Thompson, Dean (2004). “Woman of Affairs” Commentary. Retrieved May 6, 2005.

External links

• John Gilbert Appreciation Society Official fan club
• Silent Ladies and Gents Photo Gallery
• All Movie Guide Entry for “John Gilbert”
• Sidereality review of “Gilbert and Garbo in Love” Book review/essay with considerable biographical material concerning John Gilbert
• John Gilbert at The Internet Movie Database
• Silent Film Legend John Gilbert Blog containing photos, clips and information dedicated to Gilbert.