- Mary Philbin
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Mary Philbin 
Philbin in 1922Born Mary L. Philbin
July 16, 1903
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.Died May 7, 1993 (aged 89)
Huntington Beach, California, U.S.Years active 1918–1930 Mary Philbin (July 16, 1903 – May 7, 1993) was a notable film actress of the silent film era. Philbin is probably best remembered for playing the roles of Christine Daaé in the 1925 film The Phantom of the Opera opposite screen legend Lon Chaney and Dea in The Man Who Laughs. Both of these roles cast her as the beauty in a Beauty and the Beast-type story.
Career
Born in Chicago, Illinois into a middle-class Irish American Catholic family, she began her acting career after winning a beauty contest sponsored by Universal Pictures.
Mary Philbin made her screen debut in 1921 and during the 1920s she became a highly successful film actress and starred in a number of high profile films, most notably in D. W. Griffith's 1928 film Drums of Love.
In 1922 Philbin was awarded at the first annual WAMPAS Baby Stars awards, a promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers in the United States, which honored thirteen young women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom.
Like so many publicly acclaimed silent film actors and actresses however, Philbin was unable to continue a successful acting career during the talkie era of the early 1930s.
Philbin played a few parts during the early talkie era and most notably dubbed her own voice when The Phantom of the Opera was given sound and rereleased.
Philbin retired from the screen in the early 1930s and devoted her life to caring for her aging parents. She was engaged in 1927 to Universal Studio executive, Paul Kohner; but due to her parents dissuasion from the union (as she was Catholic[citation needed] and he was a staunch Czech Jew), she called off the engagement.
She never married and rarely made public appearances. One rare public appearance by Philbin occurred in her later years at the Los Angeles opening of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical The Phantom of the Opera.
Mary Philbin died of pneumonia, aged 89, in Huntington Beach, California in 1993 and was buried at the Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
Year Title Role Notes 1921 The Blazing Trail Talithy Millicuddy Danger Ahead Tressie Harloow Twelve Hours to Live – Short film Red Courage Eliza Fay Sure Fire – False Kisses Mary 1922 Foolish Wives Crippled girl uncredited The Trouper Mary Lee Human Hearts Ruth His First Job – Once to Every Boy – 1923 Penrod and Sam Margaret Schofield Merry-Go-Round Agnes Urban Where Is This West? Sallie Summers The Age of Desire Margy (Age 18) The Temple of Venus Moira The Thrill Chaser Cameo appearance 1924 Fools' Highway Mamie Rose The Gaiety Girl Irene Tudor The Rose of Paris Mitsi 1925 Fifth Avenue Models Isoel Ludant The Phantom of the Opera Christine Daae Stella Maris Stella Maris/Unity Blake 1927 Surrender Lea Lyon The Last Performance Julie Love Me and the World Is Mine Hannerl 1928 Drums of Love Princess Emanuella The Man Who Laughs Dea 1929 Port of Dreams Joan The Shannons of Broadway Tessie Swanzey After the Fog Faith Barker External links
Categories:- 1903 births
- 1993 deaths
- American film actors
- American silent film actors
- American people of Irish descent
- People from Chicago, Illinois
- Deaths from pneumonia
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