- Marguerite De La Motte
-
Marguerite De La Motte 
Born June 22, 1902
Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.Died March 10, 1950 (aged 47)
San Francisco, California, U.S.Other names Margaret DeLaMotte
Marguerite de LaMotteOccupation Actress Years active 1918–1942 Spouse John Bowers (1924–1936) Marguerite De La Motte (June 22, 1902 – March 10, 1950) was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film era.
Contents
Career
Born in Duluth, Minnesota, De La Motte began her entertainment career studying ballet under Anna Pavlova. In 1919 she became the dance star of Sid Grauman on the stage of his theater. In 1918, at the age of 16, she made her screen debut in the Douglas Fairbanks, Sr directed romantic comedy film Arizona. That same year she lost both of her parents in an automobile accident and film producer J.L. Frothingham assumed guardianship of her and her younger sister.
De La Motte spent the 1920s appearing in numerous films, often cast by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. to play opposite him in swashbuckling adventure films such as 1920's The Mark of Zorro and The Three Musketeers. She developed a close friendship with Fairbanks and his wife, actress Mary Pickford. De La Motte would also appear opposite such notable actors of the "Roaring Twenties" as Bela Lugosi, Milton Sills, Conrad Nagel, Owen Moore, Lon Chaney, John Gilbert and Noah Beery, Sr.
De La Motte's career as an actress slowed dramatically at the end of the silent film era of the 1920s. She did continue acting in bit parts through the sound era and made her final appearance in the 1942 film Overland Mail opposite both Noah Beery, Sr. and Noah Beery, Jr., as well as Lon Chaney, Jr.
Personal life
De La Motte was married twice. She first wed silent film actor John Bowers in 1924, who was then a matinee idol of silver screen. The couple were separated at the time when Bowers committed suicide in 1936. De La Motte later married attorney Sidney H. Rivkin whom she later divorced after four years of marriage.[1] Marguerite's cousin was Clete Roberts, American war correspondent and journalist, who appeared in two episodes of M*A*S*H* in the 1970s. In the 1930s when Roberts moved to Los Angeles he was Marguerite's houseguest and drove her Marmon convertible car.
Later years and death
After her film career ended, De La Motte worked as an inspector in a southern California war plant during World War II. Later she came to San Francisco, California, where she worked in the Red Cross office.[1]
On March 10, 1950, De La Motte died of cerebral thrombosis in San Francisco in 1950, three months short of her 48th birthday.[2] For her contribution as an actress to the motion picture industry, Marguerite De La Motte was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6902 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood, California.
Selected filmography
Year Title Role Notes 1918 Arizona Lena 1919 A Sagebrush Hamlet Dora Lawrence Credited as Marguerite de LaMotte 1920 The Mark of Zorro Lolita Pulido 1920 The Broken Gate Anne Oglesby 1921 The Ten Dollar Raise Dorothy 1922 Fools of Fortune Marion DePuyster 1923 The Famous Mrs. Fair Sylvia Fair 1924 The Beloved Brute Jacinta 1925 Daughters Who Pay Sonia Borisoff/Margaret Smith 1926 Pals in Paradise Geraldine "Jerry" Howard 1926 The Last Frontier 1926 Pals in Paradise 1927 The Final Extra Ruth Collins Credited as Margaret DeLaMotte 1929 The Iron Mask Constance 1930 Shadow Ranch Ruth Cameron 1934 A Woman's Man Gloria Jordan 1941 Reg'lar Fellers Mrs. Dugan 1942 The Man Who Returned to Life Mrs. Hibbard Uncredited Footnotes
- ^ a b Brettell, Andrew; King, Noel; Kennedy, Damien; Imwold, Denise (2005). Cut!: Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies. Leonard, Warren Hsu; von Rohr, Heather. Barrons Educational Series. pp. 71. ISBN 0-764-15858-9.
- ^ "Miss De La Motte, 47, Star of Silent Films". The New York Times. 1950-03-11. pp. 15.
References
- New York Times, "Marguerite De La Motte III", February 28, 1950, Page 21.
External links
Categories:- 1902 births
- 1950 deaths
- Actors from Minnesota
- American film actors
- American silent film actors
- People from Duluth, Minnesota
- Deaths from thrombosis
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