Eleanor Boardman
Known For
Acting
Born
1898-08-18 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Died
1991-12-12
Biography
Olive Eleanor Boardman (August 19, 1898 – December 12, 1991) was an American film actress of the silent era. Olive Eleanor Boardman was born on August 19, 1898, the youngest child to George W. Boardman and Janice Merriam "Jennie" Stockman Boardman. She had two older sisters named Merriam and Esther. In 1920, she was working as a contractor. Educated in Philadelphia, Boardman originally acted on stage, but she lost her voice while starring in The National Anthem. She then entered a nationwide contest for new actors and actresses for silent films. She was chosen from among 1,000 competitors by Goldwyn Pictures as their "New Face of 1922". Her initial screen test was unsuccessful, but a second test resulted in a contract. After several successful supporting roles, she played the lead in Souls for Sale in 1923. That same year, Boardman's growing popularity was reflected by her inclusion on the list of WAMPAS Baby Stars. She appeared in more than 30 films during her career, including director King Vidor's The Crowd (1928). Her performance in that film is widely recognized as one of the outstanding performances in American silent film. In 1932, after some success in sound films, she parted ways with MGM. Her final film was The Three Cornered Hat, which was made in Spain in 1935. After that production, she retired from acting and retreated from Hollywood. Her last appearances were in an interview filmed for Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's British documentary series Hollywood (1980) and the series MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992).
Most Known For
Diamond Handcuffs
as Tillie
Mamba
as Helen von Linden
Vanity Fair
as Amelia Sedley
Show People
as Roxalanne (uncredited)
Memory Lane
as Mary
The Crowd
as Mary Sims
Souls for Sale
as Miss Remember Steddon
The Circle
as Elizabeth Cheney
Land of Liberty
as (archive footage)
Proud Flesh
as Fernanda
The Squaw Man
as Lady Diana Kerhill
The Great Meadow
as Diony Hall
Tell It to the Marines
as Norma Dale
Bardelys the Magnificent
as Roxalanne de Lavedan
True As Steel
as Ethel Parry
Gimme
as Clothilde Kingsley
So This Is Marriage?
as Beth Marsh
1925 Studio Tour
as Self
She Goes to War
as Joan Morant
The Only Thing
as Thyra, Princess of Svendborg