I was born on March 27th, 1897 in Chicago, Illinois where I lived with my mother and father until 1900, when my father was stationed in Puerto Rico. Between 1900 and 1910 my family moved from Puerto Rico to Key West, and from Florida back to Chicago where I completed my schooling. After graduating, I went to work as a sales clerk in a local clothing store.
In 1914, I auditioned for a part in "The Song of the Soul" for Chicago's Essanay Studios. This would be my first film role and would lead me to sign a contract with them that same year. Over the next few years I appeared in several of their films, including "His New Job" with Charlie Chaplin. During that same time I played in several Mack Sennet slapstick comedies, which I never much liked.
I met Wallace Beery in 1915, we married the following year but divorced in 1918, having endured his physical and mental abuse.
By 1919 I was being recognized for my acting and signed with Cecil B. DeMille to play in "Male and Female" and was cast in several more films that year, all directed by DeMille. A few months earlier I had married Herb Somborn with whom I had my first child, Gloria, in 1920.
Three years afterward, I adopted Joseph Patrick. My marriage to Herb dissolved after that and we divorced in 1925.
I remained very much in the spotlight for the next few years, appearing in several films including, "Sadie Thompson", for which I recieved an Academy nomination, and "Love of Sunya", which I performed at the Roxy Theatre.
My transition into the talkies went smoothly, but my decline soon followed. I married Micheal Farmer in 1931 and had daughter, Michelle the following year. I divorced Farmer in 1934 after alligations that I had been involved with several other men including, Rudolph Valentino and Cecil DeMille.
At the request of my daughter, I married William Davey, but we divorced a year later. I became a full-time mother for the next few years, devoting all my spare time to traveling around the country, speaking about vegetarianism and healthy living.
I returned to the screen in 1950, after being cast in Billy Wilder's "Sunset Boulevard", reuniting me with several other silent-era performers. I recieved a nomination for my performance, but sadly lost to Judy Holliday. Afterward, I recieved several movie offers, all pale immitations of Norma Desmond. Needless to say, I turned them down. I appeared in "Airport 1975" as myself, hoping to give my grandchildren a film they could watch without a lot of needless violence and gore. A year later I married William Dufty, the authur of Billy Holiday's biography, "Lady Sings the Blues". I would appear in one more film, "Killer Bees", deciding to instead devote my time and talents to Broadway in plays such as "Butterflies are Free".Create or get your
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