Eleanor Boardman

Known for ActingBorn 1898-08-18Died 1991-12-12Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

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).Read more

Movies & web series

The Flood

Women Love Once

Diamond Handcuffs

The Silent Accuser

Three Wise Fools

Vanity Fair

The Strangers' Banquet

Land of Liberty

True As Steel

Wine of Youth

Memory Lane

Exchange of Wives

The Day of Faith

The Crowd

Bardelys the Magnificent

Proud Flesh

Show People

It Happened in Spain

The Auction Block

The Way of a Girl

The Turmoil

Sinners in Silk

So This Is Marriage?

Gimme

She Goes to War

Tell It to the Marines

Souls for Sale

1925 Studio Tour

The Great Meadow

Redemption

The Squaw Man

The Circle

The Only Thing

Mamba

The Wife of the Centaur