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You are here: Home / Archives for Movie Star Biographies

Movie Star Biographies

Biographies of movie stars from the Silent period through Hollywood's Golden Age. These include a great amount of research and are often annotated throughout. Since mid-2008 these are all written by Cliff Aliperti. Older entries point to freelance articles by other contributing authors that were originally posted at an older version of this website.

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Fay Holden – Brief Entry About the Hardy Family Matriarch

April 21, 2015 By Cliff Aliperti 1 Comment

Fay Holden and Mickey Rooney

Best known for playing Andy Hardy’s mother in 14 of MGM’s Hardy family movies, Fay Holden was discovered in England by Mrs. Patrick Campbell. She originally worked as Gaby Fay.

Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies, Notes & Quotes Tagged With: Fay Holden, Gaby Fay, Hardy Family

Grant Mitchell – WHAT A CHARACTER! – Broadway to Hollywood, 1902-1948

November 19, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 17 Comments

Grant Mitchell in Wild Boys of the Road

Biography of prolific Hollywood character actor Grant Mitchell. His great-uncle was a US President and his father a famed Civil War General. Mitchell tried careers in law and the military, but eventually took to the stage where he began a slow rise to stardom in 1902.

Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies Tagged With: character actors, Grant Mitchell, what a character

Helen Twelvetrees – Biography of a Tragic Pre-Code Beauty & Talent

November 9, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 25 Comments

Helen Twelvetrees 1933 BAT World Famous Cinema Artistes

A biography of movie star Helen Twelvetrees, 1907-1958. Star of films such as Her Man (1930), Millie (1931), Young Bride, State’s Attorney (both 1932), and Unmarried (1939). Settle in for a 5,000-word biography before clicking over to the separate “Films of Helen Twelvetrees” post.

Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies Tagged With: Helen Twelvetrees

Gladys George Is Madame X (1937), Plus Brief Biography

August 25, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 7 Comments

Madame X 1937 trade ad

A history of Madame X concentrates on the 1937 film version starring Gladys George. Includes a biography of Gladys George with comparison to Ruth Chatterton’s 1929 performance.

Filed Under: Movie Reviews, Movie Star Biographies Tagged With: 1937, Courtroom Drama, Dramas, Emma Dunn, Gladys George, Henry Daniell, John Beal, melodrama, MGM, Reginald Owen, remakes, Ruth Chatterton, Sam Wood, Warner Archive, Warren William

Herbert Marshall, Biography of the Trouble in Paradise Star

August 16, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 6 Comments

Herbert Marshall 1930s Editorial Bruguera Trading Card

Biography of actor Herbert Marshall with an appreciation of his biggest films including Trouble in Paradise (1932) and The Razor’s Edge (1946). Article includes details about his having lost his right leg during World War I and of his affair with Gloria Swanson in the 1930s.

Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies Tagged With: Herbert Marshall

Walter Pidgeon’s Long Road from Singer to Stardom

August 3, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 2 Comments

Walter Pidgeon 1951 Artisti Del Cinema Trading Card

Biography of Walter Pidgeon, best remembered as Greer Garson’s co-star in eight films including Mrs. Miniver and Madame Curie. It was a long road to stardom for Pidgeon, who began as a singer in the early 1920s before breaking out once and for all in 1941. A beloved Hollywood star since that time.

Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies Tagged With: Elsie Janis, Greer Garson, suts 2014, Walter Pidgeon

Paul Cavanagh – Case No. 9840 Fills in Actor’s Early Biography

July 5, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 12 Comments

Paul Cavanagh was an actor from 1926 until 1960 including time as a Hollywood featured player from 1930 onward. But who was he before 1926? U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Case No. 9840 fills in those details.

Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies Tagged With: Paul Cavanagh

Chester Morris – Biography of the Boston Blackie Star

July 2, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 12 Comments

Chester Morris 1930s Aguila Trading Card

A biography of Chester Morris, Academy Award nominated actor for Alibi (1929), who starred in several pre-Code classics before going on to greatest fame in the Boston Blackie series of movies.

Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies Tagged With: boston blackie, Chester Morris

Richard Dix – His Life and Film Legacy

June 29, 2014 By Cliff Aliperti 20 Comments

Richard Dix in Transatlantic Tunnel

Five thousand words about the life of Richard Dix including a look at his most important movies: The Vanishing American (1925), Cimarron (1931) and The Ghost Ship (1943) plus, author’s choice, Ace of Aces (1933).

Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies Tagged With: ace of aces, cimarron, Richard Dix, the whistler

Joe Donahue, “World’s Greatest Dancer” and Sunny Co-Star

November 27, 2013 By Cliff Aliperti 8 Comments

Joe Donahue in Sunny

Digging into Joe Donahue, talented vaudevillian dancer who replaced his late brother, Jack, opposite Marilyn Miller in the film version of Sunny. He also appeared in Expensive Women and two Dorothy Mackaill titles during his stay with First National, 1930-31. Piecing together some of the mysterious Donahue’s life and discovering, once and for all, the date he died.

Filed Under: Movie Star Biographies Tagged With: dancers, Dolores Costello, Dorothy Mackaill, First National, jack donahue, Joan Blondell, Joe Donahue, Marilyn Miller, vaudeville, Warren William

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About Cliff

I write about old movies and movie stars from the 1920s to the 1950s. I also sell movie cards, still photos and other ephemera. Immortal Ephemera connects the stories with the collectibles. Read More…

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Helen Twelvetrees Perfect Ingenue by Cliff Aliperti

Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue

Kindle $5.99

Paperback $21.95

11 Pre Code Hollywood Movie Histories book

11 Pre Code Hollywood Movie Histories

Still Just $2.99

Freddie Bartholomew An Informal Biography by Cliff Aliperti

The first Freddie Bartholomew biography in over 75 years!

Still just 99c

Praise for Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue

Recommended BooksJames L. Neibaur of Examiner.com calls it: "One of the most interesting and important film books of the young year," adding, "the documentation is original and significant." Full review.

Recommended BooksJacqueline T. Lynch, author of Ann Blyth: Actress. Singer.Star., says: "A prime example of a classic film fan taking the reins to produce a scholarly study of a neglected figure from the Golden Age of classic films in a way that I feel is refreshing, infinitely helpful to fans and students of old movies." Full review.

Recommended BooksSilver Screenings says: "A fascinating account of an ambitious and hard-working woman ... Aliperti’s book is well written and incredibly well researched." Full review.

Recommended BooksSpeakeasy says: "Despite her decline, this is not a sad or bleak book but an enjoyable history ... Any fan of the collectible Citadel “Films of” book series will appreciate the modern twist on that format, a full biography followed by an expanded filmography." Full review.

Recommended BooksA Classic Movie Blog says: "I think this is a good format for performers with short lives and brief careers ... I went into it with only mild curiosity about Twelvetrees and now I find my self pining for copies of unavailable, but intriguing films." Full review.

Helen Twelvetrees, Perfect Ingenue is available in paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon.com.


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