All of the Classic Movie Star biographies and profiles on Immortal Ephemera from one place. Sorted alphabetically by first name.
This first section indexes all classic movie star biographies authored by yours truly. Most of these were written from 2009 to present, some of them are quite long.
Some are centered around a book review, some part of a larger series, some perhaps even in the form of an obituary, but if I've included them here the primary focus is biographical information of that named star.
All include original research and in many cases correct some of the older biographical information you may find on your bookshelf that has naturally spread across the internet throughout its formative years.
By Cliff
- Adolphe Menjou’s Wit and Wisdom – It Took Nine Tailors, a Review
- Adrianne Allen – Private Lives Star, Also Two Paramount Pre-Code Gems
- Alan Dinehart Biography, Hollywood Talkies Claim Another from Broadway
- Alan Mowbray Book Review: Up from Central Park: Scenes From an Actor’s Life
- Ann Sheridan – Search for Beauty Contest Winner Before the Oomph
- Ann Sheridan Biography
- Arthur Hohl – Broadway to Hollywood, Double-Dealers All the Way
- Barbara Kent, 103, of Flesh and the Devil (1926); Welcome Danger (1929)
- Barbara Stanwyck, Biographical Beginnings to Baby Face and Beyond
- Bonita Granville Bullet Bio
- Carole Lombard, Part 1: From Jane Peters to Mrs. William Powell
- Cecilia Parker Biography: From B-Westerns to A-Support to Marian Hardy
- Celeste Holm, 1917-2012
- Charles Coburn – Long Time Stage Vet Becomes Movie Star at 60
- Charles Laughton – A Biography of His Career on Film and Stage
- Chester Morris – Biography of the Boston Blackie Star
- Claudette Colbert, Her Start, Broadway Success and Earliest Films
- David Landau, the Pre-Code Era’s Own Bitter Man
- Dolores Costello – Her Career plus Can You Help Identify This Painting?
- Dorothy Dell, Star of Little Miss Marker (1934), Gone at Just 19
- Dudley Digges on Film and Stage
- Dwight Frye’s Last Laugh – Before and Beyond Dracula and Frankenstein
- Earle Williams in the Newspapers
- Edward Arnold: Before Hollywood
- Edward Ellis – A Biography of The Thin Man, an Actor to Remember
- Edward Everett Horton – Biography of the Beloved Character Actor
- Elissa Landi Star of Stage and Screen, Author, Royalty?
- Elizabeth Allan – Dickens Movie Star Sues MGM and Thrives Back Home
- Eugene Pallette – Brief Biography with Additional Trivia
- Fannie Ward – Biography of the Eternal Flapper and Star of The Cheat
- Fay Holden – Brief Entry About the Hardy Family Matriarch
- Freddie Bartholomew Complete Biography of the 1930’s MGM Child Star
- Gladys George Is Madame X (1937), Plus Brief Biography
- Glenda Farrell Biography and 1930s Hollywood Heyday
- Grant Mitchell – WHAT A CHARACTER! – Broadway to Hollywood, 1902-1948
- Guy Kibbee Biography – Character Actor Played Sugar Daddies, Goofballs, and Patriarchs
- Hal Roach and Three Well-Known Employees, All Born January 14
- Harold Huber “A Sort of Assistant Gangster” You’ve Seen Many Times
- Helen Hayes Achieves Much More Than a Rose Garden
- Helen Lowell, 1880s Gilbert & Sullivan to 1930s Cranky Character Parts
- Helen Mack — Brief Biography of The Son of Kong Star
- Helen Twelvetrees – Biography of a Tragic Pre-Code Beauty & Talent
- Helen Vinson Biography – A Socialite Specializing in Socialites
- Herbert Marshall, Biography of the Trouble in Paradise Star
- Hugh Herbert – Woo Woo Man vs. F. Hugh and Other Biographical Corrections
- Humphrey Bogart Seeks Hollywood Party, Rises to Stardom
- Jean Muir – Why the 1930’s Warner Brothers Actress Left Film
- Joan Blondell, as Published in The Dark Pages Nightmare Alley Special
- Joan Fontaine Biography, Book Review, TCM Summer Under the Stars Preview
- Joe Donahue, “World’s Greatest Dancer” and Sunny Co-Star
- John Boles, Sinatra of the 30s and Elvis Presley of the Stone Age
- Kathleen Burke Wins Nationwide Contest! The Road to Panther Woman in Island of Lost Souls
- Lennox Pawle – The Career of Copperfield’s Mr. Dick
- Lew Ayres – A Brief Biography of the Dr. Kildare Star
- Loretta Young TCM Star of the Month January 2013 Centennial
- Louis Wolheim – Biography of the All Quiet on the Western Front Star
- Louise Beavers – Biography of Imitation of Life’s Aunt Delilah
- Madge Evans – Typical American Girl is No Typical Classic Movie Star
- Marguerite Courtot – Biography of a Beauty of the Silent Screen
- Marian Marsh – Forever Trilby, Biography of the 1930s Screen Beauty
- Mary Boland Biography – TCM’s Summer Under the Stars
- Mary Carlisle, Former Wampas Baby Star, Bing Crosby Co-Star Turns 100 Today
- Mary Dees – Piecing Together Life of Jean Harlow’s Saratoga Stand-In
- Melvyn Douglas – Biography of the Two-Time Oscar Winner
- Merna Kennedy – Chaplin Leading Lady; Also Star of Broadway
- Milton Sills, The Mighty Two-Fisted He-Man of the Silent Screen
- Miriam Hopkins Biography — Star of Stage and Screen, 1902-1972
- Nancy Carroll – Rediscovering a Major Paramount Star
- Norman Kerry, Chaney’s co-star in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera
- Paul Cavanagh – Case No. 9840 Fills in Actor’s Early Biography
- Paul Lukas – Brief Biography of the Oscar Winning Actor
- Paul Muni’s 1932 – Multiple Projects Converge to Make Paul Muni a Huge Star
- Ralf Harolde, Expert Portrayer of Lowlifes and Junkies
- Richard Dix – His Life and Film Legacy
- Robert McWade – Brief Biography of the Grouchy Character Actor
- Robert Warwick, Broadway and Silent Film Star Turns Talkie Character Actor
- Rochelle Hudson’s Uneven Career Featuring Will Rogers and Way Down East
- Sara Haden – Charlotte Walker’s Daughter and Andy Hardy’s Aunt Milly
- Spencer Tracy Hits the Jackpot at MGM
- Stanley Fields Biography — Blustery Thirties Character Actor
- Stuart Erwin, Biography of ’30s “Comic Valentine” Turned Early TV Star
- Suzanne Kaaren – Brief Bio of Bela Lugosi, Three Stooges Co-Star
- Thomas Mitchell – His Varied Career
- Una Merkel – Biographical Notes and Quotes
- Viola Dana – A Biography in Clippings
- Walter Pidgeon’s Long Road from Singer to Stardom
- Warner Baxter – A Brief Biography
- William Frawley Before I Love Lucy
By Guest Authors
In the early days of the site, when it was hosted at things-and-other-stuff.com, I published a monthly (sometimes bi-montly) newsletter that included articles by freelance writers. As you can see below Tammy Stone and Susan M. Kelly were my most regular contributors. All of those archived posts, published 2002-2009 are located below.
While I'm trying to move all of these biographies over to the Immortal Ephemera site, I've found this to be a much more time consuming task than originally anticipated. So at this time most of these biographies will take you off Immortal Ephemera proper to their old things-and-other-stuff home, but each will include a large link at the top to get you back to Immortal Ephemera.
Plenty of good work here, enjoy:
- Adolphe Menjou by Susan M. Kelly
- Alan Mowbray by Alan Mowbray, Jr.
- Alice Faye by Kendahl Cruver
- Alice Joyce by Tammy Stone
- Alma Rubens by Tammy Stone
- Anita Page by Tammy Stone
- Anita Stewart by Tammy Stone
- Ann Harding by Tammy Stone
- Anna May Wong by Tammy Stone
- Anna Q. Nilsson by Tammy Stone
- Baby Peggy Montgomery by Tammy Stone
- Barbara La Marr by Tammy Stone
- Basil Rathbone by Scott D. O’Reilly
- Bela Lugosi by Susan M. Kelly
- Bette Davis by Omari Bishop
- Billie Burke by Tammy Stone
- Billie Dove by Tammy Stone
- Blanche Sweet by Tammy Stone
- Boris Karloff by Susan M. Kelly
- Buddy Ebsen by Susan M. Kelly
- Buster Keaton by Ken Lashway
- Carole Lombard by Chantel Theunissen
- Cary Grant by Susan M. Kelly
- Charlie Chaplin by Ken Lashway
- Charlie Chase by Ken Lashway
- Clara Bow by Tammy Stone
- Clara Kimball Young by Tammy Stone
- Clark Gable by Chantel Theunissen
- Claudette Colbert by Jan Richardson
- Colleen Moore by Tammy Stone
- Conrad Veidt by Tammy Stone
- Constance Talmadge by Tammy Stone
- Corinne Griffith by Tammy Stone
- Danny Kaye by M.J. Goodner
- Dolores Costello by Tammy Stone
- Donald O’Connor by Susan M. Kelly
- Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. by Susan M. Kelly
- Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. by Tammy Stone
- Eleanor Boardman by Tammy Stone
- Errol Flynn by Scott D. O’Reilly
- Estelle Taylor by Tammy Stone
- Fay Wray by Kendahl Cruver
- Fay Wray by Tammy Stone
- Florence Turner by Tammy Stone
- Frances Farmer by Kendahl Cruver
- Francis X. Bushman by Tammy Stone
- Fred Astaire by Susan M. Kelly
- Fredric March by Susan M. Kelly
- Gary Cooper by Cynthia Potts
- Gene Autry by Lisa Smith
- Gene Kelly by Susan M. Kelly
- Gene Tierney by Kendahl Cruver
- George Raft by Susan M. Kelly
- Geraldine Farrar by Tammy Stone
- Gertrude McCoy by Tammy Stone
- Ginger Rogers by Susan M. Kelly
- Gloria Swanson by Tammy Stone
- Greta Garbo by Tammy Stone
- Harold Lloyd by Ken Lashway
- Harry Carey by Kelly Ann Butterbaugh
- Harry Langdon by Tammy Stone
- Helen Holmes by Tammy Stone
- Henry B. Walthall by Tammy Stone
- Henry Fonda by Susan M. Kelly
- Humphrey Bogart by Jessica Hutchison
- Irene Dunne by Karen Costanzi
- J. Warren Kerrigan by Paul Samuels
- J.P. McGowan by Tammy Stone
- James Cagney by Susan M. Kelly
- James Stewart by Kelly Ann Butterbaugh
- Jane Novak by Tammy Stone
- Jane Russell by Kendahl Cruver
- Janet Gaynor by Gina LoBiondo
- Jean Arthur by Suprina Frazier
- Jean Harlow by Chantel Theunissen
- Jeanette MacDonald by Susan M. Kelly
- Joan Blondell by Susan M. Kelly
- Joan Crawford by Tammy Stone
- John Barrymore by Tammy Stone
- John Gilbert by Tammy Stone
- John J. Clark by Rob Schmidt
- John Wayne by Susan M. Kelly
- Johnny Weissmuller by Ken Lashway
- Johnny Weissmuller by Penny Deutsch
- Katharine Hepburn by Susan M. Kelly
- Kirk Douglas by Scott D. O’Reilly
- Lana Turner Biography by Susan M. Kelly
- Laurel and Hardy by Ken Lashway
- Leslie Howard by Karen Costanzi
- Lillian Gish by Tammy Stone
- Lillian Walker by Tammy Stone
- Lionel Barrymore by Tammy Stone
- Lon Chaney by Tammy Stone
- Loretta Young by Susan M. Kelly
- Louise Brooks by Tammy Stone
- Lucille Ball by Tennille K. Langille
- Mabel Normand by Tammy Stone
- Madge Bellamy by Tammy Stone
- Mae Marsh by Tammy Stone
- Mae Murray by Tammy Stone
- Mae West by Kendahl Cruver
- Margaret Rutherford by Susan M. Kelly
- Marilyn Monroe by Susan M. Kelly
- Marion Davies by Tammy Stone
- Marlene Dietrich by Penny Deutsch
- Mary Miles Minter by Tammy Stone
- Mary Pickford by Tammy Stone
- May Allison by Tammy Stone
- May McAvoy by Tammy Stone
- Myrna Loy by Susan M. Kelly
- Nita Naldi by Tammy Stone
- Norma Shearer by Tammy Stone
- Norma Talmadge by Tammy Stone
- Olive Thomas by Tammy Stone
- Olivia de Havilland by Suprina Frazier
- Our Gang by Ken Lashway
- Pearl White by Tammy Stone
- Pola Negri by Tammy Stone
- Ralph Bellamy by Susan M. Kelly
- Ray Milland by Scott D. O’Reilly
- Richard Barthelmess by Tammy Stone
- Robert Montgomery by Susan M. Kelly
- Robert Taylor by Susan M. Kelly
- Ronald Reagan by Scott D. O’Reilly
- Roscoe Arbuckle by Ken Lashway
- Rudolph Valentino by Tammy Stone
- Ruth Roland by Tammy Stone
- Shirley Temple by Susan M. Kelly
- Sidney Toler by Susan M. Kelly
- Spencer Tracy by Denise M. Clark
- Theda Bara by Kendahl Cruver
- Thelma Todd by Tammy Stone
- Tom Mix by Tammy Stone
- Tyrone Power by Scott D. O’Reilly
- Veronica Lake by Susan M. Kelly
- Viola Dana by Tammy Stone
- Virginia Lee Corbin by Tammy Stone
- Vivien Leigh by Tammy Stone
- Wallace Reid by Tammy Stone
- Warner Oland by Susan M. Kelly
- Warren William by Susan M. Kelly
- William Holden by Scott D. O’Reilly
- William Powell by Susan M. Kelly
- William S. Hart by Tammy Stone