Marguerite De La Motte

Marguerite De La Motte
Born	June 22, 1902 Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	March 10, 1950 (aged 47) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1918–1942
Spouse(s)	John Bowers (1924–1936)

Marguerite De La Motte (June 22, 1902 – March 10, 1950) was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film era.

Career

Born in Duluth, Minnesota, De La Motte began her entertainment career studying ballet under Anna Pavlova. In 1919, she became the dance star of Sid Grauman on the stage of his theater. In 1918, at the age of 16, she made her screen debut in the Douglas Fairbanks, Sr directed romantic comedy film Arizona. In 1920, both of her parents died, her mother in January in an automobile accident and her father in August from heart disease. Film producer J.L. Frothingham assumed guardianship of her and her younger brother.

She spent the 1920s appearing in numerous films, often cast by Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. to play opposite him in swashbuckling adventure films such as 1920's The Mark of Zorro and The Three Musketeers. She developed a close friendship with Fairbanks and his wife, actress Mary Pickford. Her career as an actress slowed dramatically at the end of the silent film era of the 1920s. She did continue acting in bit parts through the sound era and made her final appearance in the 1942 film Overland Mail opposite both Noah Beery, Sr. and Noah Beery, Jr., as well as Lon Chaney, Jr.

Personal life

De La Motte was married twice. She first wed silent film actor John Bowers in 1924, who was then a matinee idol of silver screen. The couple were separated at the time when Bowers committed suicide in 1936. De La Motte later married attorney Sidney H. Rivkin whom she later divorced after four years of marriage.^[1] Her cousin, Clete Roberts, was American war correspondent and journalist, who appeared in two episodes of the television series M*A*S*H* in the 1970s.

Later years

After her film career ended, De La Motte worked as an inspector in a southern California war plant during World War II. Later she came to San Francisco, California, where she worked in the Red Cross office.^[1]

Death

On March 10, 1950, De La Motte died of cerebral thrombosis in San Francisco, three months short of her 48th birthday.^[2] For her contributions as an actress to the motion picture industry, De La Motte was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6902 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood, California.

Selected filmography

Year	Title	Role
1918	Arizona	Lena
1919	Josselyn's Wife	Lizzie
1919	A Sagebrush Hamlet	Dora Lawrence
1919	For A Woman's Honor	Helen Rutherford
1920	The Mark of Zorro	Lolita Pulido
1920	The Broken Gate	Anne Oglesby
1921	The Nut	Estrell Wynn
1921	The Ten Dollar Raise	Dorothy
1921	The Three Musketeers	Constance Bonacieux
1922	Fools of Fortune	Marion DePuyster
1923	The Famous Mrs. Fair	Sylvia Fair
1923	Richard the Lion-Hearted	Lady Edith Plantagenet
1924	The Beloved Brute	Jacinta
1924	East of Broadway	Judy McNulty
1924	In Love with Love	Ann Jordan
1925	Cheaper to Marry	Doris
1925	Daughters Who Pay	Sonia Borisoff/Margaret Smith
1925	The Girl Who Wouldn't Work	Mary Hale
1926	Red Dice	Beverly Vane
1926	Meet the Prince	Annabelle Ford
1926	The Last Frontier	Beth
1926	Pals in Paradise	Geraldine "Jerry" Howard
1927	The Final Extra	Ruth Collins
1929	The Iron Mask	Constance
1930	Shadow Ranch	Ruth Cameron
1934	A Woman's Man	Gloria Jordan
1941	Reg'lar Fellers	Mrs. Dugan
1942	The Man Who Returned to Life	Mrs. Hibbard
1942	Overland Mail	Rose, the Waitress

References

Notes

1. Brettell, Andrew; King, Noel; Kennedy, Damien; Imwold, Denise (2005). Cut!: Hollywood Murders, Accidents, and Other Tragedies. Leonard, Warren Hsu; von Rohr, Heather. Barrons Educational Series. p. 71. ISBN 0-7641-5858-9.
2. "Miss De La Motte, 47, Star of Silent Films". The New York Times. 1950-03-11. p. 15.

Bibliography

• "Marguerite De La Motte III". New York Times. February 28, 1950. p. 21.

External links

• Marguerite De La Motte at the Internet Movie Database
• Marguerite De La Motte at AllMovie
• Marguerite De La Motte at Find a Grave