Happy Birthday John Gilbert 121 Years Ago Today 🎂

-

John Gilbert (Born John Cecil Pringle)1897-1936 was a popular actor of The Silent Screen he was known as “The Great Lover” he rivaled Rudolph Valentino as a sex symbol of the Silent Screen. 

His Career Started to decline near the end of the Silent Era, John had a problem with Alcohol and Interpersonal relationships throughout his short life. He also had a strained relationship with MGM Head Louis B. Meyer which lead Meyer to Sabotage Gilbert’s Speaking Voice (deliberately raising it octaves) making it sound effeminate so that he wouldn’t have a voice for sound. This stemmed from an argument when Greta Garbo stood Gilbert up at their double wedding with King Vidor and Eleanor Boardman Meyer made a crude joke about Garbo and Gilbert Punched Meyer. Boardman confirmed it happened. 


Gilbert was a Lover in real life being married 4 times and having steamy affairs with Barbara LaMarr, Lila Lee, Laurette Taylor, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich (who he was engaged to at the time of his death) and was accused of having an affair with Bebe Daniels by second wife Leatrice Joy. 


Gilbert and Garbo


Gilbert was Married 4 times First was Olivia Burwell 1918-1921 His Second Wife was Leatrice Joy 1922-1925 he and Leatrice had a very tumultuous marriage separating several times before finally divorcing for good. Third wife was Ina Claire 1929-1931 and last Wife was Virginia Bruce 1932-1934

Gilbert had two Daughters Leatrice with Second Wife Leatrice Joy in 1924 and Susan Ann with his Fourth Wife Virginia Bruce in 1933. Leatrice Joy Fountain Died In 2015. I couldn’t find any information on the wearabouts of Susan Ann. There was no information on her on Virginia Bruce’s Wikipedia Page and there is very little about Bruce’s relationship with Gilbert at all on her page. Upon doing a bit more digging I only found that Susan Ann is still living at age 85. She never knew her father she was an infant at the time of his death. 


Virginia Bruce and Susan Ann Gilbert

John Gilbert after years of damaging his body with Alcohol suffered his first Heart Attack in December of 1935. It disabled him greatly. His second Heart Attack on January 9,1936 killed him. He was only 38 years old. 

He was cremated and buried at Forest Lawn Glendale CA He left the bulk of his estate to Virginia Bruce and Daughter Susan Ann valued at approximately $6.41 Million Dollars in today’s money The actual amount was $363,494. He left $10,000 to his oldest daughter Leatrice. 

John Gilbert on Find A Grave

For his contribution to the Motion Picture Industry he has a Star on The Hollywood Walk Of Fame on Vine Street. 

John Gilbert on IMDB


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Life and Early Death of Jack Pickford

-
Image
Jack Pickford Jack Pickford (born John Charles Smith; August 18, 1896 – January 3, 1933) was a Canadian-born American actor, film director and producer. He was the younger brother of actresses Mary and Lottie Pickford. After their father deserted the family, all three Pickford children began working as child actors on the stage. Mary Pickford later became a highly popular silent film actress, producer and early Hollywood pioneer. While Jack also appeared in numerous films as the "All American boy next door" and was a fairly popular performer, his popularity never matched that of his sister's as his off screen antics overshadowed his career. By the late 1920s, his career had begun to decline due to his penchant for partying and frequent use of drugs and alcohol. In 1933, Pickford died in Paris of progressive multiple neuritis, aged 36. Early Life The Family was impoverished Charlotte Smith depended on the Children for Income. The Children performed o
Read more

The Wild Life of Peggy Hopkins Joyce

-
Image
Peggy Hopkins Joyce (born Marguerite Upton; May 26, 1893 – June 12, 1957) was an American actress, artist's model and dancer. In addition to her performing career, Joyce was known for her flamboyant life, with numerous engagements, six marriages to wealthy men, subsequent divorces, a series of scandalous affairs, a collection of diamonds and furs, and a generally lavish lifestyle. Early Life Born Marguerite Upton in 1893 in Berkley, Virginia (now part of Norfolk), she was known as Peggy. Upton left home at the age of 15 with a vaudeville bicyclist. While the two were en route to Denver via train, she met millionaire Everett Archer Jr. She dumped the bicyclist and in 1910 married Archer. Archer had the marriage annulled after six months when he discovered Joyce was underage. Joyce later claimed she divorced Archer because the life of a millionaire's wife "was not at all what I thought it would be, and I was bored to death." Using the settlement money she
Read more

Revisiting the Arbuckle/Rappe’ Scandal of 1921

-
Image
A simple story really right? We’ve all heard about it, it was quite the scandal of 1921. Boy decided to celebrate a big movie contract rents 3 rooms at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. Boy meets swarmy Madam then Boy meets Girl, Boy helps Girl who is sick on the toilet and she dies 4 days later...Boy is Arrested for Murder.  Simple Right?  The Beginning Labor Day Weekend September 1921 Roscoe Arbuckle was celebrating Adolph Zucker signing him to a 3 year 1 Million a year contract. ($14 Million a year in today’s economy) Roscoe rented rooms 1219-1221 of the St. Frances Hotel in San Francisco CA  It is unknown if Maude Delmont (AKA Madam Black) was invited or crashed the party with starlet and sometime prostitute Virginia Rappe’.  There were a lot of people at the party and it was during the days of Prohibition and (bathtub gin) everyone got drunk quickly.  Roscoe found Virginia with her head in the toilet he came in to help her when Maude Delmont came in and Virginia starte
Read more