May McAvoy
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
1899-09-06
Day of Death
1984-04-26 (84 years old)
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
May McAvoy
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
May McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984) was an American actress who worked mainly during the silent film era. Some of her major roles are Laura Pennington in The Enchanted Cottage, Esther in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, and Mary Dale in The Jazz Singer.
McAvoy appeared in her first film, entitled Hate, in 1917. After appearing in more than three dozen films, she co-starred with Ramón Novarro and Francis X. Bushman in director Fred Niblo's 1925 production of Ben-Hur, released by MGM. The feature-length film was one of the most lavish and spectacular productions of the silent movie era.
Although her voice was not heard in The Jazz Singer, McAvoy did speak in several other films, including the second "all-talkie" released by Warner Brothers, The Terror, which was directed by Roy Del Ruth and co-starred Conrad Nagel.
For years a rumor circulated that McAvoy retired from the screen at the transition to sound films because of a lisp or speech impediment. In truth, she married the treasurer of United Artists, who asked her not to work.
Later, she returned to films and played small roles during the 1940s and 1950s, making her final film appearance in a small part in the 1959 version of Ben-Hur.
Known For
Acting
(2000)
Gareth Hughes
as Self (archive footage)
(1959)
Ben-Hur
as Woman in crowd (uncredited)
(1952)
The Bad and the Beautiful
as Pebbel's Secretary (uncredited)
(1950)
The Yellow Cab Man
as (uncredited)
(1950)
Mystery Street
as Nurse (uncredited)
(1948)
Luxury Liner
as Woman (uncredited)
(1944)
Movie Pests
as Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
(1944)
Two Girls and a Sailor
as Dowager (uncredited)
(1942)
(1942)
Rio Rita
as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
(1942)
Born to Sing
as (uncredited)
(1941)
Main Street on the March!
as Window Shopper (uncredited)
(1941)
Ringside Maisie
as 1st Nurse (uncredited)
(1941)
1-2-3-Go!
as Nurse
(1941)
Love Crazy
as Sanity Hearing Secretary (uncredited)
(1941)
Sucker List
as Secretary (uncredited)
(1941)
Whispers
as Gossip (uncredited)
(1940)
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
as Saleslady
(1940)
Phantom Raiders
as Middle Telephone Operator
(1940)
Two Girls on Broadway
as Chatworth's Secretary (uncredited)
(1940)
Third Finger, Left Hand
as Telephone Operator (uncredited)
(1940)
Dulcy
as Miss Murphy - Van Dyke's Secretary (uncredited)
(1929)
No Defense
as Ruth Harper
(1929)
Stolen Kisses
as May Lambert
(1928)
Caught in the Fog
as The Girl
(1928)
The Lion and the Mouse
as Shirley Ross
(1928)
The Terror
as Olga Redmayne
(1928)
The Little Snob
as May Banks
(1927)
The Jazz Singer
as Mary Dale
(1927)
Irish Hearts
as Sheila
(1927)
Matinee Ladies
as Sallie Smith
(1927)
If I Were Single
as May Howard
(1927)
Slightly Used
as Cynthia Martin
(1927)
A Reno Divorce
as Carla
(1926)
The Road to Glory
as Judith Allen
(1926)
(1926)
My Old Dutch
as Sal Gratton
(1926)
The Fire Brigade
as Helen Corwin
(1926)
The Savage
as Ysabel Atwater
(1925)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
as Esther
(1925)
The Mad Whirl
as Cathleen Gillis
(1925)
Lady Windermere's Fan
as Lady Windermere
(1925)
Tessie
as Tessie
(1924)
The Enchanted Cottage
as Laura Pennington
(1924)
The Bedroom Window
as Ruth Martin
(1924)
Three Women
as Jeannie Wilton
(1924)
Tarnish
as Letitia Tevis
(1924)
West of the Water Tower
as Bee Chew
(1923)
Hollywood
as May McAvoy
(1923)
Her Reputation
as Jacqueline Lanier
(1923)
Only 38
as Lucy Stanley
(1922)
The Top of New York
as Hilda O'Shaunnessey
(1922)
Clarence
as Cora Wheeler
(1922)
Kick In
as Myrtle
(1922)
A Homespun Vamp
as Meg Mackenzie
(1922)
A Trip to Paramountown
as Self
(1921)
Sentimental Tommy
as Grizel
(1921)
Morals
as Carlotta Carlotta
(1921)
A Private Scandal
as Jeanne Millett
(1920)
The Truth About Husbands
as Leslie Brownell
(1920)
The Devil's Garden
as Norah
(1919)
The Way of a Woman
as Grace Lee
(1919)
The Woman Under Oath
as Edith Norton
(1919)
Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch
as Australy Wiggs
(1918)
(1918)
A Perfect Lady
as Claire Higgins