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)
Mystery Street
as Nurse (uncredited)
(1950)
The Yellow Cab Man
as (uncredited)
(1948)
Luxury Liner
as Woman (uncredited)
(1944)
Two Girls and a Sailor
as Dowager (uncredited)
(1944)
Movie Pests
as Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
(1942)
Born to Sing
as (uncredited)
(1942)
Rio Rita
as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
(1942)
(1941)
Love Crazy
as Sanity Hearing Secretary (uncredited)
(1941)
Ringside Maisie
as 1st Nurse (uncredited)
(1941)
Main Street on the March!
as Window Shopper (uncredited)
(1941)
Sucker List
as Secretary (uncredited)
(1941)
1-2-3-Go!
as Nurse
(1941)
Whispers
as Gossip (uncredited)
(1940)
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
as Saleslady
(1940)
Third Finger, Left Hand
as Telephone Operator (uncredited)
(1940)
Dulcy
as Miss Murphy - Van Dyke's Secretary (uncredited)
(1940)
Phantom Raiders
as Middle Telephone Operator
(1940)
Two Girls on Broadway
as Chatworth's Secretary (uncredited)
(1929)
No Defense
as Ruth Harper
(1929)
Stolen Kisses
as May Lambert
(1928)
The Terror
as Olga Redmayne
(1928)
Caught in the Fog
as The Girl
(1928)
The Lion and the Mouse
as Shirley Ross
(1928)
The Little Snob
as May Banks
(1927)
The Jazz Singer
as Mary Dale
(1927)
Matinee Ladies
as Sallie Smith
(1927)
A Reno Divorce
as Carla
(1927)
Irish Hearts
as Sheila
(1927)
Slightly Used
as Cynthia Martin
(1927)
If I Were Single
as May Howard
(1926)
The Savage
as Ysabel Atwater
(1926)
The Fire Brigade
as Helen Corwin
(1926)
My Old Dutch
as Sal Gratton
(1926)
(1926)
The Road to Glory
as Judith Allen
(1925)
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
as Esther
(1925)
Lady Windermere's Fan
as Lady Windermere
(1925)
The Mad Whirl
as Cathleen Gillis
(1925)
Tessie
as Tessie
(1924)
Three Women
as Jeannie Wilton
(1924)
The Enchanted Cottage
as Laura Pennington
(1924)
Tarnish
as Letitia Tevis
(1924)
The Bedroom Window
as Ruth Martin
(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)
Clarence
as Cora Wheeler
(1922)
A Trip to Paramountown
as Self
(1922)
The Top of New York
as Hilda O'Shaunnessey
(1922)
Kick In
as Myrtle
(1922)
A Homespun Vamp
as Meg Mackenzie
(1921)
Sentimental Tommy
as Grizel
(1921)
A Private Scandal
as Jeanne Millett
(1921)
Morals
as Carlotta Carlotta
(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)
A Perfect Lady
as Claire Higgins
(1918)