
Eleanor Boardman
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
Gender
Female
Birthday
1898-08-18
Day of Death
1991-12-12 (93 years old)
Place of Birth
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Eleanor Boardman
Biography
Olive Eleanor Boardman (August 19, 1898 – December 12, 1991) was an American film actress of the silent era.
Olive Eleanor Boardman was born on August 19, 1898, the youngest child to George W. Boardman and Janice Merriam "Jennie" Stockman Boardman. She had two older sisters named Merriam and Esther. In 1920, she was working as a contractor.
Educated in Philadelphia, Boardman originally acted on stage, but she lost her voice while starring in The National Anthem. She then entered a nationwide contest for new actors and actresses for silent films. She was chosen from among 1,000 competitors by Goldwyn Pictures as their "New Face of 1922". Her initial screen test was unsuccessful, but a second test resulted in a contract. After several successful supporting roles, she played the lead in Souls for Sale in 1923. That same year, Boardman's growing popularity was reflected by her inclusion on the list of WAMPAS Baby Stars.
She appeared in more than 30 films during her career, including director King Vidor's The Crowd (1928). Her performance in that film is widely recognized as one of the outstanding performances in American silent film. In 1932, after some success in sound films, she parted ways with MGM. Her final film was The Three Cornered Hat, which was made in Spain in 1935. After that production, she retired from acting and retreated from Hollywood. Her last appearances were in an interview filmed for Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's British documentary series Hollywood (1980) and the series MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992).
Acting
(1939)
Land of Liberty
as (archive footage)
(1934)
It Happened in Spain
as Magistrate's Wife
(1931)
The Great Meadow
as Diony Hall
(1931)
The Squaw Man
as Lady Diana Kerhill
(1930)
Redemption
as Lisa Protasoff
(1930)
Mamba
as Helen von Linden
(1929)
She Goes to War
as Joan Morant
(1928)
The Crowd
as Mary Sims
(1928)
Diamond Handcuffs
as Tillie
(1928)
Show People
as Roxalanne in 'Bardeleys the Magnificent' (uncredited)
(1926)
Bardelys the Magnificent
as Roxalanne de Lavedan
(1926)
The Auction Block
as Lorelei Knight
(1926)
Tell It to the Marines
as Norma Dale
(1926)
Memory Lane
as Mary
(1925)
The Only Thing
as Thyra, Princess of Svendborg
(1925)
Proud Flesh
as Fernanda
(1925)
The Circle
as Elizabeth Cheney
(1925)
1925 Studio Tour
as Self
(1925)
Exchange of Wives
as Margaret Rathburn
(1925)
The Way of a Girl
as Rosamond
(1924)
Wine of Youth
as Mary Hollister
(1924)
True As Steel
as Ethel Parry
(1924)
So This Is Marriage?
as Beth Marsh
(1924)
Sinners in Silk
as Penelope Stevens
(1924)
The Silent Accuser
as Barbara Jane
(1924)
The Wife of the Centaur
as Joan Converse
(1924)
The Turmoil
as Mary Vertrees
(1923)
The Day of Faith
as Jane Maynard
(1923)
Three Wise Fools
as Rena Fairchild / Sydney Fairfield
(1923)
Gimme
as Clothilde Kingsley
(1923)
Vanity Fair
as Amelia Sedley
(1923)
Souls for Sale
as Miss Remember Steddon
(1922)
The Strangers' Banquet
as Jean McPherson