Eleanor Boardman
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).
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
33
Gender
Female
Birthday
1898-08-18 (127 years old)
Place of Birth
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Acting

1939

Land of Liberty as (archive footage)

1934

It Happened in Spain as Magistrate's Wife

1931

The Squaw Man as Lady Diana Kerhill

1931

The Great Meadow as Diony Hall

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

The Auction Block as Lorelei Knight

1926

Bardelys the Magnificent as Roxalanne de Lavedan

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

1925 Studio Tour as Self

1925

The Circle as Elizabeth Cheney

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

The Wife of the Centaur as Joan Converse

1924

Sinners in Silk as Penelope Stevens

1924

The Silent Accuser as Barbara Jane

1924

The Turmoil as Mary Vertrees

1923

Three Wise Fools as Rena Fairchild / Sydney Fairfield

1923

Gimme as Clothilde Kingsley

1923

Souls for Sale as Miss Remember Steddon

1923

Vanity Fair as Amelia Sedley

1923

The Day of Faith as Jane Maynard

1922

The Strangers' Banquet as Jean McPherson