Title supplied by cataloger.; Photograph was edited for publication purposes. Edith Norma Shearer was born on August 10, 1902 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She was one of the most popular actresses in the 1920s and 30s. Moving with her mother and sister to New York in 1920, she started out modeling and appeared in several silent films. She caught the eye of producer Hal Roach and in 1923 moved to Hollywood with a contract for $250 a week from Louis B. Mayer Pictures. MGM was formed the next year and Shearer was given starring roles. She became one of their biggest attractions and by 1925 was earning $1000 a week, rising to $5000 a week over the next five years. While at MGM, she met film producer Irving Thalberg, nicknamed "The Boy Wonder" for his youth and uncanny ability to produce very profitable films. They married in 1927 and had two children. In 1930 she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for the film "The Divorcee." After Thalberg's death in 1936, she continued to act, finally retiring in 1942. That same year, she married Martin Arrouge, a former ski instructor. She remained active in the Hollywood social scene until 1960 when she desired more privacy. She died on June 12, 1983. Photograph caption dated September 29, 1938 reads "Norma Shearer, film star and widow of the late Irving Thalberg, motion picture executive, is shown when she appeared in probate court today in an income tax action involving Thalberg's estate. She testified briefly that she had kept her financial affairs separated from Thalberg's."
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Shearer, Norma,--1902-1983 Shearer, Norma,--1902-1983--Trials, litigation, etc Thalberg, Irving G.,--1899-1936--Estate Motion picture actors and actresses--United States Women--California--Los Angeles Portrait photographs Los Angeles Evening Herald and Express photographs Herald-Examiner Collection photographs
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