Leatrice Joy (born Leatrice Johanna Zeidler; November 7, 1893 – May 13, 1985) was an American actress most prolific during the silent film era.
Early life Joy was born in New Orleans, Louisiana, to dentist Edward Joseph Zeidler.
She attended the Convent of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans, where she had planned on becoming a nun, but left when her father was diagnosed with tuberculosis and was forced to give up his dental practice. She tried out for the New Orleans–based Nola Film Company in 1915 and was hired as an actress. Her mother disapproved of her becoming an actress, but the family needed the money, so her mother accompanied her to California, where she began working in plays and films.
Career Silent films
Joy began her acting career in stock theater companies and soon made her film debut; between April 1916 and by November 1917, she was the star of about 20 one-reel Black Diamond Comedies produced by the United States Motion Picture Corporation in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and released nationally by Paramount Pictures. In many of these, she starred as Susie.
In late 1917 she relocated to the relatively young film colony in Hollywood, California, and began appearing in comedy shorts opposite Billy West and Oliver Hardy. Signed under contract with Samuel Goldwyn Studios, her first role for the studio was in 1917s The Pride of the Clan opposite Mary Pickford. Her career quickly gained momentum, and by 1920 she had become a highly-popular actress with the filmgoing public and was given leading-lady status opposite such performers as Wallace Beery, Conrad Nagel, Nita Naldi, and Irene Rich.
Directors often cast Joy in the strong-willed independent woman role, and the liberated atmosphere of the Jazz Age Roaring Twenties solidified her public popularity, especially with female movie goers. Her close-cropped hair and somewhat boyish persona (she was often cast as a woman mistaken for a young man) became fashionable during the era. With her increasing popularity, Joy was sought out by Cecil B. DeMille, who signed her to Paramount Pictures in 1922, immediately casting her in that year's successful high-society drama Saturday Night opposite Conrad Nagel. Joy starred in a number of successful releases for Paramount and was heavily promoted as one of DeMille's most prominent protégées.
In 1925, against the advice of studio executives, Joy parted ways with Paramount and followed DeMille to his new film company Producers Distributing Corporation, for which she made a few moderately successful films, including Lois Weber's last silent film The Angel of Broadway in 1927. After Joy impulsively cut her hair extremely short in 1926, DeMille was publicly angry as it prevented her from portraying traditional feminine roles. The studio developed projects to promote the “Leatrice Joy bob” which she wore in Made for Love, Eve's Leaves, The Clinging Vine, For Alimony Only, and Vanity. Although she regrew her hair after styles changed in early 1927, a professional dispute ended the DeMille/Joy partnership in 1928, and she was signed with MGM. That year, she headlined MGM's second part-talkie effort, The Bellamy Trial opposite Betty Bronson and Margaret Livingston.
Transition to sound
Joy's career began to falter with the advent of talkies, possibly because her heavy Southern accent was considered unfashionable in comparison with other actresses' refined "Mid-Atlantic" diction. In 1929, she became a freelance actress without a long-term contract. In order to improve her chances of regaining her film career, she undertook a vaudeville tour from 1929 to 1931, as a training ground for returning successfully to talkies. She was particularly interested in improving her voice and learning how to better handle dialogue.
Retirement and later years By the early 1930s, Joy was semi-retired from the motion-picture industry, but she later made several guest appearances in a few modestly-successful films, such as 1951's Love Nest, which featured a young Marilyn Monroe.
In the 1960s, Joy retired to Greenwich, Connecticut, where she lived near her daughter and son-in-law.
Joy appeared as a subject on the game show To Tell the Truth on July 1, 1963.
She was interviewed in the television documentary series Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film (1980).
Personal life Joy was married three times and had one child. On March 22, 1922, she married actor John Gilbert. They had a daughter, Leatrice, who later acted in bit parts; she was the first wife of novelist and playwright Ernest Gébler. Joy filed for divorce in August 1924, citing Gilbert's infidelity and alcoholism. Joy's second marriage was to businessman William Spencer Hook on October 22, 1931; they divorced in 1944. Joy's third and final marriage was to former actor and electrical engineer Arthur Kem Westermark. They married on March 5, 1945, in Mexico City and divorced in October 1954.
During her silent film career in the 1920s, she was Hollywood's best known Christian Scientist.
Death On May 13, 1985, Joy died from acute anemia at the High Ridge House Christian Science nursing home in Riverdale, Bronx, New York. She was interred at the Saint Savior Episcopal Churchyard in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.
For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Leatrice Joy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6517 Hollywood Blvd. in Hollywood, California.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes 1915 His Turning Point Mrs. Carey 1916 The Folly of Revenge Antonio's Daughter The Other Man short film A Troublesome Trip unconfirmed role short film Their Counterfeit Vacation unconfirmed role short film Auto Intoxication short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy1917 Excess Baggage Sue Topper short film The Pride of the Clan Extra uncredited A Girl's Folly Girl uncredited Her Scrambled Ambition Susie short film The Magic Vest short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy Speed short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy Getting the Evidence short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy The Wishbone short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy Her Iron Will short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy Her Fractured Voice short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy Susie of the Follies Susie short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy The Window Dresser's Dream short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy Wits and Fits short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy The Rejuvenator short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy Susie the Sleepwalker Susie short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy Susie's Scheme Susie short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy Susie Slips One Over Susie short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy The Candy Kid short film Nearly a Baker short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy A Society Scrimmage short filmcredited as Beatrice Joy The Slave Susie, his daughter short filmlost film1918 The Stranger Susie short film His Day Out Joy short film The Orderly short film The Scholar short film The Messenger short film The Handy Man short film Shackled Undetermined role uncredited/unconfirmed One Dollar Bid Emily Dare The City of Tears Maria lost film Wedlock Jane Hollister Her Man alternative titles: The Battle CryThe Woman Eternal Three X Gordon Farmer's Daughter 1919 The Man Hunter Florence lost film The Water Lily undetermined role 1920 Just a Wife Mary Virginia Lee The Right of Way Rosalie Eventurail lost film Blind Youth Hope Martin lost film Smiling All the Way Alice Drydan The Invisible Divorce Pidgie Ryder lost film Down Home Nance Pelot 1921 Bunty Pulls the Strings Bunty Biggar lost film A Tale of Two Worlds Sui Sen The Ace of Hearts Lilith Ladies Must Live Barbara lost film The Poverty of Riches Katherine Colby lost film Voices of the City Georgia Rodman lost film1922 Saturday Night Iris Van Suydam The Bachelor Daddy Sally Lockwood lost film A Trip to Paramountown Herself short film Manslaughter Lydia Thorne The Man Who Saw Tomorrow Rita Pring lost film Minnie Minnie lost film1923 Java Head Taou Yuen lost film You Can't Fool Your Wife Edith McBride lost film The Silent Partner Lisa Coburn lost film Hollywood Cameo role lost film The Ten Commandments Mary Leigh 1924 The Marriage Cheat Helen Canfield incomplete Triumph Ann Land Changing Husbands Gwynne Evans/Eva Graham 1925 The Dressmaker from Paris Fifi lost film Hell's Highroad Judy Nichols The Wedding Song Beatrice Glynn 1926 Made for Love Joan Ainsworth Eve's Leaves Eve Corbin The Clinging Vine Antoinette B. "A.B." Allen For Alimony Only Mary Martin Williams 1927 Girl in the Rain Nobody's Widow Roxanna Smith Vanity Barbara Fiske The Angel of Broadway Babe Scott lost film1928 The Blue Danube Marguerite Man-Made Women Nan Payson Show People Herself - at Banquet uncredited Tropic Madness Juanita Lost film, except for 14 minutes discovered in 20221929 The Bellamy Trial Sue Ives Strong Boy Mary McGregor lost film A Most Immoral Lady Laura Sergeant 1930 The Love Trader Martha Adams 1939 First Love Grace Shute Clinton alternative title: Cinderella 1940 The Old Swimmin' Hole Mrs. Julie Carter 1949 Red Stallion in the Rockies Martha Simpson Air Hostess Celia Hansen 1951 Love Nest Eadie Gaynor 1953-1954 Westinghouse Studio One various roles 2 episodes 1954 Robert Montgomery Presents episode: "The Steady Man"
References
External links
Leatrice Joy at Silents Are Golden Leatrice Joy at Silent Era People Leatrice Joy at Silent Ladies & Gents Leatrice Joy at The International Silent Movie Leatrice Joy at Virtual History