Norma Shearer

Norma Shearer

Date of Birth:

Aug 10, 1902

Place of Birth:

Montreal, Quebec, Canada

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Edith Norma Shearer (August 10, 1902 – June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s. Her early films cast her as the girl next door, but for most of the Pre-Code film era, beginning with the 1930 film The Divorcee, for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress, she played sexually liberated women in sophisticated contemporary comedies. Later she appeared in historical and period films.

Unlike many of her MGM contemporaries, Shearer's fame declined steeply after retirement. By the time of her death in 1983, she was largely remembered at best for her "noble" roles in The Women, Marie Antoinette, and Romeo and Juliet. Shearer's legacy began to be re-evaluated in the 1990s with the publication of two biographies and the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and VHS release of her films, many of them unseen since the implementation of the Production Code some sixty years before. Focus shifted to her pre-Code "divorcee" persona, and Shearer was rediscovered as "the exemplar of sophisticated [1930's] woman-hood... exploring love and sex with an honesty that would be considered frank by modern standards".

Simultaneously, Shearer's ten-year collaboration with portrait photographer George Hurrell and her lasting contribution to fashion through the designs of Adrian were also recognized.

Shearer is widely celebrated by some as one of cinema's feminist pioneers: "the first American film actress to make it chic and acceptable to be single and not a virgin on screen". In March 2008, two of her most famous pre-code films, The Divorcee and A Free Soul, were released on DVD.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Norma Shearer, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

filmography:

Hollywood: Style Center of the World Hollywood: Style Center of the World

1940

Judy Garland: By Myself Judy Garland: By Myself

2004

Cavalcade of the Academy Awards Cavalcade of the Academy Awards

1940

A Slave of Fashion A Slave of Fashion

1925

Hollywood Goes to Town Hollywood Goes to Town

1938

Complicated Women Complicated Women

2003

Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood

2008

The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind

1988

From the Ends of the Earth From the Ends of the Earth

1939

Twenty Years After Twenty Years After

1944

The Snob The Snob

1924

The Latest from Paris The Latest from Paris

1928

A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound

1940

We're switching to Hollywood We're switching to Hollywood

1931

Joan Crawford: Always the Star Joan Crawford: Always the Star

1996

That's Entertainment! That's Entertainment!

1974

1925 Studio Tour 1925 Studio Tour

1925

The Restless Sex The Restless Sex

1920

Waking Up the Town Waking Up the Town

1925

The Romance of Celluloid The Romance of Celluloid

1937

The Kid Stays in the Picture The Kid Stays in the Picture

2002

That's Entertainment! III That's Entertainment! III

1994

The Film Parade The Film Parade

1933

Another Romance of Celluloid Another Romance of Celluloid

1938

The Man Who Paid The Man Who Paid

1922

Torchy's Millions Torchy's Millions

1920

Pleasure Mad Pleasure Mad

1923

Man and Wife Man and Wife

1923

The Star Boarder The Star Boarder

1919

The Demi-Bride The Demi-Bride

1927

The End of the World The End of the World

1970

The Flapper The Flapper

1920

Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8 Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8

1939

The End of the World The End of the World

1925

The Stealers The Stealers

1920

Broken Barriers Broken Barriers

1924

Blue Water Blue Water

1924

His Secretary His Secretary

1925

Master Will Shakespeare Master Will Shakespeare

1936

Hollywood, la vie rêvée de Lana Turner Hollywood, la vie rêvée de Lana Turner

2019

Excuse Me Excuse Me

1925

The Wanters The Wanters

1923

The Devil's Partner The Devil's Partner

1923

The Taming of the Shrewd The Taming of the Shrewd

1922

The Bootleggers The Bootleggers

1922

The Trail of the Law The Trail of the Law

1924

Going Hollywood Going Hollywood

1933

Way Down East Way Down East

1920

Smilin' Through Smilin' Through

1932

Lady of the Night Lady of the Night

1925

The Stolen Jools The Stolen Jools

1931

A Free Soul A Free Soul

1931

The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg

1928

Her Cardboard Lover Her Cardboard Lover

1942

Hollywood: The Dream Factory Hollywood: The Dream Factory

1972

Their Own Desire Their Own Desire

1929

Private Lives Private Lives

1931

Strangers May Kiss Strangers May Kiss

1931

The Divorcee The Divorcee

1930

A Man's Man A Man's Man

1929

Empty Hands Empty Hands

1924

He Who Gets Slapped He Who Gets Slapped

1924

The Wolf Man The Wolf Man

1924

The Hollywood Revue of 1929 The Hollywood Revue of 1929

1929

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette

1938

Idiot's Delight Idiot's Delight

1939

Married Flirts Married Flirts

1924

Channing of the Northwest Channing of the Northwest

1922

The Barretts of Wimpole Street The Barretts of Wimpole Street

1934

Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet

1936

The Trial of Mary Dugan The Trial of Mary Dugan

1929

Escape Escape

1940

Checking Out: Grand Hotel Checking Out: Grand Hotel

2004

A Clouded Name A Clouded Name

1923

The Last of Mrs. Cheyney The Last of Mrs. Cheyney

1929

Lucretia Lombard Lucretia Lombard

1923

The Tower of Lies The Tower of Lies

1925

Sports on the Silver Screen Sports on the Silver Screen

1997

The Actress The Actress

1928

You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story

1990

Broadway After Dark Broadway After Dark

1924

The Christmas Party The Christmas Party

1931

We Were Dancing We Were Dancing

1942

Girl 27 Girl 27

2007

Upstage Upstage

1926

Pretty Ladies Pretty Ladies

1925

Let Us Be Gay Let Us Be Gay

1930

Strange Interlude Strange Interlude

1932

A Lady of Chance A Lady of Chance

1928

The Waning Sex The Waning Sex

1926

After Midnight After Midnight

1927

Riptide Riptide

1934

The Devil's Circus The Devil's Circus

1926

Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage

1983

The Women The Women

1939

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