Frances Howard (actress)
Frances Howard | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Howard in 1953 | |
| Born | Frances Howard McLaughlin June 4, 1903 Omaha, Nebraska, U.S. |
| Died | July 2, 1976 (aged 73) |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1925–1935 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Samuel Goldwyn Jr. |
| Relatives |
|
Frances Howard Goldwyn (née McLaughlin; June 4, 1903 – July 2, 1976) was an American actress. She was the second wife of producer Samuel Goldwyn, and the paternal grandmother of actors Tony and John Goldwyn.
Early life[edit]
Frances Howard McLaughlin[1] was born in Kansas City, Kansas[2] or Omaha, Nebraska in 1903[3] to Helen Victoria (née Howard) and Charles Douglas McLaughlin.[4] She was raised as a Catholic. Her mother, nicknamed Bonnie, had been raised a Quaker but converted to Catholicism, and she predeceased her daughter by five years. Her father was reportedly a grandson of Irish nationalist politician Daniel O'Connell. Howard had two sisters and a brother.[4]
Career[edit]
Howard began her professional career at age 16 with a stock theater company.[5] When she was 21, Howard portrayed a flapper on Broadway in The Intimate Stranger. She followed that part with another flapper role in The Best People. Paramount signed her to a five-year contract, and she co-starred in the film The Swan.[2] She also appeared in Too Many Kisses (1925).[6] She had the contract canceled when she decided to marry.[2]
Personal life[edit]
Howard married Samuel Goldwyn, more than two decades her senior, on April 23, 1925.[7] They remained married until Goldwyn's death on January 31, 1974. They had one son, Samuel Goldwyn Jr.;[8] their grandsons are actors Tony and John Goldwyn.[citation needed]
Death[edit]
On July 2, 1976,[2] at the age of 73, Howard died in Beverly Hills, California more than a year after being diagnosed with advanced cancer, for which she refused treatment which would have required invasive and disfiguring surgery.[4] She was funeralized at Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills and interred next to her husband at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.[9][10]
Filmography[edit]
Howard made four films from 1925 to 1935:
- Too Many Kisses (1925) as Yvonne Hurja
- The Swan (1925) as Alexandra, the Swan
- The Shock Punch (1925) as Dorothy Clark
- Mary Burns, Fugitive (1935) as Landlady
Legacy[edit]
The Hollywood Branch Library in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles is named for Howard, and it acts as an archival repository for many film collections.[11][12] The library was funded by The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation in 1982 after the previous building was destroyed by arson.[12]
References[edit]
- ^ Easton, Carol. The Search for Sam Goldwyn (2014)
- ^ a b c d Illson, Murray (July 3, 1976). "Frances Howard Goldwyn Dies; Actress and Husband's Partner". The New York Times. p. 19. ProQuest 122950314. Retrieved November 24, 2020 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Born in 1903 per Intelius
- ^ a b c Berg, A. Scott (2013). Goldwyn: A Biography. Simon and Schuster. ISBN 9781471130069. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Bailer, Don (November 18, 1959). "34 Goldwyn Years -- For Only $310". The Miami Herald. p. 33. Retrieved November 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Dickstein, Martin S. (March 4, 1925). "The Cinema Circuit". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. New York, Brooklyn. p. 9. Retrieved November 24, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Magill, Frank N. (2014). The 20th Century Go-N: Dictionary of World Biography. Routledge. p. 1417. ISBN 9781317740605. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Lentz, Harris M. III (2016). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2015. McFarland. p. 135. ISBN 9780786476671. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Ellenberger, Allan R. (2001). Celebrities in Los Angeles Cemeteries: A Directory. McFarland. p. 55. ISBN 9780786409839. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- ^ Illson, Murray (July 3, 1976). "Frances Howard Goldwyn Dies; Actress and Husband's Partner". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
- ^ "Frances Howard Goldwyn Hollywood Regional Library - Collection Information". Los Angeles Public Library. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
- ^ a b "Hollywood Branch Library". Water and Power Associates. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
External links[edit]
- Frances Howard at the Internet Broadway Database
- Frances Howard at IMDb
- Frances Howard Goldwyn at Find a Grave
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1903 births
- 1976 deaths
- American people of Irish descent
- American film actresses
- American silent film actresses
- Actresses from Omaha, Nebraska
- Catholics from Nebraska
- Catholics from California
- Actresses from Greater Los Angeles
- Deaths from cancer in California
- Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale)
- 20th-century American actresses
- Goldwyn family
- University of Nebraska alumni