Biography for
Gloria Swanson More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

27 March 1899, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Date of Death

4 April 1983, New York City, New York, USA (heart ailment)

Birth Name

Gloria May Josephine Svensson

Height

5' 1" (1.55 m)

Mini Biography

Gloria Swanson went to public schools in Chicago; Key West, Florida; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Her film debut was as an extra in The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket (1915). From the following year on, she had leading roles in pictures for Keystone, then a year with Triangle, and, in 1919, a contract with Cecil B. DeMille. DeMille transformed her from a typical Mack Sennett comedienne into a lively, provocative, even predatory, star. She collected husbands (e.g., the indigent Henri de la Falaise) and lovers (e.g., Joseph P. Kennedy, father of former President John F. Kennedy). Kennedy produced her Queen Kelly (1929), directed by Erich von Stroheim (it was von Stroheim's copy of this film that Swanson was watching as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. (1950) when she leaped into the projection beam shouting, "Have they forgotten what a star looks like? I'll be up there again, so help me!"--ironic in that the butler-projectionist was, again, von Stroheim). She survived the switch to talkies, even learning how to sing for Music in the Air (1934), but her kinds of films were over with by that time. She returned to the stage in the 1940s ("Reflected Glory," "Let us Be Gay," "A Goose for a Gander"). She was a clothes designer and artist; she founded Essence of Nature Cosmetics; and she made television appearances through the 1960s and 1970s, doing cameos and pushing health foods. She received Best Actress nominations for Sadie Thompson (1928), The Trespasser (1929) and Sunset Blvd. (1950).

IMDb Mini Biography By: Ed Stephan

Mini Biography

Gloria Swanson was born Gloria May Josephine Svensson in Chicago, Illinois, on March 27, 1897. She was destined to be perhaps one of the biggest stars of the silent movie era. Her personality and antics in private definitely made her a favorite with America's moviegoing public. Gloria certainly didn't intend on going into show business. After her formal education in the Chicago school system and elsewhere, she began work in a department store as a salesclerk. In 1915, at the age of 18, she decided to go to a Chicago movie studio with an aunt to see how motion pictures were made. She was plucked out of the crowd, because of her beauty, to be included as a bit player in the film The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket (1915). In her next film, she was an extra also, when she appeared in At the End of a Perfect Day (1915). After another uncredited role, Gloria got a more substantial role in Sweedie Goes to College (1915). In 1916, she first appeared with future husband Wallace Beery. Once married, the two pulled up stakes in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles to the film colony of Hollywood. Once out west, Gloria continued her torrid pace in films. She seemed to be in hit after hit in such films as The Pullman Bride (1917), Shifting Sands (1918), and Don't Change Your Husband (1919). By the time of the latter, Gloria had divorced Beery and was remarried, but it was not to be her last marriage, as she collected a total of seven husbands. By the middle 1920s, she was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood. It has been said that Gloria made and spent over $8 million in the '20s alone. That, along with the seven marriages she had, kept the fans spellbound with her escapades for over 60 years. They just couldn't get enough of her. Gloria was 30 when the sound revolution hit, and there was speculation as to whether she could adapt. She did. In 1928, she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role of Sadie Thompson in the film of the same name but lost to Mary Pickford in Coquette (1929). The following year, she again was nominated for the same award in The Trespasser (1929). This time, she lost out to Norma Shearer in The Divorcee (1930). By the 1930s, Gloria pared back her work with only four films during that time. She had taken a hiatus from film work after 1934's Music in the Air (1934) and would not be seen again until Father Takes a Wife (1941). That was to be it until 1950, when she starred in Sunset Blvd. (1950) as Norma Desmond opposite William Holden. She played a movie actress who was all but washed up. The movie was a box office smash and earned her a third Academy Award nomination as Best Actress, but she lost to Judy Holliday in Born Yesterday (1950). The film is considered one of the best in the history of film and, on June 16, 1998, was named one of the top 100 films of all time by the American Film Institute, placing 12th. After a few more films in the 1950s, Gloria more or less retired. Throughout the 1960s, she appeared mostly on television. Her last fling with the silver screen was Airport 1975 (1974), wherein she played herself. Gloria died on April 4, 1983, in New York City at the age of 86. There was never anyone like her, before or since.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Denny Jackson

Spouse

William Dufty	(2 February 1976 - 4 April 1983) (her death)
George William Davey	(29 January 1945 - 28 December 1948) (divorced)
Michael Farmer	(16 August 1931 - 7 November 1934) (divorced) 1 child
Henri de la Falaise	(29 January 1925 - 6 November 1931) (divorced)
Herbert K. Somborn	(20 December 1919 - 9 August 1922) (divorced) 1 child
Wallace Beery	(27 March 1916 - 1 March 1919) (divorced)

Trivia

Second husband 'Herbert K. Somborn' ran the legendary Brown Derby restaurant from 1926 until his death in 1934; at that time, their daughter, 'Gloria Swanson Somborn', took over. See also Wilson Mizner.

God-mother of director/writer Dirk Wayne Summers, and had signed to appear in The Great Sex War (1969), a film he was producing in Mexico. However, Swanson and her soon to be husband, William Dufty, took it upon themselves (without being asked) to rewrite the screenplay. The "changes" in the script that Swanson desired were not ones that Summers wanted to include, so they mutually released each other from their contracts. This did not impact their close relationship, apparently. Swanson accompanied Summers to Mexico for a location scouting trip.

Her last husband, William Dufty, was a well-known author of books and a few screenplays, such as Lady Sings the Blues (1972), the Billie Holiday story. It was Dufty, translator of "You Are All Sanpaku," by George Ohsawa, who was influenced by Swanson to take an interest in health and become involved in holistic-health related literature.

Met her third husband, the Marquis (or "Marquess") Henri de la Falaise, when he worked as her interpreter in France on Madame Sans-Gêne (1924) .

Wrote her own autobiography in rebuttal to certain claims made by Rose Kennedy in her 1974 memoirs.

Mother of a biological daughter, Gloria, by her second husband, and also of an adopted son, Joseph Patrick, whom everyone thought (erroneously) was named for her lover at the time, Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. (father/founder of the Kennedy political clan).

Mother of Michele Bridget Farmer (aka Michele Farmer)(born April 5, 1932) with Michael Farmer.

Hated acting in slapstick comedy, which was pretty much all of her early career.

Was engaged to Marshall Neilan for some time in the 1920s.

One of her best friends was the actress Lois Wilson .

Daughter Gloria Swanson Somborn (born October 7, 1920) with Herbert K. Somborn. Died of brain cancer on December 11, 2000 at age 80.

Her performance as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. (1950) is ranked #69 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Performances of All Time (2006).

She has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one for motion pictures at 6748 Hollywood Boulevard and another for television at 6301 Hollywood Boulevard.

Her performance as Norma Desmond in Sunset Blvd. (1950) is ranked #31 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.

When she died, her book collection was sold to the Gotham Book Mart in New York City. All of the books were concerned with health and nutrition.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives." Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 776-778. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.

Was very close friends with actor Dirk Benedict. She introduced him to macrobiotics. Dirk has said that she was like a mother to him. They met working on the play "Butterflies Are Free," where Swanson played Benedict's mother.

Cited Beyond the Rocks (1922) as one of her favorite films from her silent career.

During the early twenties, she had a falling out with close friend Blanche Sweet. The dispute was over a man, and Sweet never forgave her.

Claimed to have detested writing her autobiography.

She cited Madame Sans-Gêne (1924) (now lost) as her personal favorite of all her films.

Known for her extravagant lifestyle, it was reported that she earned $8,000,000 between 1918 and 1929 and spent nearly all of it. By the time of her death in 1983, her gross estate was valued at just over $1,440,000.

The original Roxy Theatre at 153 W. 50th Street, New York, NY 10020 was opened by Ms. Swanson, showing too, her filmThe Love of Sunya (1927) in March 1927 and at its demolition in 1961 she posed amongst its ruins as a final farewell.

Personal Quotes

I have decided that when I am a star, I will be every inch and every moment a star.

All creative people should be required to leave California for three months every year.

I think all this talk about age is foolish. Every time I'm one year older, everyone else is too.

I've given my memoirs far more thought than any of my marriages. You can't divorce a book.

When I die, my epitaph should read "She Paid the Bills". That's the story of my private life.

[In 1922] I have gone through a long apprenticeship. I have gone through enough of being a nobody. I have decided that when I am a star, I will be every inch and every moment the star! Everybody from the studio gateman to the highest executive will know it.

[To her mother following her triumphant return to Hollywood in 1924 after making Madame Sans-Gêne (1924) in France] It's the saddest night of my life. I'm just 26. Where do I go from here?

[On her role in Airport 1975 (1974)] I was holding out for a picture I could take my grandchildren to see, something exciting and contemporary without senseless violence.

[On her pre-Cecil B. DeMille years as a comedienne working for Mack Sennett] I played my comedies like Duse [serious classical actress Eleonora Duse], which is probably why I was so funny.

It's amazing to find that so many people, who I thought really knew me, could have thought that Sunset Blvd. (1950) was autobiographical. I've got nobody floating in my swimming pool.

[On Marlene Dietrich] Her legs may be longer than mine, but unlike me, she doesn't have 7 grandchildren.

After 16 years in pictures I could not be intimidated easily, because I knew where all the skeletons were buried.

After seven years in one place, not to mention two marriages and 32 pictures, I felt I had earned a vacation.

After years of negotiating, I felt bitter and resentful about Mr. Lasky [Jesse Lasky] and Paramount and I knew I always would.

A crisis arose when several newspapers questioned whether my singing voice was real. I had not sung - they wanted to know why.

All they had to do was put my name on a marquee and watch the money roll in.

As Daddy said, life is 95 percent anticipation.

At 26, I felt myself a victim rather than a victor in the realm of pictures.

By the time I was 15, my mother had turned me into a real clotheshorse.

Every victory is also a defeat.

Hollywood has called me in turn the Clothes Horse, the Old Grey Mare -- and Death of a Saleswoman. Since my comeback in Sunset Blvd. (1950), I'm glad to say they've thought up a new title - "Gloss".

[on Erich von Stroheim] The experience of working with him was unlike any I had had in more than 50 pictures. He was so painstaking and slow that I would lose all sense of time, hypnotized by the man's relentless perfectionism.

Salary

Sunset Blvd. (1950)	$50,000
Father Takes a Wife (1941)	$35,000
Music in the Air (1934)	$250,000
Perfect Understanding (1933)	$250,000
Tonight or Never (1931)	$250,000
Indiscreet (1931)	$250,000
What a Widow! (1930)	$100,000
The Trespasser (1929)	$100,000
Sadie Thompson (1928)	$150,000
Zaza (1923)	$6,500/week
The Great Moment (1921)	$2,500/week
Society for Sale (1918)	$150/week
The Sultan's Wife (1917)	$85/week
Dangers of a Bride (1917)	$85/week
Teddy at the Throttle (1917)	$85/week
Haystacks and Steeples (1916)	$85/week
The Danger Girl (1916)	$85/week
Hearts and Sparks (1916)	$85/week
A Dash of Courage (1916)	$65/week
The Nick of Time Baby (1916)	$85/week
The Broken Pledge (1915)	$3.25/day
The Romance of an American Duchess (1915)	$3.25/day
Sweedie Goes to College (1915)	$3.25/day
The Fable of Elvira and Farina and the Meal Ticket (1915)	$3.25/day
His New Job (1915)	$3.25/day

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