Eleanor Boardman

Born: 1898-08-18

Olive Eleanor Boardman (August 19, 1898 – December 12, 1991) was an American film actress of the silent era. Olive Eleanor Boardman was born on August 19, 1898, the youngest child to George W. Boardman and Janice Merriam "Jennie" Stockman Boardman. She had two older sisters named Merriam and Esther. In 1920, she was working as a contractor. Educated in Philadelphia, Boardman originally acted on stage, but she lost her voice while starring in The National Anthem. She then entered a nationwide contest for new actors and actresses for silent films. She was chosen from among 1,000 competitors by Goldwyn Pictures as their "New Face of 1922". Her initial screen test was unsuccessful, but a second test resulted in a contract. After several successful supporting roles, she played the lead in Souls for Sale in 1923. That same year, Boardman's growing popularity was reflected by her inclusion on the list of WAMPAS Baby Stars. She appeared in more than 30 films during her career, including director King Vidor's The Crowd (1928). Her performance in that film is widely recognized as one of the outstanding performances in American silent film. In 1932, after some success in sound films, she parted ways with MGM. Her final film was The Three Cornered Hat, which was made in Spain in 1935. After that production, she retired from acting and retreated from Hollywood. Her last appearances were in an interview filmed for Kevin Brownlow and David Gill's British documentary series Hollywood (1980) and the series MGM: When the Lion Roars (1992).


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The Crowd

as Mary Sims
Released: 1928-03-03

John, an ambitious but undisciplined New York City office worker, meets and marries Mary. They...

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Tell It to the Marines

as Norma Dale
Released: 1926-12-23

U.S. Marine Sergeant O'Hara has his hands full training raw recruits, one of whom, 'Skeets'...

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Show People

as Roxalanne in 'Bardeleys the Magnificent' (uncredited)
Released: 1928-11-20

Hollywood hopeful Peggy Pepper arrives at a major studio, from Georgia, to become a great...

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Souls for Sale

as Miss Remember Steddon
Released: 1923-04-22

A young woman hits Hollywood, determined to become a star.

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Wine of Youth

as Mary Hollister
Released: 1924-09-15

Based on a play be Rachel Crothers, WINE OF YOUTH is a solid drama about "the modern young...

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The Circle

as Elizabeth Cheney
Released: 1925-09-22

Elizabeth Cheney has a wealthy husband, social prominence and everything she could want in life...

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1925 Studio Tour

as Self
Released: 1925-04-09

A tour of the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio in 1925 shows the people who make the movies there, and...

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The Squaw Man

as Lady Diana Kerhill
Released: 1931-07-21

Jim Wyngate, an English aristocrat, comes to the American West under a cloud of suspicion for...

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Mamba

as Helen von Linden
Released: 1930-03-09

August Bolte, the richest man in a settlement in German East Africa in the period before World...

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Land of Liberty

as (archive footage)
Released: 1939-06-15

This film tells the history of the United States from pre-Revolution through 1939.

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Bardelys the Magnificent

as Roxalanne de Lavedan
Released: 1926-09-30

Rafael Sabatini's story of the swashbuckling era and of Bardeleys, the handsome courtier who...

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Sinners in Silk

as Penelope Stevens
Released: 1924-09-01

Aging roué Arthur Merrill meets flapper Penelope Stevens on an ocean liner and decides to...

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Proud Flesh

as Fernanda
Released: 1925-04-27

The snooty Fernanda decides to leave Spain to visit her uncle in San Francisco in order to...

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True As Steel

as Ethel Parry
Released: 1924-04-20

Successful middle-aged manufacturer Frank Parry takes a business trip to New York, where he...

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The Silent Accuser

as Barbara Jane
Released: 1924-11-24

A Dog Picture That'll Claw Your Emotions

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She Goes to War

as Joan Morant
Released: 1929-06-07

A young woman disguises herself as a man and follows her fiancéé into the trenches during World...

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The Only Thing

as Thyra, Princess of Svendborg
Released: 1925-11-22

Thyra arrives in Chekia to wed its old and ugly king. The Duke falls in love with her. A...

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Redemption

as Lisa Protasoff
Released: 1930-04-05

In Russia in the early 1900s, Fedya, a handsome, self-indulgent womanizer, falls in love with...

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The Great Meadow

as Diony Hall
Released: 1931-01-24

Pioneers and a family man leave Virginia for Kentucky during the Revolutionary War.

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Three Wise Fools

as Rena Fairchild / Sydney Fairfield
Released: 1923-08-19

Sydney Fairchild, the daughter of a woman who was once loved by three bachelors, surprises the...

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The Turmoil

as Mary Vertrees
Released: 1924-09-14

Industrialist James Sheridan, Sr., once a laborer, insists on moulding the careers of his three...

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Memory Lane

as Mary
Released: 1926-02-01

Mary is marrying Jimmie, from whom she has kept a secret; Mary remains in love with another man....

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So This Is Marriage?

as Beth Marsh
Released: 1924-11-26

The only known copy of this film copy was reported to have been destroyed in the 1967 MGM Vault...

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The Strangers' Banquet

as Jean McPherson
Released: 1922-12-31

In managing the shipyard inherited from her father, Derith Keogh has considerable labor problems...

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Gimme

as Clothilde Kingsley
Released: 1923-01-14

A young woman borrows money from her boss for her wedding dress. After the marriage he asks to...

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The Day of Faith

as Jane Maynard
Released: 1923-10-20

Jane Maynard opens a mission in memory of philanthropist Bland Hendricks. John Anstell, son of a...

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The Wife of the Centaur

as Joan Converse
Released: 1924-12-01

Jeffrey Dwyer is a writer and a poet who wrestles with the conflicts between his idealism and...

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Diamond Handcuffs

as Tillie
Released: 1928-05-05

German actress Lena Malena starred in this lavishly budgeted and potentially intriguing...

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Vanity Fair

as Amelia Sedley
Released: 1923-02-25

Starring director Ballin's wife Mabel as Becky Sharp and Hobart Bosworth as the Marquis of...

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The Auction Block

as Lorelei Knight
Released: 1926-07-19

Bob Wharton marries Lorelei Knight, a beauty contest winner. While on their honeymoon, Bob is...

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The Way of a Girl

as Rosamond
Released: 1925-03-29

The Way of a Girl

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It Happened in Spain

as Magistrate's Wife
Released: 1934-10-04

A miller falls in love with the wife of a magistrate who, in turn, courts the miller's wife....

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