Norma Talmadge
Actor
Biography
Norma Talmadge started her career in one-reelers in 1909 for Vitagraph, playing bit roles as a young teenager starting. As she continually worked at the studio over the next several years, her parts grew until she frequently started as the leading lady.
Her young promising career got a huge boost after her marriage to exhibitor Joseph M. Schenck. Together, they formed the Norma Talmadge Film Corporation in 1917 and began producing Star vechiles for Talmadge. Specializing in melodramas and woman’s pictures, Talmadge became one of the biggest stars of the 1920s, starting in hits such as Smilin’ Through, Secrets, The Lady, and Kiki.
With her star already fading when the talkie revolution swept Hollywood, Talmadge made just two sound films before retiring from the screen. Although largely forgotten today, Talmadge was a pioneering producer and director who stood as one of the most popular and powerful women in early Hollywood.
Filmography
Seeing Stars
as Self 1922
Going Straight
as Grace Remington 1916
The Children in the House
as Cora 1916
The Forbidden City
as San San / Toy 1918
The Social Secretary
as Mayme 1916
Du Barry, Woman of Passion
as Madame Du Barry 1930
The Devil's Needle
as Renee Duprez 1916
Within the Law
as Mary Turner 1923
The Dove
as Dolores 1927
New York Nights
as Jill Deverne 1929
The Lady
as Polly Pearl 1925
Secrets
as Mary Carlton 1924
A Lady and Her Maid
as Belinda 1913
Ashes of Vengeance
as Yolande de Breux 1923
Kiki
as Kiki 1926
The Safety Curtain
as Puck 1918