Norma Talmadge
December 24, 1957 (aged 63)
- Actress
- producer
1909–1930
Natalie Talmadge (sister)
Constance Talmadge (sister)
A specialist in melodrama, her most famous film was Smilin’ Through (1922),[3] but she also scored artistic triumphs teamed with director Frank Borzage in Secrets (1924) and The Lady (1925). Her younger sister Constance Talmadge was also a movie star. Talmadge married millionaire film producer Joseph M. Schenck and they successfully created their own production company. After reaching fame in the film studios on the East Coast, she moved to Hollywood in 1922.
Talmadge was one of the most elegant and glamorous film stars of the Roaring '20s. However, by the end of the silent era, her popularity with audiences had waned.[4] After her two talkies proved disappointing at the box office, she retired still a very wealthy woman.
Retirement[edit]
Upon leaving the movie world, Norma Talmadge rid herself of all the duties and responsibilities of stardom. She told eager fans who were pressing her for an autograph as she left a restaurant, "Get away, dears. I don't need you anymore and you don't need me."[10][11]
Some time before late 1932, Talmadge decided against marrying Gilbert Roland, as he was 11 years her junior and she feared he would eventually leave her. Mother Peg fell ill, and died in September 1925. In late 1932, Talmadge began seeing her ex-husband Joseph Schenck's poker friend, comedian George Jessel. In April 1934, Schenck, from whom she had been separated for seven years, finally granted Talmadge her divorce, and nine days later, she married Jessel.[26] Schenck continued to do what he could for Norma and her sisters, acting as a financial adviser and guiding her business affairs.
In 1937, Talmadge and Schenck bought the Villa Riviera in Long Beach, California for $1.5 million.[27][28]
Talmadge's last professional works consisted of appearances on Jessel's radio program, which was sagging in the ratings. The program soon ended, and the marriage did not last; the couple divorced in 1939. Schenck's business acumen and her mother's watchful ambition for her daughters had resulted in a huge fortune for Talmadge, and she never wanted for money. Restless since the end of her filmmaking days, Talmadge traveled, often shuttling between her houses, entertaining, and visiting with her sisters. In 1946, she married Dr. Carvel James, a Beverly Hills physician.[29]