Astor, Mary

Astor, Mary

▪ American actress
original name  Lucille Vasconcellos Langhanke 
born May 3, 1906, Quincy, Ill., U.S.
died September 25, 1987, Woodland Hills, Calif.
  American motion-picture and stage actress noted for her delicate, classic beauty and a renowned profile that earned her the nickname “The Cameo Girl.” With the ability to play a variety of characters ranging from villains to heroines to matrons, Astor worked in film from the silent era to the 1960s.

      Astor's early career was directed by her German-immigrant father, who entered her into a beauty contest at age 14; a year later she appeared in her first film, Sentimental Tommy (1921), although her role was cut from the release print. After a few bit parts in two-reelers, Astor was selected by John Barrymore (Barrymore, John) to costar in Beau Brummel (1924). The two also began a lively, romantic offscreen relationship, with the legendary, 40-year-old Barrymore helping to hone the teenage Astor's natural acting gifts. After the affair ended, Astor starred again with Barrymore in Don Juan (1926), the first silent movie with sound-on-disc Vitaphone music and sound effects. Perfecting her vocal technique in several stage productions, Astor made a successful transition to talkies.

 Astor performed as leading lady, but in reality she was a character actress. She possessed an intelligent, natural acting style and always managed to rise above lacklustre material. Although her long career included a wide range of roles, she was often typecast as either a beautiful damsel in distress or a sympathetic matron. She demonstrated her acting range, however, in her most famous role: the lovely, devious femme fatale Brigid O'Shaughnessy in John Huston (Huston, John)'s film noir masterpiece, The Maltese Falcon (1941), opposite Humphrey Bogart (Bogart, Humphrey). That same year, her wicked characterization as selfish concert pianist Sandra Kovak in The Great Lie (1941) earned Astor an Oscar for best supporting actress.

 Astor's private life contained its share of drama and notoriety: four marriages, three divorces, alcoholism, suicide attempts, and one of Hollywood's biggest sex scandals: her 1936 divorce and custody case predicated on her well-publicized affair with playwright George S. Kaufman (Kaufman, George S.). Though the scandal threatened Astor's career, she did much of her best work in the years that followed.

      Astor authored two books of memoirs, My Story (1959) and A Life on Film (1971), as well as several works of fiction.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Astor, Mary — pseud. di Langehanke, Lucille Vasconcellos …   Sinonimi e Contrari. Terza edizione

  • Mary Astor — from the trailer for The Great Lie (1941) Born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke May 3, 1906(1906 05 03) Quincy …   Wikipedia

  • Mary Astor — Nombre real Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke Nacimiento 3 de mayo de 1906 …   Wikipedia Español

  • Mary Astor — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Astor. Mary Astor …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mary Benedict Cushing — Mary Cushing Fosburgh Born Mary Benedict Cushing January 27, 1906(1906 01 27) Died November 6, 1978(1978 11 06) (aged 72) Parents Harvey Williams Cushing …   Wikipedia

  • Mary Astor Paul — Mary Paul Munn Allez Born Mary Astor Paul March 26, 1889 Radnor, Pennsylvania Died July 28, 1950 Paris, France Residence Radnor, Pennsylvania Paris, France Nationality …   Wikipedia

  • Mary Astor — (eigentlich: Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; * 3. Mai 1906 in Quincy, Illinois; † 25. September 1987 in Woodland Hills, Kalifornien) war eine US amerikanische Schauspielerin. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Karriere 2 Privatleben …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Astor — steht für: Astor (Florida), eine Stadt in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika Astor (Fluss), Nebenfluss des Indus in Pakistan Astor (Kosmetikmarke), ursprünglich Margaret Astor, ein Kosmetiklabel Astoria (Schiff), ein Kreuzfahrtschiff, in Dienst… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Astor — may refer to: * Mary Astor, an Academy Award winning American actress * The Astor family, a wealthy 19th century American family who became prominent in 20th century British politics. Several places are named after the family and its members: **… …   Wikipedia

  • Mary Brian — Born Louise Byrdie Dantzler February 17, 1906(1906 02 17) Corsicana, Texas, U.S. Died December 30, 2002 …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”