Biography:

Gloria Swanson was born in Chicago on March 27th, 1897. Her real name is Gloria Josephine Mae Swenson. She began her career 1913 at Chicago's Essanay Studios. Back then she was known as Gloria Mae. In 1916, she married Wallace Beery, another Essanay player, and the newlywed couple moved to Hollywood. He was to be the first of six husbands. She then shifted back-and-forth between two studios, Triangle and Paramount, where she appeared in roles that captured audiences hearts, making her a major box-office draw of the silent era. Her first lead role was in Cecil B. DeMille's Don't Change Your Husband (1919). DeMille would direct her in six of her box-office triumphs.

In 1925, after returning from France where she filmed Madame Sans-Gene and married her third husband, Marquis Henri de la Falaise, she teamed up with Joseph P. Kennedy, patriarch of the political clan, and began producing her own films. The two had a extra-marital affair, which was effectively hidden from her fans. Her first production effort went over budget and was not successful; but her second, Sadie Thompson (1928), was a commercial and critical success. It was daring for its time: She played a prostitute who was reformed then raped by a religious fanatic. For that role, she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

The following year was a tumultuous one for Swanson's professional career. Although she received her second Academy Award nomination for her role in The Trespasser, her production company also embarked on the ambitious project Queen Kelly, directed by Erich Von Stroheim. Von Stroheim created a financial mess, with numerous reshoots and the injection of erotic and perverse touches into the film. Although he was subsequently fired, the damage had been done. Although given a few screenings in Europe, the film was never shown in the United States. It marked the end of Von Stroheim's directing career.

By this time, talkies were already entering the scene, and Swanson's transition to the new medium was only a moderate success. She retired in 1934, but attempted several comebacks. Her most successful was her critically lauded star turn in Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard, where she played a role with many parallels to her own life. She received her third Academy Award nomination for that film. Her final film appearance was in 1974's Airport 1975, where she played herself. She died on April 4th, 1983.

Filmography:

1. Teddy at the Throttle (1916)	19. Beyond the Rocks (1922)	36. Fine Manners (1926)
2. Every Woman's Husband (1918)	20. Her Gilded Cage (1922)	37. The Untamed Lady (1926)
3. Her Decision (1918)	21. Her Husband's Trademark (1922)	38. The Loves of Sunya (1927)
4. The Secret Code (1918)	22. The Impossible Mrs. Bellew (1922)	39. Sadie Thompson (1928)
5. Shifting Sands (1918)	23. Bluebeard's Eighth Wife (1923)	40. Queen Kelly (1929)
6. Society For Sale (1918)	24. Hollywood (1923)	41. The Trespasser (1929)
7. Station Content (1918)	25. My American Wife (1923)	42. What a Widow! (1930)
8. Wife or Country (1918)	26. Prodigal Daughters (1923)	43. Indiscreet (1931)
9. You Can't Believe Everything (1918)	27. Zaza (1923)	44. Tonight or Never (1931)
10. Don't Change Your Husband (1919)	28. Her Love Story (1924)	45. Perfect Understanding (1933)
11. For Beter, For Worse (1919)	29. The Humming Bird (1924)	46. Music in the Air (1934)
12. Male and Female (1919)	30. Manhandled (1924)	47. Father Takes a Wife (1941)
13. Something to Think About (1920)	31. A Socitey Scandal (1924)	48. Sunset Boulevard (1950)
14. Why Change Your Wife? (1920)	32. Wages of Virtue (1924)	49. Three For Bedroom C (1952)
15. The Affairs of Anatol (1921)	33. The Coast of Folly (1925)	50. When Comedy Was King (1960)
16. Don't Tell Everything (1921)	34. Madame Sans-Gene (1925)	51. Chaplinesque (1972)
17. The Great Moment (1921)	35. Stage Struck (1925)	52. Airport 1975 (1974)
18. Under the Lash (1921)

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