Advanced search
- TITLES
- NAMES
- COLLABORATIONS
Search filters
Enter full date
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
Only includes names with the selected topics
to
or just enter yyyy, or yyyy-mm below
to
1-11 of 11
- Although Dutch-born silent screen femme fatale Jetta Goudal (pronounced Zhett-eh Goo-doll) may be pretty much forgotten today, she was, in her glorious Hollywood heyday, a star rivaling that of Gloria Swanson and fellow vamps Barbara La Marr and Nita Naldi. The daughter of a Jewish orthodox diamond cutter in Amsterdam, she began her career on stage in Europe, traveling with various theater companies. Arriving in America (New York City) following the WWI armistice (1918), Juliette (Julie) Henriette Goudeket purposely disguised her Dutch and Jewish ancestry and her age, passing herself off as "Jetta Goudal," a Parisienne born in Versailles in 1901 and the daughter of a lawyer.
She first appeared on Broadway in the drama "The Hero" in March of 1921; that September she returned with the melodrama "The Elton Charm". Eventually testing for film. She attracted immediate attention with her first two small film roles and caught the eye of legendary producer/director Cecil B. DeMille. He hired her for what turned out to be some of her (and his) greatest critical successes, including her emotional roles in The Coming of Amos (1925), The Road to Yesterday (1925), White Gold (1927) and The Forbidden Woman (1927). Unfortunately, the exotic allure and element of mystery that made Goudal so popular on-screen came with a price. She was an unrepentant theatrical "grand dame" and possessed a fierce temper well known to the film community.
Her extreme difficulty on the set led to DeMille breaking her contract, which in turn led Goudal to file a landmark lawsuit against him. She charged him with breach of contract, while he claimed her diva-like tirades over every detail of production, from costumes and scenery to mere entrances, caused a multitude of delays and severe financial setbacks for the studio. Goudal, however, won the suit--one reason being that neither DeMille nor the studio could furnish financial records to back up their claims that she cost them untold thousands of dollars--and it set a precedent regarding actors' rights vs. studios' rights. The damage to her career and reputation, however, was sealed and she never recaptured her former glory. Moreover, with the arrival of sound her very thick French accent left her with limited offers.
Goudal married art director Harold Grieve in 1930 and retired from the screen permanently three years later. Along with her husband, she went into interior design and faded from the Hollywood scene. They had no children. Plagued by health problems (heart condition) in the 1960s, she suffered a serious fall in 1973 which left her an invalid. She died in 1985 and was interred in a private room at the Great Mausoleum, Sanctuary of the Angels, at Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California. Her devoted husband was interred next to her upon his death in 1993. - June Tripp was born on 11 June 1901 in Blackpool, England, UK. She was an actress, known for The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog (1927), The River (1951) and The Yellow Claw (1920). She was married to Edward Hillman Jr. and John Alan Burns, 4th Baron Inverclyde. She died on 14 January 1985 in New York City, New York, USA.
- Jeffrey Sirett was born on 29 September 1929 in Willesden, London, England, UK. He was an actor, known for Hue and Cry (1947). He died on 14 January 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
- Actress
Ellen Stretton was born on 12 November 1913 in Vienna, Austria-Hungary [now Austria]. She was an actress. She died on 14 January 1985 in New York City, New York, USA.- Actor
- Writer
- Composer
Robert T. Odeman was born on 30 November 1904 in Blankenese, Hamburg, Germany. He was an actor and writer, known for Bitte umblättern (1965), Zwischen Nylon und Chemnitz (1952) and Heidenovelle (1937). He died on 14 January 1985 in Berlin, Germany.- Allan Shivers was born on 5 October 1907 in Lufkin, Texas, USA. He was an actor, known for Lucy Gallant (1955). He was married to Marialice Shary. He died on 14 January 1985 in Austin, Texas, USA.
- René Novan was born on 17 January 1895 in Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France. He was an actor, known for Son dernier Noël (1952), Le Prince de Madrid (1967) and Bach détective (1936). He died on 14 January 1985 in Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône, France.
- Jane Connard was born on 27 March 1907 in Wymondham, Norfolk, England, UK. She was an actress, known for Master Peter's Puppet Show (1938). She died on 14 January 1985 in Brightlingsea, Essex, England, UK.
- Gisken Wildenvey was born on 23 March 1892 in Vågan, Lofoten, Norway. She was a writer, known for Andrine og Kjell (1952). She was married to Herman Wildenvey. She died on 14 January 1985 in Larvik, Norway.
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Actress
- Production Designer
Darleen Engle was born on 2 February 1936 in Harris County, Texas, USA. She was an actress and production designer, known for South Pacific (1958), The Dukes of Hazzard (1979) and Knots Landing (1979). She was married to William Brian Hollman, William F.rancis King, Russ Mayberry and Stephan Douglas Shearer. She died on 14 January 1985 in Santa Monica, California, USA.- Actor
- Soundtrack
Karl Schmitt-Walter was born on 23 December 1900 in Germersheim, Germany. He was an actor, known for The Way to Freedom (1941), Eine kleine Sommermelodie (1944) and Sechs Tage Heimaturlaub (1941). He was married to Linda Engel and Bertl Wind. He died on 14 January 1985 in Kreuth, Germany.