Partners Trust Santa Monica Susan Kastne

When her sister Reine adopted the stage name of Davies after seeing a real estate billboard advertisement, Marion followed suit. As a teenager, Marion left school to pursue a career as a showgirl. ĭavies struggled with her stutter as a child, and convinced her mother to let her leave school early due to the torment of her classmates and teachers. Her family was close friends with architect Stanford White, and Davies grew up learning about the Evelyn Nesbit sex scandal. Educated in the Sacred Heart religious convent near the Hudson River and later a religious convent near Tours, France, Davies was uninterested in her academic studies and very unhappy as a child supervised by Catholic nuns. The Douras family lived near Prospect Park in Brooklyn. His name was subsequently given to Davies' nephew, screenwriter Charles Lederer, the son of Davies' sister Reine Davies. She had three older sisters, Ethel, Rose, and Reine. Her father performed the civil marriage of socialite Gloria Gould Bishop. Douras, a lawyer and judge in New York City and Rose Reilly. Marion Cecilia Douras was born on January 3, 1897, in Brooklyn, the youngest of five children born to Bernard J. In his final years, Welles attempted to correct the widespread misconceptions the film had created about Davies's popularity and talents as an actress. However, many commentators, including writer-director Orson Welles, defended Davies's record as a gifted actress and comedienne to whom Hearst's patronage did more harm than good.

The title character's second wife-an untalented singer whom he tries to promote-was widely assumed to be based upon Davies. īy the time of her death, her popular association with the character of Susan Alexander Kane in the film Citizen Kane (1941) already overshadowed Davies' legacy as a talented actress. Their marriage lasted until Davies' death at 64 from malignant osteomyelitis (bone cancer) of the jaw in 1961. Įleven weeks after Hearst's death, she married sea captain Horace Brown. In Hearst's declining years, Davies remained his steadfast companion until his death in 1951. She retired from the screen in 1937 to devote herself to an ailing Hearst and charitable work. įollowing the decline of her film career during the Great Depression, Davies struggled with alcoholism. However, in 1924, her name became linked with scandal when film producer Thomas Ince died at a party aboard Hearst's yacht. During the zenith of the Jazz Age, Davies became renowned as the hostess of lavish soirees for Hollywood actors and political elites. By 1924, Davies was the number one female box office star in Hollywood because of the popularity of When Knighthood Was in Flower and Little Old New York, which were among the biggest box-office hits of their respective years. He founded Cosmopolitan Pictures to produce her films. Hearst financed Davies's pictures and promoted her career extensively in his newspapers and Hearst newsreels. Hearst took over management of Davies's career and promoted her as a film actress.

While performing in the 1916 Follies, the nineteen-year-old Marion met the fifty-three-year-old newspaper tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, and became his mistress. She soon became a featured performer in the Ziegfeld Follies. As a teenager, she appeared in several Broadway musicals and one film, Runaway Romany (1917). Educated in a religious convent, Davies fled the school to pursue a career as a chorus girl. Marion Davies (born Marion Cecilia Douras Janu– September 22, 1961) was an American actress, producer, screenwriter, and philanthropist. Please be sure to check the Privacy Policies of these sites as well as their 'Terms of Service' before engaging in any business or uploading any information.William Randolph Hearst (1917–1951 his death) Please be also aware that when you leave our website, other sites may have different privacy policies and terms which are beyond our control. Site owners and content may change without notice and may occur before we have the opportunity to remove a link which may have gone 'bad'. These links to other websites do not imply a recommendation for all the content found on these sites. While we strive to provide only quality links to useful and ethical websites, we have no control over the content and nature of these sites. Fsk hub will not be liable for any losses and/or damages in connection with the use of our website.įrom our website, you can visit other websites by following hyperlinks to such external sites. Any action you take upon the information you find on this website (Fsk hub), is strictly at your own risk.

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Partners Trust Santa Monica Susan Kastne