Agnes Ayres (born Agnes Henkel; April 4, 1896 – December 25, 1940) was an American actress who rose to fame during the

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

era. She was known for her role as Lady Diana Mayo in '' The Sheik'' opposite Rudolph Valentino.

Career

Ayres began her career in 1914 when she was noticed by an Essanay Studios staff director and cast as an

extra Extra or Xtra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * ''Extra'' (newspaper), a Brazilian newspaper * ''Extra!'', an American me ...

in a crowd scene. After moving to Manhattan, New York City with her mother to pursue a career in acting, Ayres was spotted by actress Alice Joyce. Joyce noticed the physical resemblance the two shared which eventually led to Ayres being cast in ''Richard the Brazen'' (1917), as Joyce's character's sister. Ayres' career began to gain momentum when Paramount Pictures founder Jesse Lasky began to take an interest in her. Lasky gave her a starring role in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

drama ''Held by the Enemy'' (1920), and also lobbied for parts for her in several

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...

productions. During this period Ayres began a romance with Lasky. Agnes Ayres 002

In 1921, Ayres shot to stardom when she was cast as Lady Diana Mayo, an English heiress, opposite " Latin lover" Rudolph Valentino in '' The Sheik''. Ayres later reprised her role as Lady Diana in the 1926 sequel '' The Son of the Sheik''. Following the release of ''The Sheik'', she went on to have major roles in many other films including ''

The Affairs of Anatol ''The Affairs of Anatol'' is a 1921 American silent comedy-drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille, starring Wallace Reid and Gloria Swanson. The film is based on the 1893 play '' Anatol'' by Arthur Schnitzler. Plot Socialite Anatol Spencer ...

'' (1921) starring Wallace Reid, ''

Forbidden Fruit Forbidden fruit is a name given to the fruit growing in the Garden of Eden which God commands mankind not to eat. In the biblical story, Adam and Eve eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and are exiled from Eden. As a ...

'' (1921), and Cecil B. DeMille's ''

The Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments ( Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...

'' (1923). Agnes Ayres

By 1923, Ayres' career began to wane following the end of her relationship with Jesse Lasky. She married Mexican diplomat S. Manuel Reachi in 1924. The couple had a daughter, before divorcing in 1927. Ayres lost her fortune and real estate holdings in the

Wall Street Crash of 1929 The Wall Street Crash of 1929, also known as the Great Crash, was a major American stock market crash that occurred in the autumn of 1929. It started in September and ended late in October, when share prices on the New York Stock Exchange coll ...

. That same year, she also appeared in her last major role in ''The Donovan Affair'', starring Jack Holt. To earn money, she left acting and played the

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

circuit. She returned to acting in 1936, confident that she could make a comeback — but, unable to secure starring roles, and somewhat overweight, Ayres appeared in mostly uncredited bit parts and finally retired from acting for good in 1937.

Later years and death

After her retirement, Ayres became despondent and was eventually committed to a

sanatorium A sanatorium (from Latin '' sānāre'' 'to heal, make healthy'), also sanitarium or sanitorium, are antiquated names for specialised hospitals, for the treatment of specific diseases, related ailments and convalescence. Sanatoriums are often ...

. In 1939, she also lost custody of her daughter to Reachi. She died from a cerebral hemorrhage on December 25, 1940, at her home in

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

, at the age of 48; she had been ill for several weeks. She is interred at

Hollywood Forever Cemetery Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a full-service cemetery, funeral home, crematory, and cultural events center which regularly hosts community events such as live music and summer movie screenings. It is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angel ...

. In 1960, Ayres was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a motion pictures star at 6504

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

for her contributions to the film industry. Her daughter Maria Reachi had a small part in the movie '' East Side, West Side'' (1949).Kevin Sweeney, ''James Mason: A Bio-bibliography'' (Greenwood Publishing, 1999)
p. 118
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Selected filmography

References

External links

* * *
Photographs and literature at Virtual History
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayres, Agnes Actresses from Illinois American silent film actresses American film actresses Burials at Hollywood Forever Cemetery People from Carbondale, Illinois Vaudeville performers 1890s births 1940 deaths 20th-century American actresses

Career

Later years and death

Selected filmography

Further reading

References

External links