Early life
Frances Howard McLaughlin was born in Kansas City, Kansas, or Omaha, Nebraska, in 1903 to Helen Victoria (née Howard) and Charles Douglas McLaughlin. She was raised as a Catholic. Her mother, nicknamed "Bonnie", had been raised a Quaker but converted to Catholicism, predeceasing her daughter by only five years. Her father was reportedly a grandson of Irish nationalist politician Daniel O'Connell. Howard had two sisters and a brother.Career
Howard began her professional career at age 16 with a Repertory theatre, stock theater company. When she was 21, Howard portrayed a flapper on Broadway in ''The Intimate Stranger''. She followed that part with another flapper role in ''The Best People''. Paramount signed her to a five-year contract, and she co-starred in the film ''The Swan''. She also appeared in ''Too Many Kisses'' (1925). She had the contract canceled when she decided to marry.Personal life
Howard married Samuel Goldwyn, more than two decades her senior, on April 23, 1925. They remained married until Goldwyn's death on January 31, 1974. They had one son, Samuel Goldwyn Jr.; their grandsons are actorsDeath
On July 2, 1976, at the age of 73, Howard died in Beverly Hills, California more than a year after being diagnosed with advanced cancer, for which she refused treatment which would have required invasive and disfiguring surgery. She was interred next to her husband at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale.Filmography
Howard made four films between 1925 and 1935: * ''Too Many Kisses'' (1925) as Yvonne Hurja * ''The Swan (1925 film), The Swan'' (1925) as Alexandra, The Swan * ''The Shock Punch'' (1925) as Dorothy Clark * ''Mary Burns, Fugitive'' (1935) as LandladyLegacy
The Hollywood Branch Library in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles is named for Howard and acts as an archival repository for many History of film, film history collections. The library was funded by Samuel Goldwyn#The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation, The Samuel Goldwyn Foundation in 1982 after the predecessor building was destroyed in an arson fire.References
External links
* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Frances 1903 births 1976 deaths American people of Irish descent American film actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from Omaha, Nebraska Catholics from Nebraska Catholics from California People from Greater Los Angeles Deaths from cancer in California Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) 20th-century American actresses Goldwyn family University of Nebraska alumni