Marion Byron (born Miriam Bilenkin; 1911 – 1985) was an American movie comedian.

Early years

Born in

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...

, Byron was one of five daughters of Louis and Bertha Bilenkin.

Career

After following her sister into a short stage career as a singer/dancer, she was given her first movie role as

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

's leading lady in the film ''

Steamboat Bill, Jr. ''Steamboat Bill, Jr.'' is a 1928 silent comedy film starring Buster Keaton. Released by United Artists, the film is the final product of Keaton's independent production team and set of gag writers. It was not a box-office success and became th ...

'' in 1928. From there she was hired by

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...

to co-star in short subjects with

Max Davidson Max Davidson (May 23, 1875 – September 4, 1950) was a German-American film actor known for his comedic Jewish persona during the silent film era. With a career spanning over thirty years, Davidson appeared in over 180 films. Career Born ...

Edgar Kennedy Edgar Livingston Kennedy (April 26, 1890 – November 9, 1948) was an American comedic character actor who appeared in at least 500 films during the silent and sound eras. Professionally, he was known as "Slow Burn", owing to his ability to por ...

, and

Charley Chase Charles Joseph Parrott (October 20, 1893 – June 20, 1940), known professionally as Charley Chase, was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director. He worked for many pioneering comedy studios but is chiefly associated with pro ...

, but most significantly with

Anita Garvin Anita Garvin (born Anna Frances Garvin; February 11, 1906 – July 7, 1994) was a tall American stage performer and film actress who worked in both the silent and sound eras."California Death Index, 1940-1997", Anita Garvin Stanley, February 1 ...

, where tiny (4'11" in high heels) Marion was teamed with the 5'9" Garvin for a brief three-film series as a "female

Laurel & Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–1957). Starting their career as a duo in t ...

" in 1928–1929. She left the Roach studio before it made talking comedies, then worked in musical features, like the

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one ...

film ''

Broadway Babies ''Broadway Babies'', aka ''Broadway Daddies'' (UK) and ''Ragazze d'America'' (Italy), is a 1929 all-talking Pre-Code black and white American musical film produced and distributed by First National Pictures, a subsidiary of Warner Brothers. The ...

'' (1929) with

Alice White Alice White (born Alva White; August 25, 1904Katz, Ephraim (1979). ''The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume''. Perigee Books. , pg. 1228. – February 19, 1983) was an American film ac ...

, and the early

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

feature ''

Golden Dawn Golden Dawn or The Golden Dawn may refer to: Organizations * Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a nineteenth century magical order based in Britain ** The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc., a modern revival founded in 1977 ** Open Source ...

'' (1930). Her parts slowly got smaller until they were unbilled walk-ons in movies like '' Meet the Baron'' (1933), starring Jack Pearl and ''

Hips Hips Hooray ''Hips, Hips, Hooray!'' is a 1934 American Pre-Code slapstick comedy starring Bert Wheeler, Robert Woolsey, Ruth Etting, Thelma Todd, and Dorothy Lee. During its initial theatrical run, it was preceded by the two-color Technicolor short ''Not To ...

'' (1934) with Wheeler & Woolsey; she returned to the Hal Roach studio for a bit part in the

short ''It Happened One Day'' (1934). Her final screen appearance was as a baby nurse to the

Dionne Quintuplets The Dionne quintuplets (; born May 28, 1934) are the first quintuplets known to have survived their infancy. The identical girls were born just outside Callander, Ontario, near the village of Corbeil. All five survived to adulthood. The Di ...

in ''

Five of a Kind Five of a kind may refer to: * Five of a kind (poker) In poker, players form sets of five playing cards, called ''hands'', according to the rules of the game. Each hand has a rank, which is compared against the ranks of other hands participati ...

'' (1938).

Family

Byron is buried at

Hillside Memorial Park The Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary is a Jewish cemetery located at 6001 West Centinela Avenue, in Culver City, California. Many Jews from the entertainment industry are buried here. The cemetery is known for Al Jolson's elaborate tomb (desi ...

in Culver City, California.Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (1938) * '' Swellhead'' (1935) * '' Gift of Gab'' (1934) * ''It Happened One Day'' (1934) * '' Hips, Hips, Hooray!'' (1933) * '' Only Yesterday'' (1933) * '' Meet the Baron'' (1933) * ''Husbands’ Reunion'' (1933) * '' College Humor'' (1933) * '' Melody Cruise'' (1933) * '' Breed of the Border'' (1933) * '' The Crime of the Century'' (1933) * ''The Curse of a Broken Heart'' (1933) * '' Lucky Devils'' (1933) * '' Trouble in Paradise'' (1932) * ''

They Call It Sin ''They Call It Sin'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Thornton Freeland and starring Loretta Young as a farmer's daughter who follows a traveling salesman to New York City, only to discover he already is engaged. Plot Small-to ...

'' (1932) * '' Love Me Tonight'' (1933) * ''The Hollywood Handicap'' (1932) * '' Week Ends Only'' (1932) * '' The Tenderfoot'' (1932) * '' The Heart of New York '' (1932) * ''Running Hollywood'' (1932) * '' Working Girls'' (1931) * '' Children of Dreams'' (1931) * '' Girls Demand Excitement'' (1931) * '' The Bad Man'' (1930) * '' The Matrimonial Bed'' (1930) * ''

'' (1930) * '' Song of the West'' (1930) * ''

Playing Around ''Playing Around'' is a 1930 American pre-Code drama film with songs, starring Alice White, Chester Morris and William Bakewell. It was adapted from the story "Sheba", written by Viña Delmar. The film was produced and distributed by First Nat ...

'' (1930) * '' Show of Shows'' (1929) * '' The Forward Pass'' (1929) - Mazie * '' So Long Letty'' (1929) * ''Social Sinners'' (1929) * ''

'' (1929) * ''The Unkissed Man'' (1929) * ''

His Captive Woman ''His Captive Woman'' is a 1929 American part-talking drama film directed by George Fitzmaurice and starring Milton Sills and Dorothy Mackaill. This film is "based on the short story "Changeling" by Donn Byrne in ''Changeling and Other Stories' ...

'' (1929) * ''A Pair of Tights'' (1929) * ''Going Ga–Ga'' (1929) * '' Is Everybody Happy?'' (1929) * ''Feed’em and Weep'' (1928) * ''The Boy Friend'' (1928) * '' Plastered in Paris'' (1928) * ''

'' (1928)

References

External links

* * * 1911 births 1985 deaths American film actresses American silent film actresses Actresses from Dayton, Ohio 20th-century American actresses Hal Roach Studios short film series Burials at Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery Comedians from Ohio 20th-century American comedians {{US-comedian-stub