Pauline Frederick (born Pauline Beatrice Libbey, August 12, 1883 – September 19, 1938) was an American stage and film actress.

Early life

Frederick was born Pauline Beatrice Libbey (later changed to Libby) in Boston in 1883 (some sources state 1884 or 1885), the only child of Richard O. and Loretta C. Libbey. Her father worked as a yardmaster for the Old Colony Railroad before becoming a salesman. Her parents separated when she was a toddler and Frederick was raised primarily by her mother to whom she remained close for the remainder of her life (her parents divorced around 1897). As a girl, she was fascinated with show business, and determined early to place her goals in the direction of the theater. She studied acting, singing and dancing at Miss Blanchard's Finishing School in Boston where she later graduated. Her father, however, discouraged her ambitions to be an actress and encouraged her to become an

elocution Elocution is the study of formal speaking in pronunciation, grammar, style, and tone as well as the idea and practice of effective speech and its forms. It stems from the idea that while communication is symbolic, sounds are final and compelli ...

teacher. After pursuing a career as an actress, her father disinherited her (he died in 1922). Due to her father's attitude towards her acting career, Pauline adopted the surname "Frederick" as her stage name. She legally changed her name to Pauline Frederick in 1908.

Career

She made her stage debut at the age of 17 as a chorus girl in the farce ''The Rogers Brothers at Harvard'', but was fired shortly thereafter. She won other small roles on the stage before being discovered by illustrator

Harrison Fisher Harrison Fisher (July 27, 1875 or 1877 – January 19, 1934) was an American illustrator. Career Fisher was born in Brooklyn, New York City and began to draw at an early age. Both his father and his grandfather were artists.Harrison & Carrin ...

who called her "the purest American beauty." With Fisher's help, she landed more substantial stage roles. Nicknamed "The Girl with the Topaz Eyes", Fredrick was cast in the lead roles in the touring productions of ''The Little Gray Lady'' and ''The Girl in White'' in 1906. She briefly retired from acting after her first marriage in 1909, but returned to the stage in January 1913 in ''Joseph and His Brethren''. A well-known stage star, Frederick was already in her 30s when she made her film debut in 1915 as Donna Roma in '' The Eternal City''. In March 1927, she received some of her better reviews when she appeared in the play ''Madame X'' in London. Frederick was able to make a successful transition to " talkies" in 1929, and was cast as

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, ncertain year from 1904 to 1908was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion pict ...

's mother in '' This Modern Age'' (1931). Frederick did not like acting in sound films and returned to Broadway in 1932 in ''When the Bough Breaks''. She would continue the remainder of her career appearing in films and also touring in stage productions in the United States, Europe and Australia.

Personal life

Frederick's personal life was beset with marital and financial problems. Despite having reportedly made a million dollars for her work in silent films, Frederick filed for bankruptcy in 1933. Frederick was married five times. In 1909, she married architect Frank Mills Andrews. Frederick then briefly retired from acting after their daughter Pauline was born in 1910, but returned upon divorcing Andrews in 1913. She married her second husband, playwright Willard Mack, on September 27, 1917. They divorced in August 1920. Her third husband was Dr. Charles A. Rutherford, a physician, whom she married in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the 13th-m ...

in 1922. Frederick filed for divorce in December 1924. Their divorce was finalized on January 6, 1925. It was around this time that the then 43-year-old first met the much younger

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...

, then a struggling actor, with whom she allegedly had a two-year affair. Frederick married her fourth husband, millionaire hotel and Interstate News Company owner Hugh Chisholm Leighton (1878-1942) on April 20, 1930 in New York City. Leighton had the marriage annulled in December 1930 claiming that he was Frederick's husband "in name only". Frederick's fifth marriage, in January 1934, was to an ailing United States Army colonel, Joseph A. Marmon, commander of the 16th Infantry Regiment. They remained married until Marmon's death on December 4, 1934.

Death

On January 17, 1936, Frederick underwent emergency surgery on her abdomen. Her health steadily declined, which limited her ability to work. She was dealt a further blow when her mother died in 1937. On September 16, 1938, Frederick suffered an

asthma attack Asthma is a long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wheezing, cou ...

. She suffered a second, fatal asthma attack on September 19, 1938 while she was recuperating at her aunt's home in Beverly Hills. According to her wishes, a private funeral was held on September 23, 1938 in Hollywood, after which she was buried at

Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery Grand View Memorial Park and Crematory is a historic cemetery located in Glendale, California, Glendale, California, in the United States. Established in 1884 as Glendale Cemetery, it changed its name to Grand View Memorial Park in 1919. The ceme ...

Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from 191,719 at the 2010 census, making it the fourth-larges ...

. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Pauline Frederick has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

at 7000 Hollywood Boulevard.

Filmography

Early life

Career

Personal life

Death

Filmography

References

External links