Dorothy Janis (born Dorothy Penelope Jones, February 19, 1912 – March 10, 2010) was an American actress.

Early life

Born as Dorothy Penelope Jones in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

, her short film career began when she was visiting a cousin, who was working on a film for

Fox Film Corporation The Fox Film Corporation (also known as Fox Studios) was an American independent company that produced motion pictures and was formed in 1914 by the theater "chain" pioneer William Fox (producer), William Fox. It was the corporate successor to ...

in 1927. Her beauty was noticed at once and she was asked to make a

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. It is typically a secondary or later stage in the audition process. The performer is generally given a scene, or sel ...

. Janis went on to make six films: five silents and one

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

Film career

Janis' only talkie film was ''Lummox'' (1930) based on the Fannie Hurst novel. This film, released by

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

, now only exists as a single nitrate print at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

. Janis was best known for playing opposite

Ramon Novarro Ramón Gil Samaniego (February 6, 1899 – October 30, 1968), known professionally as Ramon Novarro, was a Mexican actor. He began his career in American silent films in 1917 and eventually became a leading man and one of the top box-offic ...

in the MGM film '' The Pagan'' (1929), for which MGM publicity portrayed her as half-

Cherokee The Cherokee (; , or ) people are one of the Indigenous peoples of the Southeastern Woodlands of the United States. Prior to the 18th century, they were concentrated in their homelands, in towns along river valleys of what is now southwestern ...

. ''The Pagan'', directed by W. S. Van Dyke, was a part-sound film, with music and

sound effects A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In m ...

only, and featured "Pagan Love Song" on the soundtrack.

Retirement, marriage, and later life

Janis retired in 1930 and married bandleader Wayne King in 1932. The vice president of the Music Corporation of America, W. H. Stein, was best man. Janis and King were married for 53 years, until King's death in 1985. She lived in Paradise Valley, Arizona, from 2004 up until her death on March 10, 2010, at the age of 98. She was one of the last survivors of the silent screen era. She had a son, Wayne, and a daughter, Penny Pape. She was interred in the All Saints Episcopal Church Cemetery in Phoenix, Arizona.

Selected filmography

* '' Camille of the Barbary Coast'' (1925) *''

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent and United States Army, U.S. Army officer. He became an American frontier legend in his own lifetime ...

'' (

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

, 1928) *'' Fleetwing'' (

, 1928) *'' The Overland Telegraph'' (

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. 1929) *'' The Pagan'' (MGM, 1929) *''

Lummox A lummox is a clumsy or stupid person. Lummox may also refer to: * ''Lummox'', a 1923 novel by Fannie Hurst * ''Lummox'' (film), a 1930 film adaptation of the novel * Lummox, the title character of the 1954 novel '' The Star Beast'' by Robert ...

'' (

, 1930)

References

External links

*
Dorothy Janis
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Janis, Dorothy 1912 births 2010 deaths American silent film actresses Actresses from Dallas People from Paradise Valley, Arizona 20th-century American actresses American film actresses Actresses from Arizona 21st-century American women Actors from Maricopa County, Arizona