Marian Nixon (born Marja Nissinen; October 20, 1904 – February 13, 1983) was an American film actress. Sometimes credited as Marion Nixon, she appeared in more than 70 films.

Career

Born in

Superior, Wisconsin Superior (; ) is a city in Douglas County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,751 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the western end of Lake Superior in northwestern Wisconsin, the city l ...

, in 1904, to parents of Finnish descent, Nixon began her career as a teen dancing in choruses in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

. She began appearing in bit part in films in 1922 and landed her first substantial role in the 1923 film '' Cupid's Fireman'' opposite

Buck Jones Buck Jones (born Charles Frederick Gebhart; December 12, 1891 – November 30, 1942) was an American actor, known for his work in many popular Western movies. In his early film appearances, he was credited as Charles Jones. Early life, milit ...

. The following year, she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star. Nixon continued to work steadily throughout the mid to late 1920s appearing in ''

Riders of the Purple Sage ''Riders of the Purple Sage'' is a Western novel by Zane Grey, first published by Harper & Brothers in 1912. Considered by scholars to have played a significant role in shaping the formula of the popular Western genre, the novel has been calle ...

'' (1925), '' Hands Up!'' (1926), and ''

The Chinese Parrot ''The Chinese Parrot'' (1926) is the second novel in the Charlie Chan series of mystery novels by Earl Derr Biggers and is the first in which Chan travels from Hawaii to mainland California. The story concerns a valuable string of pearls whic ...

'' (1927). In 1929, she made her

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 ...

debut as the lead in ''Geraldine''. Later that same year, Nixon appeared opposite

Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Asa Yoelson, ; May 26, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-born American singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. Self-billed as "The World's Greatest Entertainer," Jolson was one of the United States' most famous and ...

in '' Say It with Songs'' followed by '' General Crack'' in 1930. In 1931, Nixon's Beauty Arts Institute moved into the Equitable Building of Hollywood; Nixon was president of the company. In 1932, she starred as Rebecca in the film adaption of '' Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm'' with

Ralph Bellamy Ralph Rexford Bellamy (June 17, 1904 – November 29, 1991) was an American actor whose career spanned 65 years on stage, film, and television. During his career, he played leading roles as well as supporting roles, garnering acclaim and award ...

. Following the release of ''Rebecca'', Nixon co-starred in '' Winner Take All'' with

James Cagney James Francis Cagney Jr. (; July 17, 1899March 30, 1986) was an American actor and dancer. On stage and in film, he was known for his consistently energetic performances, distinctive vocal style, and deadpan comic timing. He won acclaim and maj ...

. The next year she had a supporting role in

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

's ''

Pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

''. In 1934, Nixon attempted to change her wholesome image with a role in the comedy ''We're Rich Again''. The film was not a success and, after appearing in eight more films, Nixon retired from acting in 1936. She made her last film, '' Captain Calamity,'' at the age of 32.

Personal life

Nixon was married four times. She married boxer Joseph Benjamin in 1925, but they divorced two years later. Then, on August 11, 1929, Nixon married

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

department store heir Edward Hillman Jr. at his parents' home. That union ended in 1933. The following year, Nixon wed director

William A. Seiter William Alfred Seiter (June 10, 1890 – July 26, 1964) was an American film director. Life and career Seiter was born in New York City. After attending Hudson River Military Academy, Seiter broke into films in 1915 as a bit player at Mack Senn ...

with whom she had worked on the film '' We're Rich Again''. Their marriage lasted until Seiter's death in 1964 and produced three children: Christopher Seiter, Selena, and Jessica. Finally, on April 1, 1972, in Los Angeles, she married actor/producer

Ben Lyon Ben Lyon (February 6, 1901 – March 22, 1979) was an American film actor and a studio executive at 20th Century-Fox who later acted in British radio, films and TV. Early life and career Lyon was born in Atlanta, Georgia, the son of Alvine W ...

, although her obituary in the ''Chicago Tribune'' reports that she married Lyon in 1971. Her grandsons are the screenwriters

Ted Griffin Ted Griffin (born December 21, 1970) is an American screenwriter whose credits include '' Ravenous'', '' Rumor Has It'', and '' Ocean's Eleven''. Born in Pasadena, California, Griffin graduated from Colgate University in 1993. While attending u ...

and Nicholas Griffin, the sons of a daughter Nixon had with husband William Seiter.

Death

Nixon died at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a non-profit, Tertiary referral hospital, tertiary, 915-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science centre, academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars ...

of complications following open heart surgery on February 13, 1983, and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California.

Recognition

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Nixon has a star on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

at 1724

Vine Street Vine Street is a street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, that runs north–south between Franklin Avenue, Los Angeles, and Melrose Avenue. The intersection of Hollywood and Vine being symbolic of Hollywood itself. The intersection has be ...

in Los Angeles, California. It was dedicated on February 8, 1960.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Photographs of Marian Nixon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nixon, Marian 1904 births 1983 deaths People from Superior, Wisconsin American people of Finnish descent Actresses from Wisconsin American film actresses American silent film actresses Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) American vaudeville performers Western (genre) film actresses American television actresses American female dancers American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American dancers