Roxana McGowan (March 15, 1897 – November 22, 1976), born in

Chicago, Illinois 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 ...

, was an actress in

Mack Sennett Mack Sennett (born Michael Sinnott; January 17, 1880 – November 5, 1960) was a Canadian-American producer, director, actor, and studio head who was known as the "King of Comedy" during his career. Born in Danville, Quebec, he started acting i ...

comedies in the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era. Her screen career was brief, lasting from 1917–1919.

Movie comic

''Her Screen Idol'' (1918) stars

Ford Sterling Ford Sterling (born George Stitch; November 3, 1883 – October 13, 1939) was an American comedian and actor best known for his work with Keystone Studios. One of the 'Big 4', he was the original chief of the Keystone Cops. Early years Sterli ...

and

Louise Fazenda Louise Fazenda (June 17, 1895 – April 17, 1962) was an American film actress, appearing chiefly in silent comedy films. Early life Fazenda was born in her maternal grandparents' house in Lafayette, Indiana, the daughter of merchandise bro ...

. McGowan has fourth billing as ''A Society Daughter''. The comedy is somewhat different than others released previously by Sennett. The motion picture satirizes the matinee idol, the character played by Sterling. He depicts an individual with small vanities who covets adulation. McGowan more than twenty motion picture credits include ''Villa of the Movies'' (1917), ''The Summer Girls'' (1918), ''Two Tough Tenderfeet'' (1918), ''She Loved Him Plenty'' (1918), and ''When Love Is Blind'' (1919). The latter is an uncredited role.

Marriages and family

McGowan's parents were Major and Mrs. L. McGowan.''Film Couple Combine Trip With Honeymoon'',

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

, November 3, 1931, Page A6. McGowan was married to actor and director

Albert Ray Albert Ray (August 28, 1897 – February 5, 1944) was an American film director, actor, and screenwriter. He directed more than 70 films between 1920 and 1939. He also appeared in 18 films between 1915 and 1922. He was born in New Rochelle ...

in July 1919. In 1931 she wed

John M. Stahl John Malcolm Stahl (January 21, 1886 – January 12, 1950) was a Russian-born American film director and producer. He is best known for his films such as ''Leave Her to Heaven'' (1945), '' Imitation of Life'' (1934), ''The Keys of the Kingdom ...

, a noted film director. She had two children by her first marriage, Albert and Roxana. McGowan and Stahl first met at the Tiffany movie studio. Stahl was a former director at

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 and television production and distribution company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Metro ...

and had been a production organizer when the company was known as Tiffany-Stahl Productions. In 1949 McGowan resided in

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

. She hosted the wedding of her daughter, Roxana Ray Stahl, when Stahl wed Daniel Steen Fletcher, Jr., in August 1949. The marriage ceremony was conducted at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

. The wedding reception was held in

Bel Air, California Bel Air (or Bel-Air) is a residential neighborhood on the Los Angeles Westside, in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains in the U.S. state of California. Together with Beverly Hills and Holmby Hills, Bel Air forms the Platinum Triangle ...

at the home of John Malcolm Stahl.''Roxana Ray Stahl Becomes Bride of D.S. Fletcher, Jr. in St. Alban's'', August 22, 1949, Page B1. Roxana McGowan died in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

in 1976, of chronic

arteriosclerosis Arteriosclerosis, literally meaning "hardening of the arteries", is an umbrella term for a vascular disorder characterized by abnormal thickening, hardening, and loss of elasticity of the walls of arteries; this process gradually restricts th ...

Selected filmography

*'' Are Waitresses Safe?'' (1917)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGowan, Roxana American film actresses American women comedians American silent film actresses Actresses from Chicago 1897 births 1976 deaths 20th-century American actresses Comedians from Chicago 20th-century American comedians