jeanne eagels

Boston, Massachusetts Died October 3, 1929 (aged 35)

New York City, New York Spouse(s) Edward Harris Coy (1925-1928)

Jeanne Eagels (June 26, 1894 – October 3, 1929) was an actress on Broadway and in several motion pictures. She was a former Ziegfeld Follies Girl who went on to greater fame on Broadway and in the emerging medium of "talkies" (films with sound).

She was posthumously considered for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her 1929 role in The Letter after dying suddenly that year at the age of 35. That nomination was not only the first posthumous Oscar consideration for any actor, male or female; it was also the first time any woman had been considered for a posthumous Oscar in any competitive category.[1] Contents [hide] 1 Biography 2 Early stage work 3 Marriage 4 Later career 5 Death and legacy 6 References 7 External links //

Biography

Amelia Jeannine Eagles Born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 26, 1894. At the age of two, her family relocated to Kansas City, Missouri. She attended St. Joseph's parochial school and Morris Public School. She quit school shortly after her first communion to work as a cash girl in a department store. It was in Kansas City that she began her acting career, appearing in a variety of small venues at a very young age. She left Kansas City around the age of 15 and toured the Midwest with the Dubinsky Brothers' traveling theater show (the same Dubinsky family whose descendants would later found AMC Theatres). At first she was a dancer, but in time she went on to play the leading lady in several popular comedies and dramas put on by the Dubinskys. She married Morris Dubinsky, who frequently played villan roles. It is unconfirmed, but the couple may have had a son adopted by family friends. Because she often made up stories about herself, her family and her upbringing, factual information about Eagels' early life is practically nonexistent.

Around 1911, she came to New York City to advance her acting career. Because of the stiff competition for parts, once again she had to work her way up from the chorus. Even in the chorus line she excelled and she eventually became a Ziegfeld Follies Girl. During this period, one of her acting coaches was Beverly Sitgreaves, who had once shared the stage with the great French actress Sarah Bernhardt. Eagels was in the supporting cast of Mind The Paint Girl at the Lyceum Theatre in September 1912. The play featured Billie Burke and William Raymond.

She changed the spelling of her surname to "Eagels," allegedly because this spelling looked better in lights. Although she struggled for recognition as a dramatic actress, her beauty, talent,