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After her are Simone Ashley, Grant Show, Sara Martins, Anne Dorval, Logan Marshall-Green, and Jonathan Togo.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1893, Leatrice Joy ranks 261.

Leatrice Joy (born Leatrice Johanna Zeidler; November 7, 1893 – May 13, 1985) was an American actress most prolific during the silent film era.

Leatrice Joy
BornLeatrice Johanna Zeidler

(1893-11-07)November 7, 1893

DiedMay 13, 1985(1985-05-13) (aged 91)

New York City, U.S.

Resting placeSaint Savior Episcopal Churchyard
Other namesBeatrice Joy
OccupationActress
Years active1915–1954
Spouse(s)

 

William S.

Hook

(m. Often playing career girls dressed in mannish suits, or sophisticated society girls, she is generally credited with starting the bobbed-hair craze in the 1920s. She retired shortly after the advent of sound, but made occasional appearances in small supporting roles over the years.

She tried out for the New Orleans-based Nola Film Company in 1915 and was hired as an actress.

Later, these foundations led to her key partnerships, including with Cecil B. DeMille at Paramount.[9]

Peak years with Cecil B. DeMille and Paramount

In 1922, Cecil B. DeMille signed Leatrice Joy to a contract with Paramount Pictures, where she quickly rose to become one of the studio's top players and a leading lady in high-profile silent films.[2] DeMille, recognizing her potential, immediately cast her in prominent roles that showcased her versatility, positioning her as a key figure in his lavish productions during the Jazz Age.[3] Her association with Paramount solidified her status as a box-office draw, often portraying strong-willed, independent women that resonated with audiences amid the era's cultural shifts toward modernity and female empowerment.[2]Joy's iconic performances during this period included the thrill-seeking socialite Iris Van Suydam in the high-society drama Saturday Night (1922), where she navigated romance and class tensions opposite Conrad Nagel.[3] She further embodied determined businesswomen, such as the efficient executive A.B.

Bancroft in The Clinging Vine (1926), a role that highlighted her boyish charm and professional acumen in a comedic exploration of gender roles.[10] In DeMille's epic The Ten Commandments (1923), Joy played Mary Leigh, the devoted love interest in the film's modern narrative segment, contributing to the production's blend of biblical spectacle and contemporary morality.[11] Her collaboration with DeMille extended to dramatic vehicles like Manslaughter (1922), in which she portrayed the reckless heiress Lydia Thorne, whose irresponsible actions lead to tragedy and redemption, demonstrating her range in intense, emotionally charged scenarios.[12]Joy's public image as Hollywood's most prominent Christian Scientist in the 1920s enhanced her appeal, often aligning with the moral undertones of her on-screen characters who grappled with ethical dilemmas and personal growth.[13] At the height of her fame, she enjoyed peak fan popularity among women viewers, who emulated her fashionable bobbed hairstyle and liberated persona, while her earnings surpassed those of contemporaries, including her husband, actor John Gilbert, whom she married briefly in 1922 before their divorce in 1924.[3] This era marked her as one of Paramount's elite stars, rivaling figures like Gloria Swanson in drawing crowds to theaters.[3]

Transition to sound films and career decline

The advent of sound films, heralded by the 1927 release of The Jazz Singer, profoundly disrupted the careers of many silent-era performers, including Leatrice Joy, whose strengths lay in visual expressiveness rather than vocal delivery.[3] Early sound tests revealed Joy's pronounced Southern accent—stemming from her New Orleans upbringing—as a liability in an industry favoring more neutral or polished voices for leading roles.[3] To address this, she toured vaudeville from 1929 to 1931 to train her voice.

She was interviewed in the television documentary series Hollywood: A Celebration of the American Silent Film (1980).[8]

Personal life

Joy was married three times and had one child. Before her are Reg E. Cathey (1958), Lois Wilson (1894), Noble Johnson (1881), Eric Fleming (1925), Proof (1973), and Ann Dvorak (1911).

Director Cecil B. DeMille took her under his wing and starred her in several of his films. Before her are Victor Verschueren, Harry Warren, Charles Portal, 1st Viscount Portal of Hungerford, Marie Pujmanová, Patricio Arabolaza, and Giovanni Scatturin. During her silent film career in the 1920s, she was Hollywood’s best known Christian Scientist.[18]

On May 13, 1985, Joy died from acute anemia at the High Ridge House Christian Science nursing home in Riverdale, Bronx, New York.[19][20] She was interred at the Saint Savior Episcopal Churchyard in Old Greenwich, Connecticut.[citation needed]

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Leatrice Joy has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6517 Hollywood Blvd.

After her are Mikhail Gromov, Nelson Riddle, Pál Teleki, Dinara Asanova, Carlos P. Romulo, and Patricia Roberts Harris.

Others Born in 1893

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Others Deceased in 1985

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Leatrice Joy ranks 10,641 out of 20,380.

Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in 23 different languages on Wikipedia. Joy’s third and final marriage was to former actor and electrical engineer Arthur Kem Westermark. She continued collaborating with figures like Tom Forman in transitional roles during this period, further solidifying her presence in West Coast productions.

He died in 1919 at age 51. After her are Grant Show (1962), Logan Marshall-Green (1976), Jonathan Togo (1977), Charles Dierkop (1936), Barry Shabaka Henley (1954), and Michael Dunn (1934).

American born Actors

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  • Reg E. Cathey

    1958 - 2018

    HPI: 52.18

    Rank: 3,161

  • Lois Wilson

    1894 - 1988

    HPI: 52.17

    Rank: 3,162

  • Noble Johnson

    1881 - 1978

    HPI: 52.17

    Rank: 3,163

  • Eric Fleming

    1925 - 1966

    HPI: 52.17

    Rank: 3,164

  • Proof

    1973 - 2006

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 3,165

  • Ann Dvorak

    1911 - 1979

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 3,166

  • Leatrice Joy

    1893 - 1985

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 3,167

  • Grant Show

    1962 - Present

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 3,168

  • Logan Marshall-Green

    1976 - Present

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 3,169

  • Jonathan Togo

    1977 - Present

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 3,170

  • Charles Dierkop

    1936 - 2024

    HPI: 52.15

    Rank: 3,171

  • Barry Shabaka Henley

    1954 - Present

    HPI: 52.15

    Rank: 3,172

  • Michael Dunn

    1934 - 1973

    HPI: 52.15

    Rank: 3,173

Leatrice Joy

Leatrice Joy (November 7, 1893 – May 13, 1985) was an American actress renowned for her prolific career in silent films, particularly during the 1920s, where she starred in nearly 50 features as a leading lady often portraying sophisticated society women or career girls.[1] Born Leatrice Joy Zeidler in New Orleans, Louisiana, she began her acting career in stock theater and made her film debut with the Nola Film Company in 1915, transitioning to Hollywood in 1917 as an extra before quickly rising to prominence.[2]Joy's breakthrough came after signing with Samuel Goldwyn Studios in 1917, where she appeared in The Pride of the Clan opposite Mary Pickford, and later collaborated with comedians like Billy West and Oliver Hardy in shorts.[3] Her most notable phase was under director Cecil B.

DeMille at Paramount Pictures, starring in acclaimed films such as Saturday Night (1922), Manslaughter (1922)—for which she received critical praise—and the epic The Ten Commandments (1923), where she played the role of Mary Leigh.[1][4] She continued with successful roles in The Ace of Hearts (1921) alongside Lon Chaney and Triumph (1924), pioneering trends like the bobbed hairstyle in cinema.[3]As the silent era waned, Joy transitioned to sound films, appearing in about 60 total productions from 1918 to 1951, including Show People (1928), Of Human Hearts (1938), First Love (1939), and her final role in Love Nest (1951).[1] Personally, she married actor John Gilbert in 1922, with whom she had a daughter, Leatrice Joy Gilbert Fountain (1924–2015), before their divorce in 1925; she later wed William Spencer Hook (1931–1944) and Arthur Kem Westermark (1945–1954).[3] Joy received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960 at 6517 Hollywood Boulevard.[2]

Early life

Birth and family background

Leatrice Joy was born Leatrice Johanna Zeidler on November 7, 1893, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to parents Edward Joseph Zeidler, a dentist of Austrian and French descent, and Mary Joy Crimens Zeidler, of German and Irish descent.[5] Her family background reflected the multicultural influences of the city's immigrant communities, with her father's profession providing a stable, middle-class upbringing in the vibrant Creole environment of late 19th-century New Orleans.[6]She had one sibling, a brother named Billy Zeidler, who later pursued a career in the film industry, working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios.[5] The Zeidler family's dynamics were shaped by health challenges; Edward Zeidler was diagnosed with tuberculosis during Leatrice's adolescence, forcing him to abandon his dental practice and contributing to financial strains.

Leatrice Joy is the 6,880th most popular actor (up from 6,975th in 2024), the 10,639th most popular biography from United States (down from 10,303rd in 2019) and the 3,166th most popular American Actor.

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Among ACTORS

Among actors, Leatrice Joy ranks 6,880 out of 13,578.

in Hollywood, California.[21]

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Net Worth

 

The Estimated Net worth is $80K – USD $85k.

Monthly Income/Salary (approx.)$80K – $85k USD
Net Worth (approx.)$4 million- $6 million USD

Leatrice Joy

ACTOR

1893 - 1985

Leatrice Joy

Leatrice Joy (born Leatrice Johanna Zeidler; November 7, 1893 – May 13, 1985) was an American actress most prolific during the silent film era.

After her are Alan Taylor (1959), Grant Show (1962), Rodney Stark (1934), Logan Marshall-Green (1976), Naomi Judd (1946), and Mike Conley Jr. (1987).

Others born in United States

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  • David Malpass

    POLITICIAN

    1956 - Present

    HPI: 52.17

    Rank: 10,635

  • Ed Powers

    PORNOGRAPHIC ACTOR

    1954 - Present

    HPI: 52.17

    Rank: 10,636

  • Vincent Persichetti

    COMPOSER

    1915 - 1987

    HPI: 52.17

    Rank: 10,637

  • Proof

    ACTOR

    1973 - 2006

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 10,638

  • Martin David Kruskal

    MATHEMATICIAN

    1925 - 2006

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 10,639

  • Ann Dvorak

    ACTOR

    1911 - 1979

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 10,640

  • Leatrice Joy

    ACTOR

    1893 - 1985

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 10,641

  • Alan Taylor

    FILM DIRECTOR

    1959 - Present

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 10,642

  • Grant Show

    ACTOR

    1962 - Present

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 10,643

  • Rodney Stark

    SOCIOLOGIST

    1934 - 2022

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 10,644

  • Logan Marshall-Green

    ACTOR

    1976 - Present

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 10,645

  • Naomi Judd

    SINGER

    1946 - 2022

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 10,646

  • Mike Conley Jr.

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    1987 - Present

    HPI: 52.16

    Rank: 10,647

Among ACTORS In United States

Among actors born in United States, Leatrice Joy ranks 3,167.

Before her are David Malpass (1956), Ed Powers (1954), Vincent Persichetti (1915), Proof (1973), Martin David Kruskal (1925), and Ann Dvorak (1911). Before her are Helmut Niedermayr, Fernando Pereira, Romolo Catasta, Jetta Goudal, Fredy Perlman, and Horatio Fitch. This technical shift limited her opportunities, as studios prioritized actors who could seamlessly adapt to synchronized dialogue, leading to a rapid decline in offers for starring parts by the late 1920s.[14]Joy's initial forays into sound included the part-talkieThe Bellamy Trial (1929), a courtroom drama directed by Monta Bell, where she played a supporting role alongside Betty Bronson.[3] She followed with A Most Immoral Lady (1929), a First National production co-starring Walter Pidgeon, and The Love Trader (1930) at Tiffany-Stahl, marking some of her last leading efforts in the medium.[3] In these films, her dialogue-heavy scenes exposed the accent challenges, with contemporaries noting that while her screen presence remained captivating, her voice did not align with the era's auditory expectations.[14] The critical response emphasized her enduring visual appeal but underscored the vocal hurdles that confined her to fewer and smaller roles as the industry fully embraced talkies.Post-1928, Joy's career trajectory steepened downward, with offers dwindling as she transitioned from Paramount stardom to freelance character work amid the sound revolution.[3] Personal factors, including her 1931 marriage to businessman William Spencer Hook, further contributed to her withdrawal from the spotlight, as she increasingly focused on private life over professional demands.[9] By 1930, following The Love Trader, she effectively exited full-time acting, citing family priorities amid the professional uncertainties of the era.[9] She made sporadic guest appearances in the 1950s, such as in television's Westinghouse Studio One, but never regained her former prominence.[9]

Later sporadic roles and retirement

Following her initial withdrawal from films in the early 1930s, Leatrice Joy took on only sporadic minor roles over the next two decades.

They had a daughter, Leatrice,[9][10] who later acted in bit parts; she was the first wife of novelist and playwright Ernest Gébler.[11][12] Joy filed for divorce in August 1924, citing Gilbert’s infidelity and alcoholism.[13][14] Joy’s second marriage was to businessman William Spencer Hook on October 22, 1931;[15] they divorced in 1944.