Name
May McAvoy
Known For
Acting
Birthday
1899-09-06
Deathday
1984-04-26 (85 years old)
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
May McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984) was an American actress who worked mainly during the silent film era. Some of her major roles are Laura Pennington in The Enchanted Cottage, Esther in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, and Mary Dale in The Jazz Singer.
McAvoy appeared in her first film, entitled Hate, in 1917. After appearing in more than three dozen films, she co-starred with Ramón Novarro and Francis X. Bushman in director Fred Niblo's 1925 production of Ben-Hur, released by MGM. The feature-length film was one of the most lavish and spectacular productions of the silent movie era.
Although her voice was not heard in The Jazz Singer, McAvoy did speak in several other films, including the second "all-talkie" released by Warner Brothers, The Terror, which was directed by Roy Del Ruth and co-starred Conrad Nagel.
For years a rumor circulated that McAvoy retired from the screen at the transition to sound films because of a lisp or speech impediment. In truth, she married the treasurer of United Artists, who asked her not to work.
Later, she returned to films and played small roles during the 1940s and 1950s, making her final film appearance in a small part in the 1959 version of Ben-Hur.
Known For
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- 1927 The Jazz Singer as Mary Dale
- 1941 Love Crazy as Sanity Hearing Secretary (uncredited)
- 1925 Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ as Esther
- 1940 Third Finger, Left Hand as Telephone Operator (uncredited)
- 1944 Two Girls and a Sailor as Dowager (uncredited)
- 1922 A Homespun Vamp as Meg Mackenzie
- 1922 Clarence as Cora Wheeler
- 1923 Hollywood as May McAvoy
- 1925 Lady Windermere's Fan as Lady Windermere
- 1924 The Bedroom Window as Ruth Martin
- 1926 The Fire Brigade as Helen Corwin
- 1927 Irish Hearts as Sheila
- 1924 Three Women as Jeannie Wilton
- 1950 The Yellow Cab Man as (uncredited)
- 1925 The Mad Whirl as Cathleen Gillis
- 1922 A Trip to Paramountown as Self
- 1918 I'll Say So
- 1921 Morals as Carlotta Carlotta
- 1923 Only 38 as Lucy Stanley
- 2000 Gareth Hughes as Self (archive footage)
- 1918 A Perfect Lady as Claire Higgins
- 1952 The Bad and the Beautiful as Pebbel's Secretary (uncredited)
- 1921 A Private Scandal as Jeanne Millett
- 1920 The Devil's Garden as Norah
- 1940 Hollywood: Style Center of the World as Saleslady
- 1923 Her Reputation as Jacqueline Lanier
- 1940 Two Girls on Broadway as Chatworth's Secretary (uncredited)
- 1959 Ben-Hur as Woman in crowd (uncredited)
- 1926 My Old Dutch as Sal Gratton
- 1920 The Truth About Husbands as Leslie Brownell
- 1926 The Savage as Ysabel Atwater
- 1927 A Reno Divorce as Carla
- 1928 The Little Snob as May Banks
- 1940 Phantom Raiders as Middle Telephone Operator
- 1944 Movie Pests as Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
- 1926 The Road to Glory as Judith Allen
- 1919 Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch as Australy Wiggs
- 1941 Ringside Maisie as 1st Nurse (uncredited)
- 1919 The Way of a Woman as Grace Lee
- 1924 The Enchanted Cottage as Laura Pennington
- 1940 Dulcy as Miss Murphy - Van Dyke's Secretary (uncredited)
- 1942 Born to Sing as (uncredited)
- 1948 Luxury Liner as Woman (uncredited)
- 1928 The Lion and the Mouse as Shirley Ross
- 1928 Caught in the Fog as The Girl
- 1928 The Terror as Olga Redmayne
- 1929 Stolen Kisses as May Lambert
- 1929 No Defense as Ruth Harper
- 1921 Sentimental Tommy as Grizel
- 1919 The Woman Under Oath as Edith Norton
- 1950 Mystery Street as Nurse (uncredited)
- 1927 Slightly Used as Cynthia Martin
- 1941 Whispers as Gossip (uncredited)
- 1941 Main Street on the March! as Window Shopper (uncredited)
- 1942 Mr. Blabbermouth!
- 1924 Tarnish as Letitia Tevis
- 1926 The Passionate Quest
- 1927 If I Were Single as May Howard
- 1922 Kick In as Myrtle
- 1941 Sucker List as Secretary (uncredited)
- 1942 Rio Rita as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
- 1922 The Top of New York as Hilda O'Shaunnessey
- 1941 1-2-3-Go! as Nurse
- 1924 West of the Water Tower as Bee Chew
- 1925 Tessie as Tessie
- 1927 Matinee Ladies as Sallie Smith
- 1954 Executive Suite as Grimm's Secretary (uncredited)
- 1918 To Hell with the Kaiser! as Wounded Girl
- 1920 The Forbidden Valley as Morning Glory
- 1921 A Virginia Courtship as Prudence Fairfax
- 1920 The House of the Tolling Bell as Lucy Atheron
- 1920 The Sporting Duchess as Mary Aylmer
- 1922 Through a Glass Window as Jenny Martin
- 1923 Grumpy as Virginia Bullivant
- 1947 The Romance of Rosy Ridge as Wife (uncredited)
- 1920 My Husband's Other Wife as Nettie Bryson
- 1957 The Wings of Eagles as Nurse (uncredited)
