May McAvoy
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
Credits
- 2000 · Gareth Hughes as Self (archive footage)
- 1959 · Ben-Hur as Woman in crowd (uncredited)
- 1952 · The Bad and the Beautiful as Pebbel's Secretary (uncredited)
- 1950 · Mystery Street as Nurse (uncredited)
- 1950 · The Yellow Cab Man as (uncredited)
- 1948 · Luxury Liner as Woman (uncredited)
- 1944 · Movie Pests as Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
- 1944 · Two Girls and a Sailor as Dowager (uncredited)
- 1942 · Mr. Blabbermouth! as
- 1942 · Rio Rita as Hotel Guest (uncredited)
- 1942 · Born to Sing as (uncredited)
- 1941 · Main Street on the March! as Window Shopper (uncredited)
- 1941 · Ringside Maisie as 1st Nurse (uncredited)
- 1941 · Sucker List as Secretary (uncredited)
- 1941 · Love Crazy as Sanity Hearing Secretary (uncredited)
- 1941 · 1-2-3-Go! as Nurse
- 1941 · Whispers as Gossip (uncredited)
- 1940 · Third Finger, Left Hand as Telephone Operator (uncredited)
- 1940 · Dulcy as Miss Murphy - Van Dyke's Secretary (uncredited)
- 1940 · Phantom Raiders as Middle Telephone Operator
- 1940 · Hollywood: Style Center of the World as Saleslady
- 1940 · Two Girls on Broadway as Chatworth's Secretary (uncredited)
- 1929 · No Defense as Ruth Harper
- 1929 · Stolen Kisses as May Lambert
- 1928 · The Terror as Olga Redmayne
- 1928 · Caught in the Fog as The Girl
- 1928 · The Lion and the Mouse as Shirley Ross
- 1928 · The Little Snob as May Banks
- 1927 · If I Were Single as May Howard
- 1927 · A Reno Divorce as Carla
- 1927 · The Jazz Singer as Mary Dale
- 1927 · Slightly Used as Cynthia Martin
- 1927 · Irish Hearts as Sheila
- 1926 · The Fire Brigade as Helen Corwin
- 1926 · The Savage as Ysabel Atwater
- 1926 · The Passionate Quest as
- 1926 · My Old Dutch as Sal Gratton
- 1926 · The Road to Glory as Judith Allen
- 1925 · Lady Windermere's Fan as Lady Windermere
- 1925 · Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ as Esther
- 1925 · The Mad Whirl as Cathleen Gillis
- 1924 · Three Women as Jeannie Wilton
- 1924 · Tarnish as Letitia Tevis
- 1924 · The Bedroom Window as Ruth Martin
- 1924 · The Enchanted Cottage as Laura Pennington
- 1923 · Her Reputation as Jacqueline Lanier
- 1923 · Hollywood as May McAvoy
- 1923 · Only 38 as Lucy Stanley
- 1922 · Kick In as Myrtle
- 1922 · Clarence as Cora Wheeler
- 1922 · A Trip to Paramountown as Self
- 1922 · The Top of New York as Hilda O'Shaunnessey
- 1922 · A Homespun Vamp as Meg Mackenzie
- 1921 · Morals as Carlotta Carlotta
- 1921 · A Private Scandal as Jeanne Millett
- 1921 · Sentimental Tommy as Grizel
- 1920 · The Truth About Husbands as Leslie Brownell
- 1920 · The Devil's Garden as Norah
- 1919 · The Way of a Woman as Grace Lee
- 1919 · The Woman Under Oath as Edith Norton
- 1919 · Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch as Australy Wiggs
- 1918 · I'll Say So as
- 1918 · A Perfect Lady as Claire Higgins