Director - leading lady matrimonial unions

Arndt · Post by **Arndt** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 3:15 am

Having watched a couple of Rex Ingram films with Alice Terry recently it has struck me that the silent era had quite a few successful marital unions of a director and his leading lady. Off the cuff I could think of the following ones:

Rex Ingram + Alice Terry
Urban Gad + Asta Nielsen
Paul Czinner + Elisabeth Bergner
Paul Wegener + Lyda Salmonova
Joe May + Mia May
King Vidor + Florence Vidor
King Vidor + Eleanor Boardman

Any more?

drednm · Post by **drednm** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 3:19 am

James Cruze + Betty Compson

FrankFay · Post by **FrankFay** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 3:47 am

Louise Brooks + Edward Sutherland (but not exactly a successful marriage)

drednm · Post by **drednm** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:43 am

Linda Arvidson + DW Griffith

moviepas · Post by **moviepas** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:39 am

In Australia we should have had the union by marriage of pioneer director Raymond Longford & his leading lady Lottie Lyell. However, Mrs Longford would not allow a divorce until she knew that Lottie Lyell was about to die from TB in in 1925(Dec 21 1925). Lyell also started taking a full interest in Longford's films as well as acting with scripts and directing. She was c35 when she died. Longford did little after this and ended as a night watchman on the Sydney docks in old age and is buried with or beside Lyell. Little of Lyell's work as an actress survives today. Born in Sept 1878, Longford died in 1959.

Bruce Long · Post by **Bruce Long** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:40 am

Raoul Walsh + Miriam Cooper
Fred Niblo + Enid Bennett
Robert Z. Leonard + Mae Murray
Marshall Neilan + Blanche Sweet
James Cruze + Betty Compson
William Seiter + Laura La Plante

Harold Aherne · Post by **Harold Aherne** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:53 am

Hugo Ballin & Mabel Ballin
John Collins & Viola Dana
Alan Crosland & Elaine Hammerstein
Allan Dwan & Pauline Bush

-Harold

drednm · Post by **drednm** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 7:56 am

Anatole Litvak + Miriam Hopkins

Post by **Mike Gebert** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 9:11 am

Nobody thought of Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey?

Rodney · Post by **Rodney** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:27 am

Mike Gebert wrote:Nobody thought of Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey?

He said "succesful marital unions."

(But you're right -- they successfully got married, at least).

drednm · Post by **drednm** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:35 am

Marshall Neilan + Blanche Sweet

radiotelefonia · Post by **radiotelefonia** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 10:36 am

María Turgenova - José A. Ferreyra
Nelo Cosimi - Chita Foras
Delia Garcés - Alberto De Zavalía
Mirtha Legrand - Daniel Tinayre

Post by **silentfilm** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 11:00 am

Rodney wrote:
Mike Gebert wrote:Nobody thought of Charlie Chaplin and Lita Grey?
He said "successful marital unions."

(But you're right -- they successfully got married, at least).

Well a lot of these other unions didn't last either...
King Vidor + Florence Vidor
King Vidor + Eleanor Boardman
Linda Arvidson + DW Griffith
Louise Brooks + Edward Sutherland
Robert Z. Leonard + Mae Murray
Marshall Neilan + Blanche Sweet

Brent Walker · Post by **Brent Walker** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 11:28 am

Not sure if the "successful" refers to the marriage itself or the film collaboration (the former seems rarer than the latter in show biz), but here are some others:

Howard Hickman - Bessie Barriscale
Dick Smith - Alice Howell
Wilfred Lucas - Bess Meredyth (early as an actress, later as writer)
Noel Mason Smith - Louise Fazenda (albeit brief)

Arndt · Post by **Arndt** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 11:52 am

Brent Walker wrote:Not sure if the "successful" refers to the marriage itself or the film collaboration (the former seems rarer than the latter in show biz), but here are some others:

I meant "successful" at the box office, not at the registrar's office.

drednm · Post by **drednm** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 1:45 pm

how about Buster Keaton + Natalie Talmadge.....

Chris Snowden · Post by **Chris Snowden** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 3:35 pm

Larry Semon + Dorothy Dwan
J. P. McGowan + Helen Holmes

boblipton · Post by **boblipton** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 3:40 pm

Well, so long as it's BO success, how about

Raoul Walsh and Miriam Hopkins

Robert Z. Leonard and Mae Murray

Georges Melies and Jeanne D'Alcy

Bob

spadeneal · Post by **spadeneal** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:33 pm

George Albert Smith and Mrs. George Albert Smith.

Doesn't the poor lady have a first name?

spadeneal

moviepas · Post by **moviepas** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:41 pm

Mrs George Albert Smith: Laura Bayley but is this her real name or not????

spadeneal · Post by **spadeneal** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 4:51 pm

Indeed, if you search imdb on "Laura Bayley" the page defaults to:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0809419/

spadeneal

Daniel Eagan · Post by **Daniel Eagan** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 5:11 pm

Andre De Toth + Veronica Lake

a marriage that evidently pleased neither

PhilipS · Post by **PhilipS** » Thu Mar 18, 2010 8:52 pm

Moving to England, Henry Edwards and Chrissie White.

Not silent era but Herbert Wilcox and Anna Neagle had successful on- and off-screen unions.

Brent Walker · Post by **Brent Walker** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 10:53 am

spadeneal wrote:George Albert Smith and Mrs. George Albert Smith.

Doesn't the poor lady have a first name?

spadeneal

I'm glad you reminded me:

Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Drew
Mr. and Mrs. Carter DeHaven
Harry Myers - Rosemary Theby
(although in the case of the Drews, Mrs. Drew co-directed as well)

greta de groat · Post by **greta de groat** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 11:14 am

boblipton wrote:

Raoul Walsh and Miriam Hopkins

Miriam Cooper, i think?

greta

greta de groat · Post by **greta de groat** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:29 pm

James Young and Clara Kimball Young

spadeneal · Post by **spadeneal** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 4:50 pm

Lois Weber & Phillips Smalley (both actors/directors)
Herbert Blaché & Alice Guy Blaché (both directors; founded Solax where the Smalleys worked for them)
Jean Renoir & Catherine Hessling
Dmitri Kirsanoff & Nadia Sibirskaïa

in the sound period:

Danièle Huillet/Jean-Marie Straub (directors)
John and Faith Hubley (directors)

spadeneal

missdupont · Post by **missdupont** » Fri Mar 19, 2010 8:38 pm

Eddie Sutherland and Marjorie Daw
Clarence Brown and Alice Joyce

Daniel Eagan · Post by **Daniel Eagan** » Mon Mar 22, 2010 8:14 am

Merian C. Cooper + Dorothy Jordan

Although she did not have much of an acting career, she is the first person you see in The Searchers.

Director - leading lady matrimonial unions

Director - leading lady matrimonial unions

Director leading lady

Re: Director - leading lady matrimonial unions

director's lading lady