May McAvoy
75 movies
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- Sep 6, 1899
- Died
- Apr 26, 1984 (age 84)
- 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.
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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.
Profiles IMDb
Known for
May McAvoy: movies and TV shows
Acting (75)
- 1959 Ben-Hur
as Woman in crowd (uncredited)
- 1957 The Wings of Eagles
as Nurse (uncredited)
- 1954 Executive Suite
as Grimm's Secretary (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)
- 1947 The Romance of Rosy Ridge
as Wife (uncredited)
- 1944 Movie Pests
as Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
- 1944 Two Girls and a Sailor
as Dowager (uncredited)
- 1942
- 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
- 1927 Matinee Ladies
as Sallie Smith
- 1926 The Fire Brigade
as Helen Corwin
- 1926 The Savage
as Ysabel Atwater
- 1926
- 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 Tessie
as Tessie
- 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
- 1924 West of the Water Tower
as Bee Chew
- 1923 Her Reputation
as Jacqueline Lanier
- 1923 Hollywood
as May McAvoy
- 1923 Only 38
as Lucy Stanley
- 1923 Grumpy
as Virginia Bullivant
- 1922 Kick In
as Myrtle
- 1922 Clarence
as Cora Wheeler
- 1922 The Top of New York
as Hilda O'Shaunnessey
- 1922 Through a Glass Window
as Jenny Martin
- 1922 A Homespun Vamp
as Meg Mackenzie
- 1921 A Virginia Courtship
as Prudence Fairfax
- 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
- 1920 The Forbidden Valley
as Morning Glory
- 1920 The House of the Tolling Bell
as Lucy Atheron
- 1920 The Sporting Duchess
as Mary Aylmer
- 1920 My Husband's Other Wife
as Nettie Bryson
- 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
- 1918 A Perfect Lady
as Claire Higgins
- 1918 To Hell with the Kaiser!
as Wounded Girl
Talk shows and appearances (2)
- 2000
- 1922