Anita Page facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Anita Page
Page in Our Modern Maidens (1929)
Born	Anita Evelyn Pomares (1910-08-04)August 4, 1910 Flushing, Queens, New York City, U.S.
Died	September 6, 2008(2008-09-06) (aged 98) Van Nuys, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting place	Holy Cross Cemetery, San Diego, California
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1925–1936; 1961; 1996–2008
Spouse(s)	Nacio Herb Brown ​ ​ (m. 1934; div. 1935)​ Herschel A. House ​ ​ (m. 1937; died 1991)​
Children	2

Anita Page (born Anita Evelyn Pomares; August 4, 1910 – September 6, 2008) was an American film actress. She became very famous during the last years of the silent film era.

People in the 1920s called her "the girl with the most beautiful face in Hollywood." She was known for her blonde hair and blue eyes. Anita Page stopped acting in 1936. However, she returned to movies sixty years later in 1996. She even appeared in four more films in the 2000s.

Early Life

Anita Evelyn Pomares was born on August 4, 1910. Her birthplace was Flushing, Queens, New York. Her parents were Marino Leo, Sr., and Maude Evelyn Pomares. Her father was from Brooklyn.

Anita had one brother, Marino Jr. He later worked as her gym instructor. Her mother was her secretary, and her father was her chauffeur. Anita's grandfather, Marino, was from Spain. He worked as a consul in El Salvador. Her grandmother, Anna Muñoz, had Spanish and French family roots.

Career

Starting in Movies

Anita Page began her film career with help from her friend, actress Betty Bronson. A man who handled Betty's fan mail saw a photo of Anita. He was also interested in finding new actors. With her mother's encouragement, Anita called him. He set up a meeting for her with a casting director at Paramount Studios.

After a screen test, Anita was offered contracts by two big studios. She chose MGM. She said she picked MGM because "they were so good for female actresses." She believed MGM was the best studio.

Silent Film Star

Anita Page's first movie for MGM was Telling the World in 1928. It was a comedy-drama with William Haines. Her next MGM film, Our Dancing Daughters (1928), was a big hit. She starred alongside Joan Crawford. This movie led to two more similar films with them: Our Modern Maidens and Our Blushing Brides. Anita once joked about these movies, saying they would become "The Galloping Grandmothers."

One of her most famous films was The Broadway Melody (1929). She starred with Bessie Love. This movie won the Best Picture award at the Academy Awards.

Moving to Talkies

Anita Page successfully moved into talking pictures. However, she missed silent films. She felt silent films were better. She explained that silent films had mood music playing throughout scenes. This music helped inspire the actors. Her favorite song for this was 'My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice'.

She found that talkies stopped the music when actors spoke. This was often a letdown for her.

Hollywood Popularity

When not filming, Anita was busy with studio photographer George Hurrell. They created many publicity photos. She was one of the first people he photographed. Her picture was the first of his to be published. MGM often highlighted her background in press releases. They called her "a Spanish blonde" and "a blonde, blue-eyed Latin."

Anita Page played the main female role for many famous actors. These included Lon Chaney, Buster Keaton, Robert Montgomery, and Clark Gable. In the early 1930s, she was one of Hollywood's busiest actresses. She was very popular and received more fan mail than almost any other female star. Only Greta Garbo received more.

Retirement from Acting

In 1933, Anita Page's contract ended. She decided to retire from acting at age 23. She retired because she was not given a pay raise. She made one more movie, Hitch Hike to Heaven, in 1936. After that, she fully stopped acting for a long time.

She married composer Nacio Herb Brown in 1934. This marriage was later canceled. She then married Navy pilot Lieutenant Hershel A. House in 1937. They lived in Coronado, California, until he passed away in 1991. They had two daughters named Linda and Sandra.

Anita Page was a Democrat. She supported Adlai Stevenson II in the 1952 presidential election. She was also a Roman Catholic.

Return to Acting

Anita Page returned to acting in 1996. This was after sixty years of retirement. She appeared in several low-budget horror films. Another film veteran, Margaret O'Brien, appeared in two of these movies with her.

Later Years and Death

Anita Page was the last living person who attended the very first Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. She often gave interviews as the "last star of the silents." She appeared in documentaries about that movie era.

Anita Page passed away peacefully in her sleep at age 98. This was on September 6, 2008, at her home in Los Angeles. She is buried in the Holy Cross Cemetery in San Diego.

Legacy

Anita Page has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located at 6116 Hollywood Boulevard. This star honors her important contributions to the movie industry.

Filmography

Images for kids

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  Publicity photo of Anita Page from Stars of the Photoplay

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  Page featured in the Argentinean magazine Cinelandia, January 1929

See Also

In Spanish: Anita Page para niños