Billie Dove facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Billie Dove
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Dove in 1920
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| Born |
Bertha Eugenie Bohny
May 14, 1903 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | December 31, 1997 (aged 94) |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1921–1932, 1962 |
| Spouse(s) |
Irvin Willat
(m. 1923; div. 1929)Robert Kenaston
(m. 1935; died 1970)John Miller
(m. 1973, divorced) |
| Children | 2 |
Billie Dove, whose real name was Bertha Eugenie Bohny, was a popular American actress. She was born on May 14, 1903, in New York City and passed away on December 31, 1997. She became very famous during the silent film era in the 1920s.
Contents
Early Life and Acting Career
Billie Dove was born Bertha Eugenie Bohny in New York City in 1903. Her parents, Charles and Bertha Bohny, had moved from Switzerland. She also had a younger brother named Charles.
When she was a teenager, Billie worked as a model to help her family. She was hired by Florenz Ziegfeld to perform in his famous show, the Ziegfeld Follies Revue. This was a big, fancy stage show with music, dancing, and beautiful costumes.
In the early 1920s, she officially changed her name to Lillian Bohny. She then moved to Hollywood to start acting in movies. She quickly became one of the most popular actresses of the 1920s. She starred in many silent films, including The Black Pirate (1926) with Douglas Fairbanks. This movie was special because it used early Technicolor! She also appeared in The American Beauty (1927) and The Painted Angel (1929).
In 1923, Billie married Irvin Willat, who directed one of her films. They later divorced in 1929. She also worked with famous filmmaker Howard Hughes on his movies, like Cock of the Air (1932) and The Age for Love (1931).
Besides acting, Billie Dove had many talents! She was also a pilot, a poet, and a painter.
Retiring from Movies
After making her last film, Blondie of the Follies (1932), Billie Dove decided to stop acting. She wanted to spend more time with her family.
In 1935, she married Robert Alan Kenaston, who was a wealthy oil executive. Their marriage lasted for 35 years until he passed away in 1970. They had a son, Robert Alan Kenaston, Jr., and an adopted daughter named Gail. Billie later had a short third marriage in 1973 to an architect named John Miller, but it ended in divorce.
Later Years
Billie Dove did not return to acting much after her retirement. She made a small appearance in the movie Diamond Head in 1963.
She spent her retirement years living in Rancho Mirage, California. Later, she moved to the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. Billie Dove passed away there on New Year's Eve in 1997, at the age of 94, due to pneumonia.
She is buried in the Freedom Mausoleum at Forest Lawn Glendale.
Legacy
Billie Dove is remembered for her contributions to early Hollywood. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6351 Hollywood Boulevard. A famous jazz singer, Billie Holiday, even chose her professional name because she admired Billie Dove!
Images for kids
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Dove in 1920
See also
In Spanish: Billie Dove para niños
