Janet Gaynor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Janet Gaynor
Gaynor in 1934
Born	Laura Augusta Gainor (1906-10-06)October 6, 1906 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Died	September 14, 1984(1984-09-14) (aged 77) Palm Springs, California, U.S.
Resting place	Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1924–1939; 1950s-1981
Known for	7th Heaven Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans Street Angel A Star Is Born
Spouse(s)	Jesse Lydell Peck ​ ​ (m. 1929; div. 1933)​ Adrian ​ ​ (m. 1939; died 1959)​ Paul Gregory ​ (m. 1964)​
Children	1

Janet Gaynor (born Laura Augusta Gainor; October 6, 1906 – September 14, 1984) was a famous American actress. She starred in movies, plays, and TV shows.

Janet Gaynor started her acting journey in short films and silent movies. In 1926, she signed with Fox Film Corporation. She quickly became very popular and one of the biggest stars of her time. In 1929, she made history as the first person to win the Academy Award for Best Actress. She won for her amazing performances in three films: 7th Heaven (1927), Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927), and Street Angel (1928). This was the only time an actress won an Oscar for multiple roles at once.

Gaynor's success continued even when movies started having sound. She had a big hit in the original version of A Star Is Born (1937). For this role, she was nominated for another Best Actress Academy Award. After stepping away from acting in 1939, Gaynor married a costume designer named Adrian. They had a son together. She later returned to acting for a short time in the 1950s. Janet also became a talented oil painter. In 1980, she performed on Broadway in the play Harold and Maude. She also appeared in a touring play called On Golden Pond in 1982.

In September 1982, Janet Gaynor was seriously hurt in a car accident. These injuries sadly led to her death in September 1984.

Early Life and First Roles

Gaynor in her famous silent film, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927)

Janet Gaynor was born Laura Augusta Gainor in Germantown, Philadelphia. As a child, her family called her "Lolly." She was the younger of two daughters. Her father, Frank Gainor, worked as a painter for theaters. When Janet was very young, her father taught her how to sing, dance, and do acrobatics. She also started acting in school plays in Philadelphia.

In 1914, her parents divorced. Janet, her sister, and her mother moved to Chicago. Later, her mother married Harry C. Jones, an electrician. The family then moved to San Francisco. After finishing high school in San Francisco in 1923, Janet spent a winter doing stage work in Florida. When she returned, her family moved to Los Angeles. This was so she could try to become an actress.

At first, Janet wasn't sure about acting. She went to a secretarial school in Hollywood. She worked in a shoe store and as a theater usher to support herself. Her mother and stepfather kept encouraging her to act. So, she started visiting movie studios to find work.

On December 26, 1924, Janet got her first acting job. It was a small, uncredited role in a comedy short film. This led to more small roles in movies for other studios. Eventually, Universal hired her as a regular actress, paying her $50 a week. Six weeks later, an executive from Fox Film Corporation saw her. They offered her a screen test for a role in the film The Johnstown Flood (1926). Fox executives were impressed with her acting. They signed her to a five-year contract and started giving her main roles. Later that year, Janet was chosen as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars. This was a group of promising young actresses, including Joan Crawford and Mary Astor.

Becoming a Star

Janet Gaynor in 1927

By 1927, Janet Gaynor was one of Hollywood's top actresses. She was known for playing sweet, innocent young women. She brought deep feelings and understanding to her roles. Her performances in 7th Heaven, Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, and Street Angel earned her the first-ever Academy Award for Best Actress in 1929. This award was special because it was given for her work in all three films, not just one. This rule changed later, and awards were given for single performances. Janet Gaynor was not only the first actress to win this award, but at 22, she was also the youngest until 1986.

Gaynor, around 1931

Janet was one of the few actresses who successfully moved from silent films to movies with sound. In 1929, she acted again with Charles Farrell in the musical film Sunny Side Up. They were known as "America's favorite love birds." In the early 1930s, Gaynor was one of Fox's most popular actresses. She was one of Hollywood's biggest box-office stars. In 1931 and 1932, she was tied as the number-one star at the box office. After another star, Marie Dressler, passed away in 1934, Gaynor held the top spot alone. People often saw her as the next Mary Pickford. She even starred in remakes of two of Pickford's films: Daddy Long Legs (1931) and Tess of the Storm Country (1932). However, she refused to remake Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, saying it was "too childish."

With James Dunn in Change of Heart (1934)

Gaynor continued to get top roles in movies like State Fair (1933) with Will Rogers. She also starred in The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935), which introduced Henry Fonda to the screen. When Darryl F. Zanuck combined his studio with Fox Film Corporation to create 20th Century-Fox, Janet's position became less certain. She felt frustrated because the studio kept giving her the same types of roles. Audiences' tastes were changing, and she wanted to try new things.

After 20th Century-Fox suggested changing her contract to give her smaller roles, Gaynor left the studio. She thought about retiring. But then, David O. Selznick offered her a main role in a new film. Selznick believed audiences would love to see her play a character more like her real self. He thought she was perfect for the role of an aspiring actress named Esther Blodgett (later Vicki Lester) in A Star Is Born. Janet accepted the role. This romantic drama was filmed in color and co-starred Fredric March. It was a huge success when it came out in 1937. It earned Janet her second Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.

A Star Is Born brought new life to Gaynor's career. She then starred in the comedy The Young in Heart (1938) with Paulette Goddard. This film was also a success. But by then, Janet had decided to retire for good. She later explained, "I had been working steadily for 17 long years. Making movies was really all I knew of life. I just wanted to have time to know other things. Most of all I wanted to fall in love. I wanted to get married. I wanted a child. And I knew that in order to have these things one had to make time for them. So I simply stopped making movies. Then as if by a miracle, everything I really wanted happened." She retired at age 33, while still at the top of her career.

Later Years and Other Talents

Gaynor plays the main role in A Star Is Born (1937)

In August 1939, Janet Gaynor married Hollywood costume designer Adrian. They had a son in 1940. The couple split their time between their ranch in Anápolis, Brazil, and their homes in New York and California. Both were also very involved in fashion and art.

Janet returned to acting in the early 1950s. She appeared in live television shows like Medallion Theatre and General Electric Theater. In 1957, she had her last film role as Dick Sargent's mother in the musical comedy Bernardine. In November 1959, she made her stage debut in a play called The Midnight Sun. The play was not very successful and closed soon after it opened.

Janet Gaynor also became a very good oil painter. She painted still lifes of vegetables and flowers. She sold over 200 paintings and had four art shows in New York, Chicago, and Palm Beach between 1975 and 1982.

In 1980, Gaynor made her Broadway debut as Maude in the play Harold and Maude. Critics praised her performance, but the play itself wasn't popular and closed after 21 shows. Later that year, she appeared in an episode of the TV series The Love Boat. This was her last TV role. In February 1982, she starred in a touring play called On Golden Pond. This was her final acting role.

Personal Life

Marriages

Charles Farrell in 1931

Janet Gaynor was married three times and had one child. Her first marriage was to lawyer Jesse Lydell Peck on September 11, 1929. They divorced on April 7, 1933.

On August 14, 1939, she married MGM costume designer Adrian in Arizona. They had one son, Robin Gaynor Adrian, born in 1940. Janet and Adrian stayed married until Adrian's death in 1959.

On December 24, 1964, Gaynor married her long-time friend, stage producer Paul Gregory. They remained married until her death. They had a home in Desert Hot Springs, California and owned land in Brazil.

Friendship with Mary Martin

Janet Gaynor and her husband often traveled with her close friend Mary Martin and Martin's husband. In the 1950s and 1960s, Janet and Mary even lived with their husbands on a ranch in Brazil for a short time.

Car Accident and Death

Gaynor's grave at Hollywood Forever Cemetery

On September 5, 1982, Janet Gaynor, her husband Paul Gregory, actress Mary Martin, and Martin's manager Ben Washer were in a serious car accident in San Francisco. A van ran a red light and crashed into their taxi. Ben Washer was killed, and Janet Gaynor, Mary Martin, and Paul Gregory were all injured. The driver of the van was later found guilty of causing the accident.

A Star Is Born (1937 film, 1945 poster)

Janet Gaynor was in the hospital for four months because of her injuries. She had two surgeries. She recovered enough to go home, but she continued to have health problems from the accident and needed to go to the hospital often. On September 14, 1984, Janet Gaynor passed away at the age of 77. Her doctor said her death was caused by the injuries from the 1982 car accident, stating she "never recovered."

Janet Gaynor is buried at Hollywood Forever Cemetery next to her second husband, Adrian. Her headstone says "Janet Gaynor Gregory," which was her legal name after marrying her third husband, Paul Gregory.

Honors and Awards

Janet Gaynor has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6284 Hollywood Blvd. This is for her great contributions to the movie industry.

On March 1, 1978, Howard W. Koch, who was the president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, honored Gaynor. He gave her an award for her "truly immeasurable contribution to the art of motion pictures."

In 1979, Gaynor received the Order of the Southern Cross for her cultural contributions to Brazil.

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Janet Gaynor para niños