Jeanne Eagels facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jeanne Eagels
Eagels in 1923
Born	Eugenia Eagles (1890-06-26)June 26, 1890 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Died	October 3, 1929(1929-10-03) (aged 39) New York City, U.S.
Resting place	Calvary Cemetery
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1913–1929
Spouse(s)	Maurice Dubinsky (m. 1909?; div. 1911?) Edward Harris "Ted" Coy ​ ​ (m. 1925; div. 1928)​

Jeanne Eagels (born Eugenia Eagles; June 26, 1890 – October 3, 1929) was an American actress. She was famous for her work on stage in Broadway plays and in early sound films (movies with sound). After she passed away suddenly at age 39, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in the 1929 movie The Letter.

Early Life and Family

Eugenia Eagles was born on June 26, 1890, in Kansas City, Missouri. She was the second of six children. Her father, Edward, had German and French roots, and her mother, Julia Eagles (née Sullivan), was of Irish background. Jeanne later changed the spelling of her last name to "Eagels." She sometimes told people her father was a Spanish architect and she was born in Boston, but he was actually a carpenter from Kansas City.

Jeanne went to St. Joseph's Catholic School and Morris Public School. She left school when she was young to work as a cash girl in a department store.

Acting Career Highlights

Jeanne Eagels started acting when she was very young in Kansas City. She performed in many small shows. Around age 15, she left Kansas City and traveled across the central U.S. with a theater group called the Dubinsky Brothers. She began as a dancer and later became the main actress in their comedies and dramas. The Dubinsky family later started AMC Theatres, which you might know today! As a teenager, she married Maurice Dubinsky, who often played the villain in their shows.

Eagels in 1921, wearing a fancy dress and cape.

Around 1911, Jeanne moved to New York City. She worked in chorus lines, which are groups of dancers. She changed her brown hair to blonde when she moved there. She learned acting from coaches like Beverley Sitgreaves. In 1912, she was part of the cast of Mind the Paint Girl at the Lyceum Theatre. She acted alongside George Arliss in three plays between 1916 and 1917.

In 1915, Jeanne appeared in her first movie. She also made three films for Thanhouser Film Corporation in 1916 and 1917. In 1918, she was in a play called Daddies. She had to leave this show because she became ill and then traveled to Europe. She performed in several other Broadway shows from 1919 to 1921.

Starring Role in Rain

In 1922, Jeanne Eagels got her first main role in the play Rain. This play was based on a short story by Somerset Maugham. In Rain, Jeanne played Sadie Thompson, a lively woman who meets a strict preacher on a South Pacific island. This was her favorite role. She toured with Rain for two more seasons and returned to Broadway for a final performance in 1926.

Eagels with George Arliss in the Broadway play Hamilton, 1917.

In 1926, Jeanne was offered the part of Roxie Hart in the play Chicago. However, she left during rehearsals. Her next role was in the comedy Her Cardboard Lover (1927) with Leslie Howard. She toured with this play for several months. After missing some shows due to illness, Jeanne returned to the cast in July 1927.

After a season on Broadway, she took a break to make a movie. She acted with John Gilbert in the MGM film Man, Woman and Sin (1927). In 1928, Jeanne missed a performance of Her Cardboard Lover in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because of this, she was banned from performing on stage for 18 months by Actors Equity, a performers' union. This ban did not stop her from making movies. She made two sound films for Paramount Pictures, The Letter and Jealousy, both released in 1929.

Personal Life

Jeanne Eagels was married two times. Her first marriage was to actor Morris Dubinsky when she was a teenager. They later divorced. In August 1925, Jeanne married Edward Harris "Ted" Coy, a former football star who became a stockbroker. They did not have any children and divorced in July 1928.

Later Years and Legacy

As Jeanne Eagels entered her 30s, she started to have health problems. In September 1929, she had eye surgery in New York City. She was also having trouble breathing and suffering from nerve pain. After staying in the hospital for ten days, Jeanne went back to her apartment.

On October 3, 1929, Jeanne Eagels and her secretary walked to a hospital for an appointment. While talking to the doctor, she began having convulsions and passed away soon after. She was 39 years old. After funeral services in New York, her body was returned to Kansas City on October 7. She was buried in Calvary Cemetery. Her mother and several brothers and sisters survived her.

Jeanne Eagels was nominated for Best Actress for her role in The Letter at the 2nd Academy Awards in 1930. She was the first performer to be nominated for an Academy Award after her death. Her nomination, like others at the 2nd Academy Awards, was not official but was considered by a group of judges.

In 1957, a movie about her life called Jeanne Eagels was made by Columbia Pictures. Actress Kim Novak played Jeanne in the film. Jeanne Eagels' family later sued Columbia because of how she was shown in the movie.

Filmography

Eagels featured in The Bellman, Volume 23, July 7, 1917.

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: Jeanne Eagels para niños

• List of actors with Academy Award nominations