Marie Dressler facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marie Dressler
Dressler in 1930
Born	Leila Marie Koerber (1868-11-09)November 9, 1868 Cobourg, Ontario, Canada
Died	July 28, 1934(1934-07-28) (aged 65) Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Resting place	Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale
Citizenship	Canada United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1886–1934
Spouse(s)	George Hoeppert ​ ​ (m. 1894; div. 1906)​ James Henry Dalton ​ ​ (m. 1907; his death 1921)​

Marie Dressler (born Leila Marie Koerber, November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was a famous Canadian actress. She was known for her funny roles on stage and in movies. Marie Dressler became a big star in both silent films and "talkies" (movies with sound).

In 1914, she starred in Tillie's Punctured Romance. This was the first full-length comedy film ever made! Later, in 1931, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress. This is one of the highest honors for an actor.

Marie Dressler left home at just 14 years old to start her acting career. She joined traveling theater groups and discovered her talent for making people laugh. She became a Broadway star in New York City. Even when her career slowed down, she made an amazing comeback in films at age 59.

Early Life and Beginnings

Marie Dressler was born Leila Marie Koerber on November 9, 1868. Her hometown was Cobourg, Ontario, in Canada. Her mother, Anna, was a musician. Her father, Alexander, was a music teacher and a former soldier.

Marie had an older sister named Bonita. The family moved often when Marie was a child. Her father taught piano in different towns in the United States. Marie's first acting role was at age five. She played Cupid in a church play in Lindsay, Ontario. People in her hometowns remembered Marie acting in many amateur shows.

Stage Career Adventures

Marie Dressler left home at 14 to become an actress. She joined the Nevada Stock Company, a traveling theater group. She told them she was 18 to get the job. Marie earned $6 or $8 a week and sent half of it to her mother.

She chose "Marie Dressler" as her stage name. This was the name of an aunt. The traveling company taught her a lot. Actors had to learn new plays very quickly. Marie's first professional role was a chorus girl in a play called Under Two Flags.

She stayed with this group for three years. Then, she joined the Robert Grau Opera Company. Later, she moved to Philadelphia and joined the Starr Opera Company. Marie even played a main role in The Mikado when another actress was hurt.

Marie then joined the Bennett and Moulton Opera Company. She toured for three years, playing funny roles in light operas. She loved playing Barbara in The Black Hussars. In that role, she would hit a baseball into the audience!

Broadway Success

In 1892, Marie Dressler made her first appearance on Broadway in New York City. The play was Waldemar, the Robber of the Rhine. She wanted to be a serious actress, but a writer named Maurice Barrymore told her she was best at comedy.

Marie earned $50 a week and used it to support her parents. She bought them a home on Long Island. In 1896, Marie got her first starring role. She played Flo in The Lady Slavey on Broadway. The show was a huge hit and ran for two years. Marie became famous for her funny faces and reactions. She was strong and could even carry her co-star, Dan Daly, on stage!

Music for The Lady Slavey (1896)
Dressler had her first starring role as household servant Flo Honeydew, a role she performed for four years.

Marie tried to start her own theater group in 1900, but it didn't work out. She had to declare bankruptcy. In 1904, she signed a big contract with Weber and Fields Music Hall. She performed in popular shows like Higgeldy Piggeldy. Marie was known for her full figure. She was about 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighed around 200 pounds.

In 1907, she met James Henry "Jim" Dalton. They moved to London, where Marie performed for a high salary. She tried to put on her own show there, but it failed. She lost a lot of money and had to declare bankruptcy again.

Return to Broadway and Challenges

Marie returned to Broadway in The Boy and the Girl. She also recorded songs for Edison Records. In 1909, she started rehearsals for a new play, Tillie's Nightmare. The play was not doing well, so Marie helped rewrite it. Her changes made it a big success on Broadway. This play became a highlight of her stage career.

During World War I, Marie toured the United States. She helped sell Liberty bonds to support the war effort. She also entertained American soldiers in France. After the war, she continued to perform in vaudeville shows.

With Mabel Normand and Charles Chaplin in Tillie's Punctured Romance

In 1919, Marie helped create the first union for stage chorus players. She was voted its first president. In 1920, her husband Jim Dalton became very ill. He died in 1921. After his death, Marie found it hard to find work. She felt that Hollywood only wanted young actresses.

She took a trip to Europe. When she came back, she struggled to find acting jobs. She lived with a friend to save money. In 1926, she made her last appearance on Broadway.

Film Career Comeback

Marie Dressler had appeared in a few short films before. But her first big movie role came in 1914. She was 44 years old. She met filmmaker Mack Sennett years earlier and helped him get a job. Now, Sennett convinced her to star in his silent film Tillie's Punctured Romance.

This movie was based on Marie's hit play, Tillie's Nightmare. It was the first full-length comedy film, lasting six reels. Marie said she helped cast Charlie Chaplin in the movie. She was proud to give him his "first big chance." The movie was a huge success. Marie starred in two more Tillie sequels and other comedies.

The Scrublady (1917)

In 1922, after her husband died, Marie tried to sell a movie script. But studios turned her down, saying audiences only wanted "young love." She even announced her retirement from show business.

Hollywood Star

In 1927, Marie Dressler got a new chance. Director Allan Dwan offered her a small part in a film called The Joy Girl. Later that year, screenwriter Frances Marion helped Marie. Marion convinced Irving Thalberg, a boss at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) studio, to give Marie another role.

Her first MGM film was The Callahans and the Murphys (1927). It was a silent comedy. The film caused some protests because of how it showed Irish characters. But it brought Marie back to Hollywood.

When movies started having sound, it was no problem for Marie. Her deep voice was perfect for both serious and funny lines. Frances Marion helped her get the role of Marthy in the 1930 film Anna Christie. Even the famous actress Greta Garbo was impressed by Marie's acting.

MGM quickly signed Marie to a contract. She became Hollywood's number-one box-office star! People loved her comedy films. She stayed at the top until her death in 1934.

Marie Dressler in Photoplay magazine in 1930

Greta Garbo and Marie Dressler in Anna Christie (1930)

Lobby card for Tugboat Annie (1933) with Wallace Beery

Marie Dressler on the cover of Time (August 7, 1933)

Marie also took on serious roles. For her performance in Min and Bill (1930), she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was nominated again for her role in Emma (1932). In 1933, she starred in more hits, like the comedy Dinner at Eight.

Marie Dressler was so popular that she appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1933. Even with glamorous stars like Greta Garbo, Marie Dressler was MGM's most popular female star.

Final Years and Legacy

Sadly, Marie Dressler was diagnosed with cancer in the early 1930s. The head of MGM studio, Louis B. Mayer, learned about her illness. He made sure she was taken care of. Marie only worked three hours a day and had stand-ins for her scenes. She starred in two more films before she died in July 1934.

Marie Dressler appeared in over 40 films. Her biggest successes were in "talkies" during the last years of her life. She wrote two autobiographies. The first was The Life Story of an Ugly Duckling (1924). The second, My Own Story, was published after her death.

Personal Life

Marie Dressler's first marriage was to George Francis Hoeppert in 1894. This marriage gave Marie U.S. citizenship. This was helpful later when she needed permits to work in the United States. Marie always sent money to her parents from her earnings.

In 1907, Marie met James Henry "Jim" Dalton. He became her partner until his death in 1921. After Jim's death and a decline in her career, Marie had to save money. She moved into a small room at the Ritz Hotel. Later, she lived with her friend Nella Webb.

When her film career took off again in 1927, she rented a home in Hollywood. Wealthy friends even gave her $10,000 to help her out. She bought her final home in Beverly Hills in 1932. Marie lived with her maid, Mamie Cox, and Mamie's husband, Jerry.

Death

Marie Dressler passed away from cancer on July 28, 1934. She was 65 years old. She was buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California.

Marie Dressler's crypt in the Great Mausoleum, Forest Lawn Glendale. Note that her birth year is given as 1871.

Marie left her money to her sister Bonita. She also left her car and money to her maid, Mamie Steele Cox, and Mamie's husband, Jerry. The Coxes used the money to open a nightclub and tourist cabins in Savannah, Georgia. They named it the Coconut Grove.

Legacy

Marie Dressler's childhood home in Cobourg, Ontario, is now a museum. It is called Marie Dressler House. Each year, the Marie Dressler Foundation Vintage Film Festival is held in Cobourg.

For her work in movies, Marie Dressler has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It is located at 1731 Vine Street. In 1960, her star was added. After her movie Min and Bill, Marie and her co-star Wallace Beery put their footprints in the cement at Grauman's Chinese Theatre. They wrote "America's New Sweethearts, Min and Bill."

Canada Post released a postage stamp in 2008 to honor Marie Dressler. This was part of their "Canada in Hollywood" series.

Marie Dressler is also remembered in Seattle. She played characters based on real Seattle people. Tugboat Annie (1933) was based on Thea Foss. Hattie Burns in Politics (1931) was based on Bertha Knight Landes, Seattle's first female mayor.

On November 9, 2020, Marie Dressler's 152nd birthday was celebrated with a Google Doodle.

Stage Performances

This table lists some of Marie Dressler's performances on Broadway.

Filmography

This table lists the films Marie Dressler appeared in.

Images for kids

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  Dressler in 1909

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  Dressler in Min and Bill

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  Dressler in 1908

See also

In Spanish: Marie Dressler para niños