Myrtle Gonzalez facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Myrtle Gonzalez
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Gonzalez circa 1916
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| Born | September 28, 1891 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Died | October 22, 1918 (aged 27) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
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| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1913–1918 |
| Spouse(s) |
Parks Jones
(m. 1910, divorced)Allen Watt
(m. 1917) |
| Children | 1 |
Myrtle Gonzalez (born September 28, 1891 – died October 22, 1918) was an American actress. She became famous during the early days of movies. She starred in at least 78 silent movies between 1913 and 1917. Most of these were short films. Many people consider her Hollywood's first Latin and Hispanic movie star.
Myrtle Gonzalez was especially known for her role as Enid Maitland. This was in a long movie called The Chalice of Courage (1915). She starred alongside William Duncan. A writer once called her "The Virgin White Lily of the Screen."
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Myrtle's Early Life
Myrtle Gonzalez was born in Los Angeles, California, on September 28, 1891. Her parents were Manuel George Gonzalez and Lillian L. Cook. She had two siblings, Stella and Manuel Jr.
Her father's family came from a Hispanic Californio background in Mexico. Her mother's parents were born in Ireland. Her father owned a grocery store. Her mother used to be a singer in operas and popular music.
From a young age, Myrtle showed great talent for acting. She also had a beautiful singing voice. She performed in many local concerts and special events. She also sang in church choirs. Later, she acted in plays on the stage. She worked with famous actors like Fanny Davenport.
Myrtle studied music and languages at a convent in Los Angeles. Before joining movie studios like Vitagraph and Universal, she acted in local theater groups.
Myrtle's Movie Career
Myrtle grew up in Los Angeles. This was a big help when movie production moved to her hometown. She worked for important studios like Vitagraph and Universal.
Her first movie was The Yellow Streak in 1913. It was directed by William J. Bauman.
She appeared in five movies with actor William Desmond Taylor at Vitagraph. These included the comedy Her Husband's Friend (1913) and the drama The Kiss (1914).
Myrtle's Famous Movies
The Level (1914)
One of her successful short films was The Level (1914). It was directed by Ulysses Davis.
Myrtle played Carolyn Johnson, a young lady without a mother. She lived alone with her rough father. Carolyn was wild and had a strong temper. One day, she met Bob Arnold, a kind young settler. He was very different from her father. Her father told her to marry Bob. After they married, Carolyn pushed him away. She wasn't used to being treated kindly by men. She thought Bob wasn't strong enough. She even talked about it to her dog, "Wolf." Bob overheard her words. He then started to act more roughly towards her. Surprisingly, Carolyn's feelings for him changed. She eventually fell in love with her husband.
The Little Sheriff (1914)
This short film was directed by George Stanley. It tells a story set in a small Western town called Lonetown. A pretty young schoolteacher, Mary Turner (played by Myrtle Gonzalez), arrives. Carter, a gambler, tries to get Mary's attention. Sheriff Bill, who is a widower, protects her from Carter. Carter runs away into the woods after trying to scare the townspeople.
Sheriff Bill and his group follow Carter. But Carter escapes and returns to Mary. She screams when she sees him. However, the Sheriff's son, Buddy, steps in. Buddy is also Mary's student. The boy threatens Carter with a gun he took from his dad. The bad guy is caught. But Sheriff Bill is angry with his son for not obeying him. Mary gently calms the Sheriff down with a kiss. The Sheriff puts his arm around her. The movie ends with a hint that Buddy will soon have a stepmother.
The Chalice of Courage (1915)
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In this film, directed by Rollin S. Sturgeon, Myrtle Gonzalez plays Enid Maitland. She stars with William Duncan, who plays William Newbold. William and his wife Louise go to the Colorado Rockies. They want to escape from Louise's former admirer, James Armstrong. While riding a mountain trail, Louise and her horse fall over a high cliff.
Louise gets very badly hurt. To end her suffering, her husband makes a very difficult choice. He then blames Armstrong for her sad fate.
Five years later, Armstrong meets Enid Maitland and falls in love with her. During a camping trip, Enid gets caught in a sudden storm. A mountain man, William Newbold, rescues her. He has become a recluse, living alone. She has to spend the winter in his camp because of the heavy snow. She falls in love with him. Armstrong returns for Enid. He then realizes that Newbold is his old enemy.
Myrtle's Personal Life and Death
Myrtle Gonzalez's first marriage was to James Park Jones. They had one son together, James Parks Jones, Jr. They later divorced.
On December 1, 1917, she married actor and director Allen Watt in Los Angeles. After this, she stopped acting in movies and retired. Watt used to be an assistant director at Universal, which is where they met.
When World War I started, Watt became an officer. He was stationed at Camp Lewis in Washington state. Myrtle moved to Washington with her husband. However, the climate was too harsh for her health. So, Captain Watt was allowed to retire. This way, he could take her back to Southern California. He then returned to work at Universal and started directing movies.
Myrtle Gonzalez died during the worldwide Spanish flu pandemic of 1918. She was 27 years old. At the time of her death, she was at her parents' home in Los Angeles.
Interesting Facts About Myrtle Gonzalez
- Even though her movie career lasted only five years, she starred in an amazing 80 films during that time.
- In 1913-1914, Myrtle appeared in five movies with actor William Taylor. These included comedies like Her Husband's Friend.
- In many of her roles, Myrtle played a strong, outdoorsy heroine. In the last six years of her career, many of her movies were stories about snowy places and forests.
- Myrtle Gonzalez was the first successful Latina actress in Hollywood. She signed a deal with Universal studio in 1912.
- She acted in many different types of movies. These included comedies, dramas, romances, and adventure films.
- Gonzalez always spelled her last name with a 'z' twice. She said it was "aristocratic Spanish," while spelling it with an 's' was "Plebian Mexican."
- She is celebrated as an important person in the history of Latinx representation in movies.
- The January 1916 Photoplay magazine said that Myrtle loved riding horses and swimming. She was also a basketball and tennis star.
- In the 1918 Motion Picture Studio Directory, her skills included swimming, singing, and painting. She was 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighed 125 pounds.
Myrtle's Recognition
On November 23, 2022, Google honored her with a Google Doodle in the United States. November 23 is the anniversary of the release of her 1914 film The Level.
The Google Doodle was drawn by artist Ana Ramírez González. It showed the actress going on a winter hike.
Selected Movies
- The Level (1914)
- A Natural Man (1915)
- It Happened in Honolulu (1916)
- The Secret of the Swamp (1916)
- The Greater Law (1917)
- Mutiny (1917)
- God's Crucible (1917)
- Southern Justice (1917)
- The Show Down (1917)
Images for kids
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Myrtle Gonzalez around 1915. Portrait by Fred Hartsook, California.
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Myrtle Gonzalez in January 1916.
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Myrtle Gonzalez in 1917, playing in the snow at Truckee.
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A scene from the American drama film The Show Down (1917) with Myrtle Gonzalez. This image was on page 27 of the August 25, 1917 Exhibitors Herald.
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An advertisement for What Happened in Honolulu, starring Myrtle Gonzalez, from The Moving Picture World.
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Myrtle Gonzalez in The End of the Rainbow (1916).
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A movie poster for The Chalice of Courage (1915), starring Myrtle Gonzalez.
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See also
In Spanish: Myrtle Gonzalez para niños
