Norma Shearer Overview:

Legendary actress, Norma Shearer, was born Edith Norma Shearer on Aug 10, 1902 in Montréal, Canada. Shearer appeared in over 60 film roles. Her best known films include The Divorcee, A Free Soul, Marie Antoinette and The Women. Shearer died at the age of 80 on Jun 12, 1983 in Woodland Hills, CA and was laid to rest in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Glendale) Cemetery in Glendale, CA.

MINI BIO:

Shearer married MGM's top producer, Irving Thalberg, and became the studio's first lady until Thalberg's death in 1936. Her well-bred looks and ultra-smart wardrobe made her a byword for chic sophistication.

(Source: available at Amazon Quinlan's Film Stars).

HONORS and AWARDS:

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Norma Shearer was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning one for Best Actress for The Divorcee (as Jerry) in 1929/30.

Academy Awards

YearAwardFilm nameRoleResult
1929/30Best ActressThe Divorcee (1930)JerryWon
1930/31Best ActressA Free Soul (1931)Jan AsheNominated
1934Best ActressThe Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)Elizabeth BarrettNominated
1936Best ActressRomeo and Juliet (1936)JulietNominated
1938Best ActressMarie Antoinette (1938)Marie AntoinetteNominated
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She was honored with one star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the category of Motion Pictures. Norma Shearer's handprints and footprints were 'set in stone' at Grauman's Chinese Theater during imprint ceremony #3 on Aug 1, 1927. In addition, Shearer was inducted into the Canadian Walk of Fame .

BlogHub Articles:

TCM Summer Under the Stars: Day Eleven —

By shadowsandsatin on Aug 9, 2020 From Shadows and Satin

So awesome. Day 10 of Summer Under the Stars is my favorite day, celebrating none other than the great . I was introduced to Shearer through her 1939 film, The Women, which I have literally seen more often than any other movie in existence. It wasn?t until years later after my first vie... Read full article


The Divorcee (1930) with

By Orson De Welles on Dec 10, 2015 From Classic Film Freak

Share This! A Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer All Talking Picture! Surprisingly, with that tagline, The Divorcee is a film I only fell asleep through twice- and that’s a bit of a sham. In a never-ending quest to bring new stars into our fold, I had a mission of sorts to bring insightful commentary (or at ... Read full article


Star of the Month Guide:

By Amanda Garrett on Nov 3, 2015 From Old Hollywood Films

TCM's November star of the month is MGM queen . TCM is celebrating the career of with 23 movies airing each Tuesday in November. Here's what you need to know about one of old Hollywood's most glamorous stars . FYI: TCM sometimes changes the air times and /or movies, ... Read full article


5 Things You May Not Know About

By minooallen on Nov 3, 2015 From Classic Movie Hub Blog

5 Things You May Not Know About ….. 1.) She was hatched from the icy north That’s totally a polar bear she is laying on Despite one of classic Hollywood?s greatest stars, Shearer was born nowhere near the Hollywood. In fact, she wasn?t even born in America.... Read full article


and Manic Pixie Dream Boys

By Emma on Nov 11, 2014 From Lets Misbehave: A Tribute to Precode Hollywood

Who’s that girl? It’s not Jess, it’s not even Norma, it’s the men Miss Shearer seemed to gather around her in almost every film role. In her Pre-code performances Shearer is not relegated to a supportive role nor is she doomed to a one-dimensional outlook or perpetually unalt... Read full article


See all articles

Norma Shearer Quotes:

Harry Van: The world you live in isn't a world of facts and figures, it's a world of dreams. Maybe that's what I like about you Irene.
Irene Fellara: And maybe you're wrong my darling. Maybe we two cheap people, with our cheap lives, maybe we're the only ones in this crazy world who are real.


Mrs. Moorehead: Well, cheer up, Mary; living alone has its compensations. Heaven knows it's marvelous being able to spread out in bed like a swastika.


Irene Fellara: My father was old. The hardships of that terrible journey had broken his body. But his spirit was strong. His spirit that is Russia.
Irene Fellara: He lay there in that little boat. And he looked up at me. Never can I forget his face. So thin. So white. So beautiful in the starlight.
Irene Fellara: And he said to me, 'Irena, little daughter'. And then... he died.
Irene Fellara: For four days I was alone with his body. Sailing through the storms of the Black Sea. I had no food. No water. I was in agony from the violent wounds of the Bolshevikii. I knew I must die.
Irene Fellara: And then... an American cruiser rescued me. May Heaven bless those good men!
Harry Van: Ahem. Excuse me Madame. But it seems to me that the last time you told me about your escape it was different.
Irene Fellara: Well! I made several escapes.


read more quotes from Norma Shearer...



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Norma Shearer Facts
She is one of the celebrities whose picture Anne Frank placed on the wall of her bedroom in the "Secret Annex" while in hiding during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 726-728. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1998.

Said to have been a major influence on the life of Eva Perón after Peron saw her in the role of Marie Antoinette.

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