Marguerite De La Motte

Marguerite De La Motte (June 22, 1902 – March 10, 1950) was an American film actress, most notably of the silent film era.

Marguerite De La Motte
De La Motte, c. 1924
Born	(1902-06-22)June 22, 1902 Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
Died	March 10, 1950(1950-03-10) (aged 47) San Francisco, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1918–1942
Spouse	John Bowers ​ ​ (m. 1924; died 1936)​
Parent(s)	Mr. and Mrs. Joseph De La Motte

Marguerite De La Motte in The Three Musketeers (1921)

Early years

Marguerite De La Motte from the movie The Nut in 1921

Born in Duluth, Minnesota,^[1] De La Motte was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph De La Motte.^[2] She was a 1917 graduate of the Egan School of drama, music, and dancing.^[3]

De La Motte began her entertainment career studying ballet under Anna Pavlova.^[4] In 1919, she became the dance star of Sid Grauman on the stage of his theater. In 1918, at the age of 16, she made her screen debut in the Douglas Fairbanks-directed romantic comedy film Arizona. In 1920, both of her parents died, her mother in January in an automobile accident^[5] and her father in August from heart disease. Film producer J.L. Frothingham assumed guardianship of her^[6] and her younger brother.

Career

De La Motte in 1921.

Still from the American western film The Sagebrusher (1920) with Noah Beery and Marguerite De La Motte

De La Motte spent the 1920s appearing in numerous films, often cast by Douglas Fairbanks to play opposite him in swashbuckling adventure films such as 1920's The Mark of Zorro and The Three Musketeers. She developed a close friendship with Fairbanks and his wife, actress Mary Pickford. Her career as an actress slowed dramatically at the end of the silent film era of the 1920s. She did continue acting in bit parts through the sound era and made her final appearance in the 1942 film Overland Mail opposite both Noah Beery Sr. and Noah Beery Jr., as well as Lon Chaney Jr.

Personal life

De La Motte was married twice. She first wed silent film actor John Bowers in 1924, who was then a matinee idol of the silver screen. That marriage ended with Bowers's suicide in 1936. De La Motte later married attorney Sidney H. Rivkin whom she divorced after four years of marriage.^[7] Her cousin,^{[citation needed]} Clete Roberts, was an American war correspondent and journalist, who appeared in two episodes of the television series M*A*S*H* in the 1970s.^[8]

Later years

After her film career ended, De La Motte worked as an inspector in a southern California war plant during World War II. Later she came to San Francisco, California, where she worked in the Red Cross office.^[7]

Death

On March 10, 1950, De La Motte died of cerebral thrombosis in San Francisco at the age of 47.^[9]

Recognition

On February 8, 1960, De La Motte was awarded a star in the Motion Pictures section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6902 Hollywood Blvd., in Hollywood, California.^[10]

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1918	Arizona	Lena	Lost film
1919	Josselyn's Wife	Lizzie	Lost film
	A Sagebrush Hamlet	Dora Lawrence
	The Pagan God	Beryl Addison
	For a Woman's Honor	Helen Rutherford	Lost film
	Dangerous Waters	Cora Button
	In Wrong	Millie Fields	A copy is held at the Library of Congress
1920	The Hope	Lady Brenda Carylon	A copy is held at the George Eastman Museum
	Trumpet Island	Eve de Merincourt
	The U.P. Trail	Allie Lee
	The Sagebrusher	Mary Warren
	The Mark of Zorro	Lolita Pulido
	The Broken Gate	Anne Oglesby	Lost film
1921	The Nut	Estrell Wynn
	The Ten Dollar Raise	Dorothy
	The Three Musketeers	Constance Bonacieux
1922	Shadows	Sympathy Malden
	Shattered Idols	Sarasvati
	The Jilt	Rose Trenton	Lost film
	Fools of Fortune	Marion DePuyster	A copy is held at the George Eastman Museum
1923	The Famous Mrs. Fair	Sylvia Fair
	What a Wife Learned	Sheila Dorne
	Scars of Jealousy	Helen Meanix	Copies are held at the Cinémathèque royale de Belgique, UCLA Film and Television Archive, and George Eastman Museum
	Just Like a Woman	Peggy Dean	Copies are held at the Library of Congress and the George Eastman Museum
	A Man of Action	Helen Sumner	A copy is held at the EYE Film Institute Netherlands
	Wandering Daughters	Bessie Bowden
	Desire	Ruth Cassell	Lost film
	Richard the Lion-Hearted	Lady Edith Plantagenet	A copy is held at the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée
1924	The Beloved Brute	Jacinta	A copy is held at the EYE Film Institute Netherlands
	Behold This Woman	Sophie	Incomplete film
	The Clean Heart	Essie Bickers	Lost film
	East of Broadway	Judy McNulty
	When a Man's a Man	Helen Wakefield	An incomplete copy is held at the UCLA Film and Television Archive
	Gerald Cranston's Lady	Angela	Lost film
	Those Who Dare	Marjorie	A copy is held at the Cineteca Italiana
	In Love with Love	Ann Jordan	A copy is held at the Library of Congress
1925	Cheaper to Marry	Doris	Lost film
	Daughters Who Pay	Sonia Borisoff/Margaret Smith	A copy is held at the George Eastman Museum
	Flattery	Betty Biddle	Lost film
	Children of the Whirlwind	Maggie
	Off the Highway	Ella Tarrant	Lost film
	The People vs. Nancy Preston	Nancy Preston	A copy is held at the Library of Congress
	The Girl Who Wouldn't Work	Mary Hale	A copy is held at the Library of Congress
1926	Red Dice	Beverly Vane	Lost film
	Meet the Prince	Annabelle Ford	Lost film
	Fifth Avenue	Barbara Pelham	Lost film
	Hearts and Fists	Alexia Newton
	The Last Frontier	Beth	A copy is held at the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée
	The Unknown Soldier	Mary Phillips	Copies are held at the Library of Congress and the UCLA Film and Television Archive
	Pals in Paradise	Geraldine "Jerry" Howard	Lost film
1927	The Final Extra	Ruth Collins
	Held by the Law	Mary Travis	Lost film
	The Kid Sister	Helen Hall	Lost film
	Ragtime	Beth Barton	Lost film
	Broadway Madness	Maida Vincent	Lost film
1929	The Iron Mask	Constance
	Montmartre Rose	Jeanne
1930	Shadow Ranch	Ruth Cameron	A copy is held at the Library of Congress
1934	A Woman's Man	Gloria Jordan
1941	Reg'lar Fellers	Mrs. Dugan
1942	The Man Who Returned to Life	Mrs. Hibbard
	Overland Mail	Rose, the Waitress