Norma Shearer
Known for Acting · 97 credits
- Born
- 1902-08-10
- Died
- 1983-06-12
- Place of birth
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Also known as
- Edith Norma Shearer · Queen Norma · Norma Sherer · The First Lady of MGM
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Edith Norma Shearer (August 10, 1902 – June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s. Her early films cast her as the girl next door, but for most of the Pre-Code film era, beginning with the 1930 film The Divorcee, for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress, she played sexually liberated women in sophisticated contemporary comedies. Later she appeared in historical and period films.
Unlike many of her MGM contemporaries, Shearer's fame declined steeply after retirement. By the time of her death in 1983, she was largely remembered at best for her "noble" roles in The Women, Marie Antoinette, and Romeo and Juliet. Shearer's legacy began to be re-evaluated in the 1990s with the publication of two biographies and the TCM (Turner Classic Movies) and VHS release of her films, many of them unseen since the implementation of the Production Code some sixty years before. Focus shifted to her pre-Code "divorcee" persona, and Shearer was rediscovered as "the exemplar of sophisticated [1930's] woman-hood... exploring love and sex with an honesty that would be considered frank by modern standards".
Simultaneously, Shearer's ten-year collaboration with portrait photographer George Hurrell and her lasting contribution to fashion through the designs of Adrian were also recognized.
Shearer is widely celebrated by some as one of cinema's feminist pioneers: "the first American film actress to make it chic and acceptable to be single and not a virgin on screen". In March 2008, two of her most famous pre-code films, The Divorcee and A Free Soul, were released on DVD.
Known For
TV Shows (1)
Movies (96)
The Women
1939
as Mary Haines
Marie Antoinette
1938
as Marie Antoinette
Complicated Women
2003
as Self (archive footage)
That's Entertainment!
1974
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Pretty Ladies
1925
as Frances White
That's Entertainment! III
1994
as (archive footage)
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
1940
as Self
The Actress
1928
as Rose Trelawny
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
1988
as Self (archive footage)
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
He Who Gets Slapped
1924
as Consuelo
A Free Soul
1931
as Jan Ashe
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
1940
as Self
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1972
as Self (archive footage)
Idiot's Delight
1939
as Irene Fellara
Joan Crawford: Always the Star
1996
as Self (archive footage)
Romeo and Juliet
1936
as Juliet
Riptide
1934
as Lady Mary Rexford
Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8
1939
as Norma Shearer
Escape
1940
as Countess Ruby von Treck
Sports on the Silver Screen
1997
as Self (archive footage)
From the Ends of the Earth
1939
as Self
Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood
2008
as Various Roles (archive footage)
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
1929
as Self / Juliet
Twenty Years After
1944
as (archive footage)
Hollywood Goes to Town
1938
as Self
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
1929
as Fay Cheyney
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
1928
as Kathi
Way Down East
1920
as Barn Dancer (uncredited)
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940
as Self
The Stolen Jools
1931
as Owner of Stolen Jewels
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
1934
as Elizabeth Barrett
Private Lives
1931
as Amanda Prynne
Upstage
1926
as Dolly Haven
Vito
2011
as Self (archive)
The Romance of Celluloid
1937
as Self (archive footage)
We Were Dancing
1942
as Victoria Anastasia Wilomirska
Broken Barriers
1924
as Grace Durland
You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
1990
as Self (archive footage)
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
2004
as Self (archive footage)
Judy Garland: By Myself
2004
as Self (archive footage)
Lady of the Night
1925
as Molly Helmer / Florence Banning
The Divorcee
1930
as Jerry
Going Hollywood
1933
as Herself - Premiere Clip (archive footage)
The Trial of Mary Dugan
1929
as Mary Elizabeth Dugan
1925 Studio Tour
1925
as Self
Smilin' Through
1932
as Kathleen / Moonyeen
Strangers May Kiss
1931
as Lisbeth Corbin
The Snob
1924
as Nancy Claxton
Empty Hands
1924
as Claire Endicott
Another Romance of Celluloid
1938
as Self (uncredited)
Strange Interlude
1932
as Nina Leeds
The Wolf Man
1924
as Elizabeth Gordon
Their Own Desire
1929
as Lucia 'Lally' Marlett
Excuse Me
1925
as Marjorie Newton
The Christmas Party
1931
as Herself
We’re Switching to Hollywood
1931
as Self
Brasileiros em Hollywood
1970
as Self (archive footage)
The Bootleggers
1922
as Helen Barnes
The Stealers
1920
as Julie Martin
Let Us Be Gay
1930
as Kitty Brown
Anniversary
1963
as Herself - Archive Footage (uncredited)
A Slave of Fashion
1925
as Katherine Emerson
The Devil's Circus
1926
as Mary
The Waning Sex
1926
as Nina Duane
A Clouded Name
1923
as Marjorie Dare
The Wanters
1923
as Marjorie
A Man's Man
1929
as Norman Shearer (uncredited)
The Man Who Paid
1922
as Jeanne Thornton
A Lady of Chance
1928
as Dolly Morgan
The Flapper
1920
as Schoolgirl (uncredited)
The Trail of the Law
1924
as Jerry Vardon
His Secretary
1925
as Ruth Lawrence
Married Flirts
1924
as Norma Shearer (uncredited)
The Latest from Paris
1928
as Ann Dolan
Her Cardboard Lover
1942
as Consuelo Croyden
The Movie Album
1932
as (archive footage)
The Tower of Lies
1925
as Glory/Goldie
Lucretia Lombard
1923
as Mimi Winship
The Demi-Bride
1927
as Criquette
The Star Boarder
1919
as Big V Beauty Squad Member (uncredited)
Broadway After Dark
1924
as Rose Dulane
The Restless Sex
1920
as Reveler at Artists Ball (uncredited)
The End of the World
1925
as Mary Ellen Hope
Pleasure Mad
1923
as Elinor Benton
The Devil's Partner
1923
as Jeanne
The Film Parade
1933
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
Blue Water
1924
as Lillian Denton
Channing of the Northwest
1922
as Jess Driscoll
After Midnight
1927
as Mary Miller
Waking Up the Town
1925
as Mary Ellen Hope
Master Will Shakespeare
1936
as Juliet (uncredited)
The Taming of the Shrewd
1922
as Rose Del Mar
The End of the World
1925
as Mary Ellen Hope
Torchy's Millions
1920
as (uncredited)
Man and Wife
1923
as Dora Perkins
About Norma Shearer
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Edith Norma Shearer (August 10, 1902 – June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress. Shearer was one of the most popular actresses in North America from the mid-1920s through the 1930s. Her early films cast her as the girl next door, but for most of the Pre-Code film era, beginning with the 1930 film The Divorcee, for which she won an Oscar for Best Actress, she played sexually liberated women in sophisticated contemporary comedies. Later she appeared in historical and period films. Unlike many of her M… With 97 credits spanning from 1919 to 2011, Norma Shearer has appeared in 96 films and 1 TV show.
Fans searching for Norma Shearer movies, Norma Shearer filmography, or the latest projects starring Norma Shearer can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Norma Shearer Movies
- The Women (1939) — as Mary Haines
- Marie Antoinette (1938) — as Marie Antoinette
- Complicated Women (2003) — as Self (archive footage)
- That's Entertainment! (1974) — as (archive footage) (uncredited)
- Pretty Ladies (1925) — as Frances White
Where to Watch Norma Shearer Films
Most Norma Shearer movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Norma Shearer, check our movies catalogue and browse page.