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
Upstage
1926
as Dolly Haven
Pretty Ladies
1925
as Frances White
Complicated Women
2003
as Self (archive footage)
Going Hollywood
1933
as Herself - Premiere Clip (archive footage)
Marie Antoinette
1938
as Marie Antoinette
His Secretary
1925
as Ruth Lawrence
Excuse Me
1925
as Marjorie Newton
The Stealers
1920
as Julie Martin
That's Entertainment! III
1994
as (archive footage)
Strange Interlude
1932
as Nina Leeds
That's Entertainment!
1974
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
The Flapper
1920
as Schoolgirl (uncredited)
The Hollywood Revue of 1929
1929
as Self / Juliet
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
1934
as Elizabeth Barrett
Hollywood Out-takes and Rare Footage
1983
as Self (archive footage) (uncredited)
Romeo and Juliet
1936
as Juliet
A Free Soul
1931
as Jan Ashe
The Actress
1928
as Rose Trelawny
Hollywood: The Dream Factory
1972
as Self (archive footage)
Vito
2011
as Self (archive)
The Making of a Legend: Gone with the Wind
1988
as Self (archive footage)
Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood
2008
as Various Roles (archive footage)
A New Romance of Celluloid: The Miracle of Sound
1940
as Self
Cavalcade of the Academy Awards
1940
as Self
Screen Snapshots Series 18, No. 8
1939
as Norma Shearer
The Devil's Circus
1926
as Mary
The Student Prince in Old Heidelberg
1928
as Kathi
You're the Top: The Cole Porter Story
1990
as Self (archive footage)
Escape
1940
as Countess Ruby von Treck
Sports on the Silver Screen
1997
as Self (archive footage)
The Romance of Celluloid
1937
as Self (archive footage)
Twenty Years After
1944
as (archive footage)
Private Lives
1931
as Amanda Prynne
Smilin' Through
1932
as Kathleen / Moonyeen
Joan Crawford: Always the Star
1996
as Self (archive footage)
He Who Gets Slapped
1924
as Consuelo
From the Ends of the Earth
1939
as Self
A Slave of Fashion
1925
as Katherine Emerson
Riptide
1934
as Lady Mary Rexford
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
1940
as Self
1925 Studio Tour
1925
as Self
The Tower of Lies
1925
as Glory/Goldie
Lady of the Night
1925
as Molly Helmer / Florence Banning
The Divorcee
1930
as Jerry
Idiot's Delight
1939
as Irene Fellara
We Were Dancing
1942
as Victoria Anastasia Wilomirska
The Stolen Jools
1931
as Owner of Stolen Jewels
Way Down East
1920
as Barn Dancer (uncredited)
Empty Hands
1924
as Claire Endicott
Broadway After Dark
1924
as Rose Dulane
The Trial of Mary Dugan
1929
as Mary Elizabeth Dugan
Hollywood Goes to Town
1938
as Self
Judy Garland: By Myself
2004
as Self (archive footage)
Broken Barriers
1924
as Grace Durland
The Trail of the Law
1924
as Jerry Vardon
Let Us Be Gay
1930
as Kitty Brown
The Restless Sex
1920
as Reveler at Artists Ball (uncredited)
Brasileiros em Hollywood
1970
as Self (archive footage)
The Demi-Bride
1927
as Criquette
A Man's Man
1929
as Norman Shearer (uncredited)
We’re Switching to Hollywood
1931
as Self
Another Romance of Celluloid
1938
as Self (uncredited)
Strangers May Kiss
1931
as Lisbeth Corbin
The Wanters
1923
as Marjorie
The Christmas Party
1931
as Herself
Her Cardboard Lover
1942
as Consuelo Croyden
Channing of the Northwest
1922
as Jess Driscoll
The Bootleggers
1922
as Helen Barnes
Their Own Desire
1929
as Lucia 'Lally' Marlett
The Wolf Man
1924
as Elizabeth Gordon
The Star Boarder
1919
as Big V Beauty Squad Member (uncredited)
Checking Out: Grand Hotel
2004
as Self (archive footage)
The Snob
1924
as Nancy Claxton
The Film Parade
1933
as (archive footage) (uncredited)
After Midnight
1927
as Mary Miller
Anniversary
1963
as Herself - Archive Footage (uncredited)
The Latest from Paris
1928
as Ann Dolan
The Taming of the Shrewd
1922
as Rose Del Mar
Married Flirts
1924
as Norma Shearer (uncredited)
The Waning Sex
1926
as Nina Duane
The End of the World
1925
as Mary Ellen Hope
Pleasure Mad
1923
as Elinor Benton
Waking Up the Town
1925
as Mary Ellen Hope
The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
1929
as Fay Cheyney
The Man Who Paid
1922
as Jeanne Thornton
A Lady of Chance
1928
as Dolly Morgan
A Clouded Name
1923
as Marjorie Dare
Master Will Shakespeare
1936
as Juliet (uncredited)
The Devil's Partner
1923
as Jeanne
Lucretia Lombard
1923
as Mimi Winship
The End of the World
1925
as Mary Ellen Hope
Man and Wife
1923
as Dora Perkins
Blue Water
1924
as Lillian Denton
The Movie Album
1932
as (archive footage)
Torchy's Millions
1920
as (uncredited)
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
- Upstage (1926) — as Dolly Haven
- Pretty Ladies (1925) — as Frances White
- Complicated Women (2003) — as Self (archive footage)
- Going Hollywood (1933) — as Herself - Premiere Clip (archive footage)
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.