Mabel Normand Biography: The Rise and Fall of a Silent Film Icon
Explore the Mabel Normand biography, from her groundbreaking roles in silent films to her influence on early Hollywood and tragic downfall.
Mabel Normand was born in the United States on November 9, 1892. Before becoming famous, Mabel worked as a model for illustrations. In 1911, she caught the attention of Mack Senett, who saw her in the short film Her Awakening, directed by D. W. Griffith. The owner of Keystone offered her the opportunity to make her own films in his company, which he founded in 1912. Considered by many to be the best comedian in silent film, she seemed extremely fragile, but in fact she was very brave, doing her own dangerous scenes.
There she achieved fame and began directing her own films from 1913 onwards, debuting with “Mabel’s Stormy an Affair”. The director was also known for co-starring in films alongside Charles Chaplin and Roscoe Arbuckle, whom she also directed in several films. Mabel founded the “Mabel Normand Feature Film Company” with Mack Senett. Disappointments and alcohol began to shape her personality in a frightening way, and the actress began to behave more and more extravagantly.
After catching her fiancé Mack Sennett with another actress, she left him on the eve of the wedding. Some scandals came to harm her career, such as the death of director William Desmond Taylor and later of oil merchant Courtland Dines. In 1926 she married Lew Cody, an actor. The two had met while filming Mickey (1918). Her health, however, was rapidly declining. Mabel died of tuberculosis on February 23, 1930 in California. She was 37 years old.
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