Edna Purviance: Biography of Charlie Chaplin’s Leading Lady and Silent Film Star
Discover the life of Edna Purviance, Charlie Chaplin’s muse and one of the most beloved actresses of the silent film era in classic Hollywood.
Olga Edna Purviance was born on October 21, 1894 in Nevada. At the age of 17, after her parents’ divorce, she moved to San Francisco and began working as a secretary. She was discovered by Chaplin while visiting a boyfriend at the director’s studios. According to Purviance, she had no intention of becoming an actress and was surprised by the choice. Even so, she thought, “Why not?”.
Edna was hired to star in his short films and ended up being his leading lady for 8 years in a row. In 1923, the actress would make her last film under Chaplin’s direction: he presented her with “A Woman of Paris”, her first drama. However, in 1924, she became involved in a murder scandal, along with Mabel Normand. And just when her solo career was about to begin. The actress would later appear in A Woman of the Sea (1926) and Education of a Prince (1927), but her films were boycotted after the scandal and she was removed from the screen, remaining as an employee of the Chaplin Studios until the end of her days.
According to the director, she would always send him letters. The actress was mentioned in Chaplin’s divorce proceedings with his second wife, also an actress, Lita Gray. According to Lita, the two still had meetings during his marriage to her. There is no proof of the truth or otherwise of the affair.
Edna would marry only once. According to the website EdnaPurviance.org, she married only once, to pilot John Squire, who was her great love. The two met in the 1930s and he was five years younger than her. Although they did not have children, he was responsible for some very peaceful years and excellent company. John died in 1945.
Having retired from the screen for decades, there was an attempt to return to Chaplin’s films. He invited her to participate in Monsier Verdoux, but she could no longer act. Edna died of cancer on January 11, 1953. She was only 63 years old. Chaplin dedicated the last words of his autobiographical book to her.
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