Biography for
Texas Guinan More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

12 January 1884, Waco, Texas, USA

Date of Death

5 November 1933, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (amoebic dysentery)

Birth Name

Mary Louise Cecilia Guinan

Mini Biography

It's hard to be very specific about any dates or events early in the life of Texas Guinan. She loved publicity and frequently improvised facts about herself when she felt they made better stories than the truth. She was born in Waco, Texas, but likely not on a ranch as she often claimed. She was active in vaudeville and theater, and was in many movies (often as the gun-toting hero in silent westerns, more than a match for any man). In the prohibition era, Tex's talents for entertainment and self-promotion came together for a successful career as the owner and hostess in night clubs and speakeasies, where she made certain everyone had a good time.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Ken Yousten <kyousten@bev.net>

Spouse

Julian Johnson	(1910 - 1920) (divorced)
John J. Moynahan	(2 December 1904 - 1906) (divorced)
George E. Townley	(? - ?) (divorced)

Trivia

The character "Guinan", bartender of the Ten Forward lounge on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987) played by Whoopi Goldberg, was named after Texas Guinan.

In 2004, Madonna was set to play her in a biographical movie of her life, "Hello Suckers". However, the project was indefinitely shelved.

Notorious in the eyes of the feds who wanted to stop her flaggrant violations of 'prohibition' laws, she fervantly denied that her joints sold liquor despite contrary evidence. She avoided lengthy time behind bars and had all charges subsequently dropped because the feds couldn't prove she owned the routinely-raided clubs. The Depression put a real bite in her profits and she died in 1933, not the wealthy gal she used to be.

Was future journalist/producer Lowell Thomas's Sunday school teacher when Thomas was a boy in Victor, Colorado. They remained lifelong friends even after her latter-day notoriety.

Met her first husband, newspaper cartoonist for Rocky Mountain News John J. Moynahan at the home of her cousin, Katie Hoban in Idaho Springs, Colorado.

Family lived in Waco, TX at least until 1891, Texas, her sister and three brothers were all born in Waco, TX between 1882 and 1891.

Mother, Brigid Duffy, was 101 yrs, 6 mos, and 19 days old when she died in 1959. Father, Michael Guinan, died in 1935 aged 79 yrs, 8 mos.

Three brothers, William Guinan, Walter Harry died infancy, Thomas Guinan. One sister, Pearl.

Personal Quotes

Hello, Suckers!

[on her frequent arrests for speakeasy activities] I'm nature's gift to the padlock makers.