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IMDbPro

Janet Gaynor(1906-1984)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Janet Gaynor Circa 1926
Official Trailer
Play trailer2:29
Three Loves Has Nancy (1938)
2 Videos
99+ Photos
Janet Gaynor was born Laura Gainor on October 6, 1906, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As a child, she & her parents moved to San Francisco, California, where she graduated from high school in 1923. She then moved to Los Angeles where she enrolled in a secretarial school. She got a job at a shoe store for the princely sum of $18 per week. However, since L.A. was the land of stars and studios, she wanted to try her hand at acting. She managed to land unbilled bit parts in several feature films and comedy shorts. She bided her time, believing "Good things come to those who wait." She didn't have to wait too long, either. In 1926, at the age of 20, she turned in a superb performance as Anna Burger in The Johnstown Flood (1926). The Hollywood moguls knew they had a top star on their hands and cast her in several other leading roles that year, including The Shamrock Handicap (1926), The Blue Eagle (1926), The Midnight Kiss (1926) and The Return of Peter Grimm (1926). The next year she turned in acclaimed performances in two classic films, 7th Heaven (1927) and Sunrise (1927). Based on the strength of those two films plus Street Angel (1928), Janet received the very first Academy Award for best actress. This was the first and only time an actress won the Oscar for multiple roles. When "talkies" replaced silent films, Janet was one of the few who made a successful transition, not only because of her great acting ability but for her charming voice as well. Without a doubt, Janet had already lived a true rags-to-riches story. Throughout the mid-1930s she was the top drawing star at theaters. She turned in grand performances in several otherwise undistinguished films.

Then came A Star Is Born (1937). She was very convincing as Vicki Lester (aka Esther Blodgett), struggling actress trying for the big time. Told by the receptionist at Central casting "You know what your chances are? One in a hundred thousand," Esther/Vicki replies, "But maybe--I'm that one." For her outstanding performance she was nominated for another Oscar, but lost to Luise Rainer's performance in The Good Earth (1937), her second in as many tries. After appearing in The Young in Heart (1938), Janet didn't appear in another film until 1957's Bernardine (1957). Her last performance was in a Broadway version of Harold and Maude. Although the play was a flop, Janet's performance salvaged it to any degree - she still had what it took to entertain the public. On September 14, 1984, Janet passed away from pneumonia in Palm Springs, California, at the age of 77.
BornOctober 6, 1906
DiedSeptember 14, 1984(77)
BornOctober 6, 1906
DiedSeptember 14, 1984(77)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 19 wins & 1 nomination total

Photos732

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Known for

Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in A Star Is Born (1937)
A Star Is Born
7.3
  • Esther Victoria Blodgett - aka Vicki Lester
  • 1937
Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor in Sunny Side Up (1929)
Sunny Side Up
6.5
  • Molly Carr
  • 1929
Janet Gaynor, Margaret Livingston, and George O'Brien in Sunrise (1927)
Sunrise
8.1
  • The Wife
  • 1927
7th Heaven (1927)
7th Heaven
7.5
  • Diane
  • 1927

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress



  • Fred Grandy, Bernie Kopell, Ted Lange, Gavin MacLeod, and Lauren Tewes in The Love Boat (1977)
    The Love Boat
    6.3
    TV Series
    • Violet Hooper
    • 1981
  • Janet Gaynor in The Four of Us (1961)
    The Four of Us
    6.8
    TV Movie
    • Ann Hathaway
    • 1961
  • Ronald Reagan in General Electric Theater (1953)
    General Electric Theater
    6.7
    TV Series
    • Martha Allen
    • 1959
  • Bernardine (1957)
    Bernardine
    5.5
    • Mrs. Ruth Wilson
    • 1957
  • Zachary Scott in Medallion Theatre (1953)
    Medallion Theatre
    6.7
    TV Series
    • 1953
  • Three Loves Has Nancy (1938)
    Three Loves Has Nancy
    6.4
    • Nancy Briggs
    • 1938
  • Billie Burke, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Paulette Goddard, Janet Gaynor, and Roland Young in The Young in Heart (1938)
    The Young in Heart
    7.3
    • George-Anne Carleton
    • 1938
  • Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in A Star Is Born (1937)
    A Star Is Born
    7.3
    • Esther Victoria Blodgett - aka Vicki Lester
    • 1937
  • Don Ameche, Constance Bennett, Janet Gaynor, Simone Simon, and Loretta Young in Ladies in Love (1936)
    Ladies in Love
    6.2
    • Martha Kerenye
    • 1936
  • Robert Taylor and Janet Gaynor in Small Town Girl (1936)
    Small Town Girl
    6.5
    • Kay Brannan
    • 1936
  • Janet Gaynor in The Farmer Takes a Wife (1935)
    The Farmer Takes a Wife
    6.4
    • Molly Larkins
    • 1935
  • Warner Baxter and Janet Gaynor in One More Spring (1935)
    One More Spring
    6.9
    • Elizabeth Cheney
    • 1935
  • Lew Ayres and Janet Gaynor in Servants' Entrance (1934)
    Servants' Entrance
    7.1
    • Hedda Nilsson aka Helga Brand
    • 1934
  • Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor in Change of Heart (1934)
    Change of Heart
    6.0
    • Catherine Furness
    • 1934
  • Janet Gaynor in Carolina (1934)
    Carolina
    6.1
    • Joanna Tate
    • 1934

Soundtrack



  • Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward in Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990)
    Mr. & Mrs. Bridge
    6.6
    • performer: "Wah! Hoo!"
    • 1990
  • Betty Grable in Fred Astaire Salutes the Fox Musicals (1974)
    Fred Astaire Salutes the Fox Musicals
    7.4
    TV Movie
    • performer: "If I Had a Talking Picture of You"
    • 1974
  • Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in A Star Is Born (1937)
    A Star Is Born
    7.3
    • performer: "Wah! Hoo!" (uncredited)
    • 1937
  • Lew Ayres, Sally Eilers, Janet Gaynor, and Will Rogers in State Fair (1933)
    State Fair
    6.7
    • performer: "Romantic" (1933) (uncredited)
    • 1933
  • Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor in Delicious (1931)
    Delicious
    5.7
    • performer: "Somebody From Somewhere", "Katinkitschka" (uncredited)
    • 1931
  • Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor in High Society Blues (1930)
    High Society Blues
    7.5
    • performer: "I'm in the Market For You", "Just Like in a Storybook"
    • 1930
  • Charles Farrell and Janet Gaynor in Sunny Side Up (1929)
    Sunny Side Up
    6.5
    • performer: " (I'M A DREAMER) AREN'T WE ALL?", "SUNNY SIDE UP", "IF I HAD A TALKING PICTURE OF YOU"
    • 1929
  • Happy Days (1929)
    Happy Days
    5.5
    • performer: "We'll Build a Little World of Our Own" (uncredited)
    • 1929

Videos2

Three Loves Has Nancy
Trailer 2:29
Three Loves Has Nancy
A Star Is Born
Trailer 2:46
A Star Is Born
A Star Is Born
Trailer 2:46
A Star Is Born

Personal details

Edit
  • Height
    • 5′ (1.52 m)
  • Born
    • October 6, 1906
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
  • Died
    • September 14, 1984
    • Palm Springs, California, USA(Complications from traffic accident)
  • Spouses
      Paul GregoryDecember 24, 1964 - September 14, 1984 (her death)
  • Parents
      Frank D. Gainor
  • Other works
    Made her stage debut in Joseph Hayes' "The Midnight Sun," which never made it to Broadway.
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Print Biographies
    • 18 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 60 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Until 1986, she was the youngest leading actress to be awarded an Oscar.
  • Quotes
    [on receiving the first Best Actress Oscar] Naturally, I was thrilled, but being the first year, the Academy Awards had no background or tradition, and it naturally didn't mean what it does now. Had I known then what it would come to mean in the next few years, I'm sure I'd have been overwhelmed. At the time, I think I was more thrilled over meeting Douglas Fairbanks.
  • Nickname
    • Lolly
  • Salaries
      Street Angel
      (1928)
      $1,500 @week

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