Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily Entertainment GuideIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Biography
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Ethel Shannon(1898-1951)

  • Actress
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Ethel Shannon
Ethel May Shannon's parents divorced when she was a child and her mother Agnes got a job as a housekeeper. After high school she moved to Los Angeles, California. A friend suggested that they should start working as film extras. In 1919 the lovely redhead co-starred with Bert Lytell in the comedy "Easy To Make Money," then was cast as Hoot Gibson's leading lady in the western "Roarin' Dan." Ethel was signed by producer B.P. Shulberg who gave her a starring role in the drama Maytime. She was also chosen to be one of the 1923 Wampas Baby Stars along with Evelyn Brent and Pauline Garon. On August 9, 1923 she married Robert Cary, a broker.; they split up two years later. Her success continued with the films "Lightning Romance", "Stop Flirting", and "The Phantom Express."

Ethel married screenwriter Joseph Jackson in 1927. The following year their son Joseph Jr was born, and soon after, she decided to quit acting and become a full-time homemaker. Tragedy struck in May of 1932 when her husband Joseph drowned while swimming at Laguna Beach. Devastated by his death and began drinking heavily. In 1934 she announced her engagement to Louis Grau, secretary to the Cuban consulate, but they broke up soon after. Ethel returned to acting with a small role in the 1935 film Backfire. She spent the next decade out of the spotlight while she raised her son. Sadly she also continued to struggle with alcoholism. On July 10, 1951 she died from a pulmonary edema caused by cirrhosis of the liver. Ethel was only 53 years old. She was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.
BornMay 22, 1898
DiedJuly 10, 1951(53)
BornMay 22, 1898
DiedJuly 10, 1951(53)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank

Photos10

View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster
View Poster

Known for

The Phantom Express
4.9
  • Nora Lane
  • 1925
Harrison Ford, Clara Bow, Ethel Shannon, and Maxine Tabnac in Maytime (1923)
Maytime
6.5
  • Ottilie Van Zandt
  • 1923
Grace Darmond in The Hope Diamond Mystery (1921)
The Hope Diamond Mystery
6.5
  • Lady Francis Hale
  • 1921
Charles Ray in An Old Fashioned Boy (1920)
An Old Fashioned Boy
7.3
  • Betty Graves
  • 1920

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress



  • Stars Over Broadway (1935)
    Stars Over Broadway
    5.8
    • Woman (uncredited)
    • 1935
  • Life in Hollywood No. 4 (1927)
    Life in Hollywood No. 7
    5.6
    Short
    • 1927
  • Babe Ruth in Babe Comes Home (1927)
    Babe Comes Home
    7.3
    • Georgia
    • 1927
  • Hoot Gibson and Ethel Shannon in The Buckaroo Kid (1926)
    The Buckaroo Kid
    6.8
    • Lyra Radigan
    • 1926
  • Ralph Lewis in The Silent Power (1926)
    The Silent Power
    • Olive Spencer
    • 1926
  • Reed Howes in The High Flyer (1926)
    The High Flyer
    • Winnie
    • 1926
  • Through Thick and Thin
    • Ruth Morris
    • 1926
  • David Butler and Madge Kennedy in Oh, Baby! (1926)
    Oh, Baby!
    • Mary Bond
    • 1926
  • Peter the Great in The Sign of the Claw (1926)
    The Sign of the Claw
    5.5
    • Mildred Bryson
    • 1926
  • Keep Going
    • 1926
  • The Speed Limit (1926)
    The Speed Limit
    • Bess Stanson
    • 1926
  • Reed Howes and Ethel Shannon in Danger Quest (1926)
    Danger Quest
    • Nan Colby
    • 1926
  • The Phantom Express
    4.9
    • Nora Lane
    • 1925
  • Maurice 'Lefty' Flynn in High and Handsome (1925)
    High and Handsome
    • Marie Ducette
    • 1925
  • Harry Carey and Ethel Shannon in The Texas Trail (1925)
    The Texas Trail
    • Betty Foster
    • 1925

Personal details

Edit
  • Born
    • May 22, 1898
    • Colorado, USA
  • Died
    • July 10, 1951
    • Hollywood, California, USA
  • Spouses
      Joseph Jackson1927 - May 26, 1932 (his death, 1 child)
  • Parents
    • Agnes Shannon
  • Publicity listings
    • 5 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Child: Joseph Shannon Jackson (b. 11 September 1928).

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb app
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
Follow IMDb on social
Get the IMDb app
For Android and iOS
Get the IMDb app
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • License IMDb Data
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.