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IMDbPro

Norma Shearer(1902-1983)

  • Actress
  • Soundtrack
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Norma Shearer c. 1930
A wealthy woman, trying to discourage a former boyfriend from pursuing her, hires a young songwriter who needs money to pay off his gambling debts to pretend to be her boyfriend. The problem is that the "phony" boyfriend is actually really in love with her.
Play trailer1:58
Her Cardboard Lover (1942)
7 Videos
99+ Photos
She won a beauty contest at age fourteen. In 1920 her mother, Edith Shearer, took Norma and her sister Athole Shearer (Mrs. Howard Hawks) to New York. Ziegfeld rejected her for his "Follies," but she got work as an extra in several movies. She spent much money on eye doctor's services trying to correct her cross-eyed stare caused by a muscle weakness. Irving Thalberg had seen her early acting efforts and, when he joined Louis B. Mayer in 1923, gave her a five year contract. He thought she should retire after their marriage, but she wanted bigger parts. In 1927, she insisted on firing the director Viktor Tourjansky because he was unsure of her cross-eyed stare. Her first talkie was in The Trial of Mary Dugan (1929); four movies later, she won an Oscar in The Divorcee (1930). She intentionally cut down film exposure during the 1930s, relying on major roles in Thalberg's prestige projects: The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) and Romeo and Juliet (1936) (her fifth Oscar nomination). Thalberg died of a second heart attack in September, 1936, at age 37. Norma wanted to retire, but MGM more-or-less forced her into a six-picture contract. David O. Selznick offered her the part of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), but public objection to her cross-eyed stare killed the deal. She starred in The Women (1939), turned down the starring role in Mrs. Miniver (1942), and retired in 1942. Later that year she married Sun Valley ski instructor Martin Arrouge, eleven years younger than she (he waived community property rights). From then on, she shunned the limelight; she was in very poor health the last decade of her life.
BornAugust 10, 1902
DiedJune 12, 1983(80)
BornAugust 10, 1902
DiedJune 12, 1983(80)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 1 Oscar
    • 5 wins & 7 nominations total

Photos606

Herbert Marshall and Norma Shearer in Riptide (1934)
Alexander Kirkland and Norma Shearer in Strange Interlude (1932)
Tyler Brooke, Florence Eldridge, Helene Millard, Chester Morris, and Norma Shearer in The Divorcee (1930)
Norma Shearer in The Devil's Circus (1926)
Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, Phyllis Povah, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
Joan Fontaine, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
Norma Shearer and Virginia Weidler in The Women (1939)
Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
Paulette Goddard, Mary Boland, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
Mary Boland and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
Joan Fontaine and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)

Known for

Norma Shearer in The Divorcee (1930)
The Divorcee
6.7
  • Jerry
  • 1930
Tyrone Power and Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
Marie Antoinette
7.3
  • Marie Antoinette
  • 1938
Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer in A Free Soul (1931)
A Free Soul
6.6
  • Jan Ashe
  • 1931
Charles Laughton, Fredric March, and Norma Shearer in The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)
The Barretts of Wimpole Street
7.0
  • Elizabeth Barrett
  • 1934

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actress

  • Robert Taylor and Norma Shearer in Her Cardboard Lover (1942)
    Her Cardboard Lover
    • Consuelo Croyden
    • 1942
  • Melvyn Douglas and Norma Shearer in We Were Dancing (1942)
    We Were Dancing
    • Vicki Wilomirska
    • 1942
  • Robert Taylor and Norma Shearer in Escape (1940)
    Escape
    • Countess von Treck
    • 1940
  • Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
    The Women
    • Mrs. Stephen Haines (Mary)
    • 1939
  • Clark Gable and Norma Shearer in Idiot's Delight (1939)
    Idiot's Delight
    • Irene
    • 1939
  • Tyrone Power and Norma Shearer in Marie Antoinette (1938)
    Marie Antoinette
    • Marie Antoinette
    • 1938
  • Romeo and Juliet (1936)
    Romeo and Juliet
    • Juliet - Daughter to Capulet
    • 1936
  • Charles Laughton, Fredric March, and Norma Shearer in The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)
    The Barretts of Wimpole Street
    • Elizabeth Barrett
    • 1934
  • Robert Montgomery and Norma Shearer in Riptide (1934)
    Riptide
    • Lady Mary Rexford
    • 1934
  • Fredric March and Norma Shearer in Smilin' Through (1932)
    Smilin' Through
    • Kathleen
    • Moonyean Clare
    • 1932
  • Clark Gable and Norma Shearer in Strange Interlude (1932)
    Strange Interlude
    • Nina Leeds
    • 1932
  • Jackie Cooper and Norma Shearer in The Christmas Party (1931)
    The Christmas Party
    • Norma Shearer (uncredited)
    • Short
    • 1931
  • Reginald Denny, Jean Hersholt, Una Merkel, Robert Montgomery, and Norma Shearer in Private Lives (1931)
    Private Lives
    • Amanda Prynne
    • 1931
  • Leslie Howard and Norma Shearer in A Free Soul (1931)
    A Free Soul
    • Jan Ashe
    • 1931
  • Neil Hamilton, Robert Montgomery, and Norma Shearer in Strangers May Kiss (1931)
    Strangers May Kiss
    • Lisbeth
    • 1931

Soundtrack

  • That's Entertainment! (1974)
    That's Entertainment!
    • Soundtrack ("Puttin' On The Ritz" (1929), uncredited)
    • 1974
  • Robert Taylor and Norma Shearer in Her Cardboard Lover (1942)
    Her Cardboard Lover
    • performer: "I Dare You" (1942) (uncredited)
    • 1942
  • Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, and Norma Shearer in The Women (1939)
    The Women
    • performer: "I Cried for You" (1923), "Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone" (1930) (uncredited)
    • 1939
  • Clark Gable and Norma Shearer in Idiot's Delight (1939)
    Idiot's Delight
    • performer: "How Strange", "Ochi Tchornya", "Abide with Me" (uncredited)
    • 1939
  • Charles Laughton, Fredric March, and Norma Shearer in The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934)
    The Barretts of Wimpole Street
    • performer: "Wilt Thou Have My Hand" (1934), "Little Brown Jug" (1869) (uncredited)
    • 1934
  • Fredric March and Norma Shearer in Smilin' Through (1932)
    Smilin' Through
    • performer: "Smilin' Through" (uncredited)
    • 1932
  • Reginald Denny, Jean Hersholt, Una Merkel, Robert Montgomery, and Norma Shearer in Private Lives (1931)
    Private Lives
    • performer: "Someday I'll Find You" (1931) (uncredited)
    • 1931
  • Neil Hamilton, Robert Montgomery, and Norma Shearer in Strangers May Kiss (1931)
    Strangers May Kiss
    • performer: "Silent Night, Holy Night" (1818) (uncredited)
    • 1931
  • Let Us Be Gay (1930)
    Let Us Be Gay
    • performer: "A La La La Paree" (uncredited)
    • 1930
  • Basil Rathbone and Norma Shearer in The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1929)
    The Last of Mrs. Cheyney
    • performer: "Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 'Moonlight'" (1802), "Carefree and Happy", "Believe Me If All Those Endearing Young Charms" (1808) (uncredited)
    • 1929

Videos7

Official Trailer
Trailer 1:58
Official Trailer
Trailer
Trailer 3:03
Trailer
Original Theatrical Trailer
Trailer 3:22
Original Theatrical Trailer
Official Trailer
Trailer 3:57
Official Trailer
Romeo and Juliet
Trailer 3:36
Romeo and Juliet
Marie Antoinette
Trailer 3:43
Marie Antoinette
The Women (1939)
Trailer 3:26
The Women (1939)

Personal details

Edit
  • Alternative names
    • Miss Norma Shearer
  • Height
    • 5′ 1″ (1.55 m)
  • Born
    • August 10, 1902
    • Montréal, Québec, Canada
  • Died
    • June 12, 1983
    • Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA(pneumonia and Alzheimer's disease)
  • Spouses
      Martin ArrougeAugust 23, 1942 - June 12, 1983 (her death)
  • Parents
    • Edith Shearer
  • Relatives
      Athole Shearer(Sibling)
  • Publicity listings
    • 1 Biographical Movie
    • 4 Print Biographies
    • 2 Portrayals
    • 1 Interview
    • 26 Articles
    • 1 Pictorial
    • 7 Magazine Cover Photos

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    She is one of the celebrities whose picture Anne Frank placed on the wall of her bedroom in the "Secret Annex" while in hiding during the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam.
  • Quotes
    Scarlett O'Hara is going to be a thankless and difficult role. The part I'd like to play is Rhett Butler.
  • Nicknames
    • The First Lady Of MGM
    • Queen Norma
  • Salaries
      Escape
      (1940)
      $150,000

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