Born 1894 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, American actress Lois Wilson moved to California after winning a beauty contest put on by Universal Studios and the Birmingham News. This pageant was the predecessor to the Miss Alabama/Miss America pageant system, and she is considered the first Miss Alabama.
After appearing in several films at various studios, Wilson settled in at Paramount Pictures in 1919, where she remained until 1927. She was a WAMPAS Baby Star of 1922, and appeared in 150 movies. Her most recognized screen portrayals are Molly Wingate in The Covered Wagon (1923), in which she was well reviewed, and Daisy Buchanan in the silent film version of The Great Gatsby (1926). She acted opposite male stars such as Rudolph Valentino and John Gilbert.
Wilson played both romantic leads and character parts. Despite making a successful transition to sound, she was dissatisfied with the roles she received in the 1930s, and soon retired in 1941, making only three films after 1939. Lois ventured to Broadway and television following her final role in The Girl from Jones Beach (1949) with Ronald Reagan. Wilson played in the network soap operas The Guiding Light in 1951, The Secret Storm and The Edge of Night. She portrayed featured character roles.
Wilson died in 1988 of pneumonia at the Riverside Hospital for Skilled Care in Reno, Nevada at age 93. Take a look at these gorgeous photos to see the beauty of young Lois Wilson in the 1910s and 1920s.
0 comments:
Post a Comment