JANET GAYNOR

Janet Gaynor was a popular actress during the 1920s and 1930s. Because of her youthful appearance, many people think of her as a 1930s actress, but actually, she was born in 1906, and she moved with her family to Los Angeles in the mid 1920s, and she got a few bit parts in movies, but in 1926, she became a star with her performance in The Johnstown Flood. She signed with William Fox and starred in a series of movies, especially Seventh Heaven (winner of the Best Actress Academy Award for this film), and Sunrise (winner of the Best Actress Academy Award for this film), and Street Angel (winner of the Best Actress Academy Award for this film). She won the first Academy Award ever given for Best Actress, and unlike many other top silent actresses, sound did not create a problem for her, for she had a great speaking voice, and she remained just as popular. She starred as Vicki Lester in the 1937 A Star is Born (nominated for the Best Actress Academy Award for this film; she was 31, but looked much younger). She retired in 1938, making a few appearances decades later. She passed away in 1984 at the age of 77.