Known For
Acting
Born
Sep 06, 1899
Died
Apr 26, 1984
Place of Birth
New York City, New York, USA
Credits
77 titles
May McAvoy
Biography
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia May McAvoy (September 8, 1899 – April 26, 1984) was an American actress who worked mainly during the silent film era. Some of her major roles are Laura Pennington in The Enchanted Cottage, Esther in Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, and Mary Dale in The Jazz Singer. McAvoy appeared in her first film, entitled Hate, in 1917. After appearing in more than three dozen films, she co-starred with Ramón Novarro and Francis X. Bushman in director Fred Niblo's 1925 production of Ben-Hur, released by MGM. The feature-length film was one of the most lavish and spectacular productions of the silent movie era. Although her voice was not heard in The Jazz Singer, McAvoy did speak in several other films, including the second "all-talkie" released by Warner Brothers, The Terror, which was directed by Roy Del Ruth and co-starred Conrad Nagel. For years a rumor circulated that McAvoy retired from the screen at the transition to sound films because of a lisp or speech impediment. In truth, she married the treasurer of United Artists, who asked her not to work. Later, she returned to films and played small roles during the 1940s and 1950s, making her final film appearance in a small part in the 1959 version of Ben-Hur.
Known For
Filmography
Gareth Hughes
Self (archive footage)
Ben-Hur
Woman in crowd (uncredited)
The Wings of Eagles
Nurse (uncredited)
Executive Suite
Grimm's Secretary (uncredited)
The Bad and the Beautiful
Pebbel's Secretary (uncredited)
Mystery Street
Nurse (uncredited)
The Yellow Cab Man
(uncredited)
Luxury Liner
Woman (uncredited)
The Romance of Rosy Ridge
Wife (uncredited)
Movie Pests
Woman Whose Vision Gets Blocked (uncredited)
Two Girls and a Sailor
Dowager (uncredited)
Mr. Blabbermouth!
Rio Rita
Hotel Guest (uncredited)
Born to Sing
(uncredited)
Main Street on the March!
Window Shopper (uncredited)
Ringside Maisie
1st Nurse (uncredited)
Sucker List
Secretary (uncredited)
Love Crazy
Sanity Hearing Secretary (uncredited)
1-2-3-Go!
Nurse
Whispers
Gossip (uncredited)
Third Finger, Left Hand
Telephone Operator (uncredited)
Dulcy
Miss Murphy - Van Dyke's Secretary (uncredited)
Phantom Raiders
Middle Telephone Operator
Hollywood: Style Center of the World
Saleslady
Two Girls on Broadway
Chatworth's Secretary (uncredited)
No Defense
Ruth Harper
Stolen Kisses
May Lambert
The Terror
Olga Redmayne
Caught in the Fog
The Girl
The Lion and the Mouse
Shirley Ross
The Little Snob
May Banks
If I Were Single
May Howard
A Reno Divorce
Carla
The Jazz Singer
Mary Dale
Slightly Used
Cynthia Martin
Irish Hearts
Sheila
Matinee Ladies
Sallie Smith
The Fire Brigade
Helen Corwin
The Savage
Ysabel Atwater
The Passionate Quest
My Old Dutch
Sal Gratton
The Road to Glory
Judith Allen
Lady Windermere's Fan
Lady Windermere
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ
Esther
Tessie
Tessie
The Mad Whirl
Cathleen Gillis
Three Women
Jeannie Wilton
Tarnish
Letitia Tevis
The Bedroom Window
Ruth Martin
The Enchanted Cottage
Laura Pennington