Mercedes Dagmar Godowsky (November 24, 1897 – February 13, 1975) was an American

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, when ...

actress.

Biography

Mercedes Dagmar Godowsky was born in Chicago, Illinois, on November 24, 1897, the daughter of Polish-Jewish composer

Leopold Godowsky Leopold Mordkhelovich Godowsky Sr. (13 February 1870 – 21 November 1938) was a Lithuanian-born American virtuoso pianist, composer and teacher. He was one of the most highly regarded performers of his time, known for his theories concernin ...

and Frederica "Frieda" Saxe (1870–1933), who was of German descent, although she later claimed she was born in

Vilna Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional u ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...

(present-day

Vilnius, Lithuania Vilnius ( , ; see also #Etymology and other names, other names) is the capital and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the munic ...

) in her autobiography, ''First Person Plural''. She had an older sister, Vanita Hedwig (1892–1961), and two younger brothers,

Leopold Godowsky Jr. Leopold Godowsky Jr. (May 27, 1900 – February 18, 1983) was an American violinist and chemist, who together with Leopold Mannes created the first practical color transparency film, Kodachrome. Beginning Mannes and Godowsky's experimentatio ...

and Gutram "Gordon" (1905–1932), who was born in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. In November 1914, the family immigrated from

Liverpool, England Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple-pea ...

in Canada. Her

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

film career spanned the years from 1919 through 1926. She played in ''

A Sainted Devil ''A Sainted Devil'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Joseph Henabery and starring Rudolph Valentino. The film was produced by Adolph Zukor and Jesse Lasky. Plot As described in a review in a film magazine, in accordance wit ...

'' (1924) with

Rudolph Valentino Rodolfo Pietro Filiberto Raffaello Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguolla (May 6, 1895 – August 23, 1926), known professionally as Rudolph Valentino and nicknamed The Latin Lover, was an Italian actor based in the United States who starred ...

and ''

The Story Without a Name ''The Story Without a Name'' is a 1924 American silent melodrama film directed by Irvin Willat and based on a novel by Arthur Stringer, which was published in conjunction with the film. It was produced by Famous Players-Lasky and distributed by ...

'' (1924). The latter co-starred

Tyrone Power Sr. Frederick Tyrone Edmond Power Sr. (2 May 1869 – 23 December 1931) was an English-born American stage and screen actor, known professionally as Tyrone Power. He is now usually referred to as Tyrone Power Sr. to differentiate him from his son ...

and

Louis Wolheim Louis Robert Wolheim (March 28, 1880 – February 18, 1931) was an American actor, of both stage and screen, whose rough physical appearance relegated him to roles mostly of thugs or villains in the movies, but whose talent allowed him to fl ...

. Among her other film credits are ''Red Lights'' (1923), '' The Common Law'' (1923), ''Virtuous Liars'' (1924), and ''

The Price of a Party ''The Price of a Party'' is a 1924 American silent melodrama film produced by Howard Estabrook and distributed by Associated Exhibitors. The film is based on a short story of the same name by William Briggs MacHarg published in Cosmopolitan mag ...

'' (1924). Dagmar Godowsky 02

Personal life

Godowsky wed silent screen actor Frank Mayo in

Tijuana, Mexico Tijuana ( ,"Tijuana"
(US) and < ...

, on October 2, 1921. She named actress

Anna Luther Anna Luther (July 7, 1893 – December 16, 1960), sometimes credited as Ann Luther or Anne Luther, was an American actress. She was known as "the Poster Girl". Early life and career Anna Luther was born in Newark, New Jersey on July 7, 1893, a ...

as co-respondent in a suit brought against Mayo in March 1925. The marriage was annulled on August 28, 1926, on the grounds that Mayo had another wife. On June 24, 1926, Godowsky remarried to James D. Sloan. In 1958, Godowsky published a thoroughly candid (disputed; according to the

Arthur Rubinstein Arthur Rubinstein ( pl, Artur Rubinstein; 28 January 188720 December 1982) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American pianist.

biography by Harvey Sachs, Godowsky's memoirs were "apparently uninhibited but in fact heavily self-censored") autobiography titled ''First Person Plural''. She wrote, "I lived only for pleasure and I spoiled my own fun. Where was I running? From whom? Little feet running around the globe. Nothing but circles, and I never once bumped into myself."Godowsky, Dagmar. ''First Person Plural. The Lives of Dagmar Godowsky by Herself''. New York: The Viking Press, 1958. In the book, she named

Enrico Caruso Enrico Caruso (, , ; 25 February 1873 – 2 August 1921) was an Italian operatic first lyrical tenor then dramatic tenor. He sang to great acclaim at the major opera houses of Europe and the Americas, appearing in a wide variety of roles (74) ...

, Arthur Rubinstein,

Jascha Heifetz Jascha Heifetz (; December 10, 1987) was a Russian-born American violinist. Born in Vilnius, he moved while still a teenager to the United States, where his Carnegie Hall debut was rapturously received. He was a virtuoso since childhood. Fritz ...

Charles Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...

Igor Stravinsky Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky (6 April 1971) was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor, later of French (from 1934) and American (from 1945) citizenship. He is widely considered one of the most important and influential composers of the ...

, and Valentino among her "great loves." When queried about the number of husbands she had, Godowsky responded, "Two of my own, my dear, and several of my friends'." In her later years, she made frequent appearances in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and on television talk shows in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

Death

Godowsky died aged 77 in Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan on February 13, 1975. It was the anniversary of her father's birth. Her funeral was held at Riverside Chapel. She was buried at Mount Hope Cemetery in

Westchester, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population o ...

. She was survived by her brother,

Leopold Leopold may refer to: People * Leopold (given name) * Leopold (surname) Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Leopold (''The Simpsons''), Superintendent Chalmers' assistant on ''The Simpsons'' * Leopold Bloom, the protagonist o ...

. He was married to Frances Gershwin, sister of

George Gershwin George Gershwin (; born Jacob Gershwine; September 26, 1898 – July 11, 1937) was an American composer and pianist whose compositions spanned popular, jazz and classical genres. Among his best-known works are the orchestral compositions ' ...

Partial filmography

*''

The Red Lantern ''The Red Lantern'' is a 1919 American silent drama film starring Alla Nazimova, who plays dual roles, and directed by Albert Capellani. It is notable today for being Anna May Wong's screen debut. A single print survives in Europe with rumors o ...

'' (1919) *''

Bonds of Honor ''Bonds of Honor'' is a 1919 American silent film directed by William Worthington. Sessue Hayakawa's Haworth Pictures Corporation produced the film and he himself played the leading roles along with his wife Tsuru Aoki. Marin Sais, Dagmar Godowsk ...

'' (1919) *'' The Kid and the Cowboy'' (1919) *''

Stronger Than Death ''Stronger Than Death'' is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Black Label Society. It was initially released in Japan on March 7, 2000, with 11 tracks and in a blood red jewel case. It was released outside Japan almost a mont ...

'' (1920) *'' Hitchin' Posts'' (1920) *'' The Forged Bride'' (1920) * ''

The Path She Chose ''The Path She Chose'' is a 1920 American silent drama film, directed by Phil Rosen. It stars Anne Cornwall, J. Farrell MacDonald, and Claire Anderson, and was released on May 24, 1920. Cast list * Anne Cornwall as Virginia * J. Farrell MacD ...

'' (1920) *'' The Trap'' (1922) * ''

The Strangers' Banquet ''The Strangers' Banquet'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Marshall Neilan and starring Hobart Bosworth, Claire Windsor, and Rockliffe Fellowes.Connelly p. 272 It is based on the 1919 novel of the same title by Brian Oswald Donn- ...

'' (1922) *''

The Altar Stairs ''The Altar Stairs'' is a 1922 American silent drama film directed by Lambert Hillyer and featuring Frank Mayo, Louise Lorraine, Lawrence Hughes and Boris Karloff in an early role. The screenplay was written by Doris Schroeder, George Hively an ...

'' (1922) * '' Red Lights'' (1923) *'' The Common Law'' (1923) *''

'' (1924) *''

Meddling Women ''Meddling Women'' is a 1924 American silent drama film produced by and distributed by them and/or a State's Rights basis. Directed by Ivan Abramson, the film stars Lionel Barrymore. Cast Preservation A copy of ''Meddling Women'' is preserve ...

'' (1924) *''

'' (1924) * ''

Virtuous Liars ''Virtuous Liars'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Whitman Bennett and starring David Powell, Edith Allen, Maurice Costello, and Dagmar Godowsky.Munden p. 860 A man abandons his wife and child and goes to live in Havana H ...

'' (1924) * ''

Roulette Roulette is a casino game named after the French word meaning ''little wheel'' which was likely developed from the Italian game Biribi''.'' In the game, a player may choose to place a bet on a single number, various groupings of numbers, the ...

'' (1924) * ''

Greater Than Marriage ''Greater Than Marriage'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Victor Halperin and starring Marjorie Daw, Lou Tellegen, and Tyrone Power Sr. Frederick Tyrone Edmond Power Sr. (2 May 1869 – 23 December 1931) was an English-b ...

'' (1924) *''

Playthings of Desire ''Playthings of Desire'' is a 1924 American silent melodrama film produced and directed by Burton L. King and starring Estelle Taylor. Cast Preservation A print listed as being complete of ''Playthings of Desire'' is located in the Library o ...

'' (1924) *''

The Lost Chord "The Lost Chord" is a song composed by Arthur Sullivan in 1877 at the bedside of his brother Fred during Fred's last illness. The manuscript is dated 13 January 1877; Fred Sullivan died five days later. The lyric was written as a poem by Adel ...

'' (1925) * ''

Camille of the Barbary Coast ''Camille of the Barbary Coast'' is a 1925 American silent drama film directed by Hugh Dierker that starred Mae Busch, Owen Moore, and Fritzi Brunette Fritzi Brunette (born Florence Brunet; May 27, 1890 – September 28, 1943) was an American ...

'' (1925) *''

'' (1926) * '' In Borrowed Plumes'' (1926)

References

Citations

Bibliography

*"Dagmar Godowsky, 78, Vamp Of the Silent Screen, Is Dead", ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', February 14, 1975, Page 35. *"Frank Mayo Accused By Silent Screen Star", ''

Oakland Tribune The ''Oakland Tribune'' is a weekly newspaper published in Oakland, California, by the Bay Area News Group (BANG), a subsidiary of MediaNews Group. Founded in 1874, the ''Tribune'' rose to become an influential daily newspaper. With the declin ...

'', Wednesday Evening, March 18, 1925, Page 1.

External links

* *
Dagmar Godowsky
New York Public Library Digital Gallery photo *

Nickolas Muray Nickolas Muray (born Miklós Mandl; 15 February 1892 – 2 November 1965) was a Hungarian-born American photographer and Olympic saber fencer. Early and personal life Muray was born in Szeged, Hungary, and was History of the Jews in Hungary, Je ...

photographic studies of ''Dagmar Godowsky''
photo #1
{{DEFAULTSORT:Godowsky, Dagmar 1897 births 1975 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Chicago American film actresses American silent film actresses American people of Polish-Jewish descent Jewish American actresses 20th-century American Jews