Gloria Greer (born Elbert Eleanor Greer; March 7, 1908 – June 6, 1931) was an American actress who played

Oliver Hardy Oliver Norvell Hardy (born Norvell Hardy; January 18, 1892 – August 7, 1957) was an American comic actor and one half of Laurel and Hardy, the double act that began in the era of silent films and lasted from 1926 to 1957. He appeared with his c ...

's girlfriend in the 1929

Laurel and Hardy Laurel and Hardy were a British-American Double act, comedy duo act during the early Classical Hollywood cinema, Classical Hollywood era of American cinema, consisting of Englishman Stan Laurel (1890–1965) and American Oliver Hardy (1892–19 ...

short ''

Men O' War ''Men O' War'' is the third sound film starring Laurel and Hardy, released on June 29, 1929. Plot Stan and Ollie are two sailors on leave who happen upon two attractive girls strolling through a park. The sailors invite the ladies for a soda, b ...

''.

Life and career

Born in

Muskogee, Oklahoma Muskogee () is the thirteenth-largest city in Oklahoma and the county seat of Muskogee County. Home to Bacone College, it lies approximately southeast of Tulsa. The population of the city was 36,878 as of the 2020 census, a 6.0 percent decrease ...

, to Elbert Rush 'Bert' and Lillian May Greer (née Harris), she had two older sisters, Vivian and Lillian. When she was three years old, her family moved to

Ashland, Oregon Ashland is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. It lies along Interstate 5 approximately 16 miles (26 km) north of the California border and near the south end of the Rogue Valley. The city's population was 21,360 at the 2020 cen ...

, where her father purchased the ''

Ashland Daily Tidings The ''Ashland Daily Tidings'' was a morning newspaper serving the city of Ashland, Oregon, United States. It was owned by Rosebud Media, like its sister publication, the Medford-based ''Mail Tribune,'' which has continued to publish. The ''Dai ...

'' newspaper. After graduating from Ashland High School, she attended the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

where she was a member of

Chi Omega Chi Omega (, also known as ChiO) is a women's fraternity and a member of the National Panhellenic Conference, the umbrella organization of 26 women's fraternities. Chi Omega has 181 active collegiate chapters and approximately 240 alumnae chapte ...

. Keen on pursuing a movie career she relocated to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, in 1927 and adopted the stage name Gloria Greer. In 1928, she joined the Hal Roach Bathing Beauties, a group of young women who appeared in provocative bathing costumes in comedy short subjects and at promotional events. Her brief career included two speaking roles, one as Oliver Hardy's girlfriend in 1929's ''Men O' War'' and another as a honeymooner in the 1930

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

short ''Moonlight and Monkey Business'', directed by

Mark Sandrich Mark Sandrich (born Mark Rex Goldstein; October 26, 1900 – March 4, 1945) was an American film director, writer, and producer. Early life Sandrich was born in New York City on October 26, 1900 into a American Jews, Jewish family. His siste ...

. Greer married Carlos Noelle (1904-1978) in 1930. The couple intended to relocate to Ashland, where Greer's mother lived. They were visiting there when on May 28, 1931, Greer gave birth to a son, Carlos Noelle Jr (1931-1998). Greer died on June 6, 1931, of

sepsis Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...

following complications from her son's birth. Her funeral was held at the Ashland Presbyterian Church, and her body was temporarily interred in the church cemetery's mausoleum. She was interred at a cemetery in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

, where her father (who died in 1926) was buried. Her infant son was adopted by her sister, Vivian Dorothy Ling (née Greer, 1893–1966).

References

External links

* * 1908 births 1931 deaths People from Muskogee, Oklahoma People from Ashland, Oregon University of Oregon alumni 20th-century American actresses American film actresses Actresses from Oklahoma Actresses from Oregon Ashland High School (Oregon) alumni {{US-film-actor-1900s-stub