Leonora Marion Hughes (March 31, 1897 – February 1978), also seen as Leonore Hughes, was an American dancer, one of the partners of Belgian dancer

Maurice Mouvet Maurice Oscar Louis Mouvet (March 18, 1889 – May 18, 1927) was an American dancer. Born in New York, he moved to London and Paris as a child. In Paris Mouvet began dancing in cabarets, cafés and restaurants. After learning to waltz he was o ...

Early life and education

Leonora Hughes was born in Chicago and raised in New York City, one of the eight children of Thomas Hughes and Mary McGuire Hughes. Her parents were Irish immigrants to the United States.

Career

Hughes was a telephone operator as a young woman. She was the third dance partner of Maurice Mouvet, beginning after his divorce from

Florence Walton Florence Walton (1890 in Wilmington, Delaware – January 7, 1981 in New York City, New York) was a vaudeville dancer and cabaret performer in the 1910s and 1920s. Early career Born in 1890 in Wilmington, Delaware, Walton made her debut in 1907 i ...

, until Hughes retired from dancing to marry in 1925. "Her principal qualification as a partner was her ability to meet the moods of Maurice," recalled a 1927 article, "and their work together was remarkable". They toured together for several years in Europe and North America, and appeared on Broadway together in the musical ''Good Morning Dearie'' (1922). Hughes was considered a stylish beauty in the 1920s and 1930s.

Edward Steichen Edward Jean Steichen (March 27, 1879 – March 25, 1973) was a Luxembourgish American photographer, painter, and curator, renowned as one of the most prolific and influential figures in the history of photography. Steichen was credited with tr ...

photographed her in 1923, for ''

Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ''Vogue Australia'', an Australian fashion magazine ** ''Vogue China'', ...

'' magazine, and in 1924 for '' Vanity Fair''. She appeared in two silent films: ''

The Indestructible Wife ''The Indestructible Wife'' is a 1919 American silent romantic comedy film directed by Charles Maigne and starring Alice Brady, Percy Marmont and Anne Cornwall.Goble p.211 Cast * Alice Brady as Charlotte Ordway * Anne Cornwall as Toots Brooks * ...

'' (1919) starring Alice Brady, and ''

The Rejected Woman ''The Rejected Woman'' is a 1924 American silent drama film directed by Albert Parker (in New York) and written by John Lynch. The film stars Alma Rubens, Conrad Nagel, and Béla Lugosi in a supporting role as Jean Gagnon. It was produced by Di ...

'' (1924) starring Bela Lugosi and Alma Rubens.

Personal life

Alfonso of Spain and his cousin, Duke Ferdinand of Dúrcal, both wooed Hughes in the early 1920s. In 1925, Hughes married wealthy Argentinian Carlos Ortiz Basualdo at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. They had two children, Carlos Fermín and María Matilde. They hosted international visitors, including British princes,

John J. Pershing General of the Armies John Joseph Pershing (September 13, 1860 – July 15, 1948), nicknamed "Black Jack", was a senior United States Army officer. He served most famously as the commander of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) on the Wes ...

, and

Noël Coward Sir Noël Peirce Coward (16 December 189926 March 1973) was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his wit, flamboyance, and what ''Time'' magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and ...

, at the Basualdo family's cattle ranch near Lake

Nahuel Huapi Nahuel Huapi National Park () is the oldest national park in Argentina, established in 1934. It surrounds Nahuel Huapi Lake in the foothills of the Patagonian Andes. The largest of the national parks in the region, it has an area of , or nearly ...

. Her husband died in a speedboat accident in 1935. She died in 1978, in

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...

, at the age of 80.

References

External links

A 1920 photograph of Leonora Hughes and Maurice Mouvet
by Bassano Ltd, in the National Portrait Gallery
A Fox Movietone News clip of Leonora Hughes
on the deck of a ship in 1920, online at University of South Carolina Libraries Digital Collections {{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Leonora 1897 births 1978 deaths Argentine silent film actresses American expatriates in Argentina American silent film actresses 20th-century American actresses Burials at La Recoleta Cemetery American female dancers Dancers from Chicago Actresses from Chicago 20th-century American dancers