Madeline (Madeleine) (November 15, 1900 – January 15, 1989) and her

twin Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...

sister Marion Fairbanks (November 15, 1900 – September 20, 1973) were American stage and motion picture actresses active in the silent era. The two sisters were seemingly inseparable. However, their

Thanhouser The Thanhouser Company (later the Thanhouser Film Corporation) was one of the first motion picture studios, founded in 1909 by Edwin Thanhouser, his wife Gertrude and his brother-in-law Lloyd Lonergan. It operated in New York City until 1920, ...

filmographies are slightly different, as on occasion one twin appeared in a film without the other.

Early life

Born in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

, the twins were mainly educated by private tutors at home and while traveling. Their mother was actress Jennie M. Fairbanks, a.k.a. Jane Fairbanks, and their father was the son of Nathaniel Fairbanks, who served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

, and a descendant of Jonathan Fairbanks, a

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hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''her ...

of the

Revolution In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...

. Madeline and Marion had an older brother, Robert.

Career

The twins began their career on the stage in such productions as ''Alias Jimmy Valentine'', ''Mother'', ''Salomy Jane'', ''Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch,'' and countless others. Starting in 1909 they performed with Nora Bayes in ''The Jolly Bachelors''. Madeline wrote a note to President

William Howard Taft William Howard Taft (September 15, 1857March 8, 1930) was the 27th president of the United States (1909–1913) and the tenth chief justice of the United States (1921–1930), the only person to have held both offices. Taft was elected pr ...

, who received the twins at a private reception when they performed in

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After the meeting, he presented them with an autographed picture. At first Marion desired to be a dramatic actress while Madeline aspired to playing comedic roles. They entered films with Biograph circa 1910. They joined the Thanhouser Film Corporation in 1912, where they were billed as "The Thanhouser Twins", and remained there until 1916. The Fairbanks sisters appeared with

Teddie Gerard Teddie Gerard (born Teresa Cabre, May 2, 1890''Teddie Gerard Engaged'', New York Times, October 24, 1928, pg.27. – August 31, 1942) was an Argentine film actress''Miss Teddie Gerard'', New York Times, September 2, 1942, pg. 23. and entertain ...

in the cast of the Florenz Ziegfeld Midnight Frolic in August 1920. In 1923, Madeline decided to pursue dramatic roles, while Marion continued in musical revues, touring in the title role with the "Little Nellie Kelly company". Madeline landed roles in ''Mercenary Mary'', ''The Grab Bag'', and ''The Ritz Revue''. By 1924, the girls had felt their separation too keenly, and they rejoined on stage in George White's ''Scandals'', followed in early 1927 by parts in ''Oh, Kay''.

Later years

By 1932, Marion was on stage separately at the Waldorf Theatre, New York City. She succeeded Eleanor King as

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

in ''Whistling in the Dark''. 1930s news accounts reported that she operated a beauty parlor and directed a branch of a cosmetics manufacturer. In her later years she knew much unhappiness and struggled with the temptations of alcohol.

Deaths

Marion Fairbanks died in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

in 1973 and was buried at

Westview Cemetery Westview Cemetery, located in Atlanta, Georgia, is the largest civilian cemetery in the Southeastern United States, comprising more than , 50 percent of which is undeveloped. ( Georgia National Cemetery, for military veterans and their families, ...

. Her name was then Marion Fairbanks Delph. She had no survivors other than her sister. Madeline married Leonard Sherman in 1937. The union ended in divorce in 1947. She lived in New York until early 1989, where she died of

respiratory failure Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise ...

Work

Stage

Film

References

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 ...

, ''Theatrical Notes'', August 9, 1920, Page 6. * Syracuse Herald, ''Juvenile Performers Are Stage Veterans'', May 5, 1912, Page 48.

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fairbanks, Madeline and Marion Actresses from New York (state) American child actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses American stage actresses American twins Vaudeville performers 20th-century American actresses Sibling duos