Molly O'Day (born Suzanne Dobson Noonan; October 16, 1909 – October 22, 1998) was an American film actress and the younger sister of

Sally O'Neil Sally O'Neil (born Virginia Louise Concepta Noonan; October 23, 1908 – June 18, 1968) was an American film actress of the 1920s. She appeared in more than 40 films, often with her name above the title. Early years O'Neil was one of eleven child ...

Biography

Born in

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...

, she was the youngest of 11 children of Judge Thomas Francis Patrick Noonan and his wife, Hannah Kelly, a

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

singer. After their father's death, O'Day and her two sisters moved to Hollywood. Besides O'Neil, another sister, Isabelle, also acted in films. O'Day's first appearance was in the

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 ''

45 Minutes from Hollywood ''45 Minutes From Hollywood'' (1926) is an American two-reel silent film released by Pathé Exchange. The runtime is 15 minutes. At the time, it was known as a Glenn Tryon vehicle, but today it is best remembered as the second instance of Stan ...

'' in 1926. She also appeared in

Hal Roach Harry Eugene "Hal" Roach Sr.Randy Skretvedt, Skretvedt, Randy (2016), ''Laurel and Hardy: The Magic Behind the Movies'', Bonaventure Press. p.608. (January 14, 1892 – November 2, 1992) was an American film and television producer, director, a ...

Our Gang ''Our Gang'' (also known as ''The Little Rascals'' or ''Hal Roach's Rascals'') is an American series of comedy short films chronicling a group of poor neighborhood children and their adventures. Created by film producer Hal Roach, also the ...

series. Only 16, she defeated 2,000 contenders in an audition for the tough girl heroine in the 1927 prizefighter movie ''

The Patent Leather Kid ''The Patent Leather Kid'' is a 1927 American silent drama film about a self-centered boxer who performs a heroic act in World War I that severely wounds him. It was directed by Alfred Santell and stars Richard Barthelmess, Molly O'Day, Lawfo ...

''. Like O'Neil in 1926, O'Day became one of the

WAMPAS Baby Stars The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the United States Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers, which honored 13 (15 in 1932) young actresses each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. ...

in 1928. Also in 1928, she had surgery to "remove several pounds of flesh from her hips and legs." An Associated Press news story reported: "The actress has been gaining weight steadily for the last year and although under contract to a film studio has been idle. Her excessive weight was the cause of her lack of work, Miss O'Day said, and after other flesh reducing methods failed she decided on the surgeon's knife as the final resort." After appearing in a few dozen films in the 1930s she retired.

Personal life and death

O'Day married actor Jack Durant in 1934 in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. They divorced July 10, 1951, in Los Angeles, California. They had 4 children together. O'Day died in

Avila Beach, California Avila Beach (Spanish: ''Ávila'') is an unincorporated community in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States, located on San Luis Obispo Bay about 160 miles (257 km) northwest of Los Angeles, and about south of San Francisco. The ...

, one day before her 89th birthday.

Recognition

O'Day has a star at 1708 Vine Street in the Motion Pictures category on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Californ ...

. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.

Filmography

Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come Richard Barthelmess Molly O'Day 1928

References

External links

*
Hollywood Walk of Fame webpageObituary in the ''L.A. Times''Molly O'Day
at Virtual History 1909 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from New Jersey American film actresses American silent film actresses Actors from Bayonne, New Jersey WAMPAS Baby Stars {{US-film-actor-1910s-stub